Did you know Abraham was the first person named a prophet in the Bible? Abraham never calls himself a prophet, but the Lord does:
Now then, return the man’s wife [Sarah], for he [Abraham] is a prophet, so that he will pray for you [Abimelech], and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.
What makes someone a prophet? The most obvious is that the Lord called him a prophet directly. But he also does a couple things that (in my mind) also make him a prophet:
- He received prophecies from the Lord
- He told someone about the prophecies
- He lived out the prophecies
The first is that Abraham received prophecies from the Lord. We see two of them in Genesis 15, the first is that he would have a son and a great many people would be his descendants, and second that his people would go to Egypt (albeit unnamed in the prophecy) and eventually be delivered from there:
And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”
Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.”
So not only did 1) Abraham receive prophecies, but he must have 2) told someone because they are recorded in the book of Genesis. And most importantly, 3) he believed them and lived them out:
And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
Belief is not intellectual, it is a lifestyle. There is action involved with belief. James puts it this way:
Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”
My prayer for you: Lord give us the faith of Abraham and more! Lord give us a word that to encourage, bless or correct. Please speak to us Lord and give us the opportunity to live out our faith, to be your hands and feet, that we can bless others and grow to be more Christ-like everyday. In Jesus’ might and holy name, amen.