Abraham is one of the central figures in the book of Genesis, let alone the whole bible itself. It is with Abraham that God makes a covenant within Genesis (Genesis 12; 15; 17; 22). A covenant that includes the promise of people, land, and blessing. This covenant finds its fulfillment in the person and work of Christ (Luke 22:7-23; Romans 4; Galatians 3:1-9). Along with the covenant promises made to Abraham, there are two fascinating titles in Genesis 20:7 and Genesis 23:6 that are attributed to the father of faith一the titles of prophet and prince. This article will attempt to explore the significance[1] of these two titles.
The Context.
The context in which God calls Abraham a prophet is a questionable one because earlier on in the passage, Abraham convinces Sarah to identify herself as his sister and not wife and this results in king Abimelech taking her into his royal household (Genesis 20:2). By deceiving king Abimelech, Abraham was trying to preserve his life because he thought that, “there is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife” (Genesis 20:11). What Abraham did put the covenant promises under threat because if Sarah had become Abimelech’s wife, the promised heir who is born in the next chapter would have not come from Abraham’s seed. However, God will not allow his covenant promises to compromised because he prevents Abimelech from having sexual relations with Sarah, and by doing this preserves his covenant and his people (Genesis 20:6). Now that the context in which verse 7 is said, I’ll jump into what it means for Abraham to be called a prophet.
A Prophet.
In verse 7 God commands Abimelech to return Sarah to Abraham, for Abraham “is a prophet” (Genesis 20:7). What does it mean for Abraham to be a prophet in this passage? I would like to suggest that Abraham being a prophet relates to him interceding on behalf of Abimelech because verse 7 goes on to say, “so that he may pray for you, and you shall live” (Genesis 20:7). In other words, Abraham’s prophetic role towards Abimelech is one of prayer. His prayer results in the well being of Abimelech and his household (Genesis 20:17-18). In short, Abraham as a prophet intercedes for Abimelech and reverses the barrenness God had put on his household.
Even though prophet(s) is not a major theme in Genesis, we do see in Abraham prophetic traits that would go on to be developed in the Old Testament. For example, God appeared to the prophet par excellence Moses, just like he did to Abraham in Genesis 12. He also directly spoke to Abraham just as he did to Moses. Similarly, Daniel intercedes for the nation like we see Abarahm interceding for Abimelech and his household. In summary, Abraham’s title of prophet is played out in his prayerful intercession for king Abimelech.
The second title that is used on Abraham is that of a prince in Genesis 23:6 where read: The Hittites answered Abraham, Hear us my lord; you are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs”. Like we did with the first title, let us establish the context in which these words are said.
The context.[2]
Genesis 23 begins on a somber note because we are introduced to a husband in mourning because Sarah has just died (Genesis 23:2). After Sarah’s death, Abraham begins the funeral preparations, and key to these preparations is making sure his late wife is buried at a specific place. However, at first, from Abraham’s point of view, it will be difficult for him to get Sarah buried in the land of Canaan because he “is a sojourner and foreigner”(Genesis 23:4) and that implied that he did not possess any rights on the land he was journeying on. So Abraham proceeds to ask the Hittites for a burial spot in Hebron (Canaan) in Genesis 23:4.
Why does Abraham desire that his late wife be buried in Hebron? The land of Cannan is land God promised to Abraham in in Genesis 17:8. With the context understood, I will suggest what it means for Abraham to be a prince.
Prince.
There are a variety of ways that the Hebrew word for prince can be translated. For example ‘ruler’, ‘leader’, ‘captain’ and the Greek translation of the Old Testament translates it as ‘ruler’. The various point out that the word communicates the idea of authority and rule. This idea of authority is seen throughout Genesis 23. We see this in 23:5;11;15, where beside being called a prince, Abraham is addressed with the title of ‘lord’. Abraham being called lord can refer to one who is in control and is a master over someone/something. Therefore, Abraham is a prince in reference to his rule and power. Rule and power that led the Hittites to want to give Abraham the burial site in Canaan, rather than sell it to him. In short, the titles given to Abraham in Genesis 20:7 and 23:6 give us a broader picture of the father of faith. A picture of a man who as a prophet prayerfully interceded for the healing of a king, and a prince who wielded authority and dominion.
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In conclusion, I think the titles are important in two ways. Firstly, they help us get a broader picture of who and what Abraham did. In other words, he was more than the father of faith. Secondly, we see a glimpse of how the surrounding nations might have viewed Abraham as an authoritative figure who had dominion.
