Tag: prophet

The Men were Afraid

Posted on by jovial_cynic

So Abimelech rose early in the morning, called all his servants, and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were very much afraid.
Genesis 20:8 (NKJV)

Why does the text tell us that Abemelech’s men were afraid?

In this chapter, we read that God appeared to Abimelech by dream and threatened his life unless he returned Sarah to Abraham. Abimelech tells his servants, and then the text says that “the men” were afraid.

There are speculations about the precise locations of Gerar (likely near the Negev region in Southen Israel) and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (near the Dead Sea), but it’s assumed that the places were about 40 to 50 miles from one another.

The rabbis note that by the time Abraham arrives, the people of Gerar could still see the smoke from the burning cities.

Perhaps the arrival of a prophet of the God who destroyed the cities was enough to terrify everyone. But the text doesn’t say “everyone” was afraid. It doesn’t give a vague pronoun here, even though it could have.

It said “and the MEN” were very afraid.

While the commentaries don’t say this, I wonder if “the men” are mentioned here to tie us back to the cities that were destroyed. There were wicked men in Sodom and Gomorrah, and perhaps the men here considered their own life choices and wondered if they were next.

One Jewish commentary says that perhaps the men were afraid that Abraham would not intercede for them and shield them from doom.

The men were very frightened. They were afraid that Avraham would refuse to pray for them.
Haamek Davar on Genesis 20:8:1

We already know that Abraham is a man who pleads on behalf of others. Perhaps here, God is teaching him to pray not just for his own people, but for the well-being and protection of others as well.

The Prophet’s Role

Posted on by jovial_cynic

Now therefore, restore the man’s wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”
Genesis 20:7 (NKJV)

When “prophet” is first introduced, we are shown the prophet’s role:

1. To restore relationship
2. To plead on behalf of someone:
– a) So they may live
– b) So they may avoid destruction

The word “restore” is שׁוּב (shuv), and it’s the same as “repent” or “turn back.” It is a word that means to return to origin and start again. It is a word of healing and repair.

But restore back to what?

The phrase “man’s wife” is אֵשֶׁת־הָאִישׁ (ishet ha’ish). Literally “the wife of the husband.” These words bring us back to Genesis 2, when Adam first meets his wife, who is just like him, as though she’s made in his image and likeness.

And this points us back to Genesis 1: “Let us create mankind in our image.”

The prophet’s role is firstly one of restoration. To restore us to one anther, and to God. To bring us into oneness and wholeness and peace with God, like it was in the Garden.

And this is done through intercession, through praying on behalf of others.

Look at the words of life and death. God doesn’t say “if you don’t, I will kill you.” He says “if you do not שׁוּב (shuv), you will die.

In the hebrew, it is מוֹת תָּמוּת (mot tamut). “You will surely die.” (lit. dying-die)

Yes. The same words from the Garden.

In the first story of death, we were told if we ate from the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil, we would mot tamut. But here: if we do not restore, we will mot tamot.

Can you see it? Can you see God’s desire? God wants the restoration of relationships: Ish and Ishah, God and humanity, we and our neighbors… as it was in the garden. As it is in heaven.

This is the prophet’s prayer.

Because everything else is death, chaos, destruction, hopelessness, emptiness, loneliness.

Prophet

Posted on by jovial_cynic

Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all who belong to you will die.”
Genesis 20:7 (NIV)

Genesis 20:7 is the first time anyone is called a “prophet” of God. It is נָבִיא (navi) This word never appears again in Genesis, and is not mentioned until Exodus, where God tells Moses, “I have made you like a god to pharaoh, and Aaron your brother like a prophet” in Exodus 7:1.

Blindness

Posted on by jovial_cynic

And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door.
Genesis 19:11 (NKJV)

When the angels blinded the men trying to get past Lot, the rabbis point out a couple of fascinating things about the word-choices here.

First, this isn’t merely physical blindness. Surely a blind person can find a door if they really tried. This describes a stupor.

The word choice verifies this. The story uses an uncommon hebrew word for “blindness.”

Ordinarily, the word used for “blind” is ivvare (עיוור), and it just means… blind. But here, the word is sanvare (סָנְוֵר), and it carries a sense of mental or spiritual blindness.

This word sanvare is so uncommon that it’s only used once more in the whole Bible, in 2 Kings 6:8-23.

In the story, there’s an enemy who surrounds the prophet Elisha in Dothan, and when Elisha’s servant’s eyes are open, he sees an army of angels with chariots of *fire.*

It’s where we get these lyrics to a famous hymn:

So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
2 Kings 6:16 (NKJV)

And then Elisha prays that God strike the enemies with blindness. With sanvare.

The blinded and confused enemies are then led by Elisha into Israel’s territory, but rather than have them killed, Elisha prepared a great feast for them.

In Sodom, we have a feast (Genesis 19:3), surrounded (19:4), blindness (19:11), people moved (19:16), and then fire (19:24).

In Dothan, we have surrounded (2 Kings 6:14), fire (6:17), blindness (6:18), people moved (6:19), and a feast (6:23).

Isn’t that interesting?

In the case of Sodom, we have what starts with a feast and hospitality, but it ends in fire and destruction.

On the case of Dothan, we have what starts out as the outlay of destruction by fire, but it ends in a feast.

What do you suppose scripture is teaching us?