The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Kings 13:7-10,
"The king said to the man of God, 'Come home with me for a meal, and I will give you a gift.' But the man of God answered the king, 'Even if you were to give me half your possessions, I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water here. For I was commanded by the word of the Lord: "You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came."' So he took another road and did not return by the way he had come to Bethel."
Here we see the response of a young prophet to King Jeroboam when he was invited to eat with the king and receive a gift. The prophet was sent, "by the word of the Lord", to Bethel to pronounce an imprecation against an altar that King Jeroboam was using. The prophet had been told not to eat or drink water there or return back to Judah by the same way. So, he refused the king.
Along came an older prophet and tricked him into coming home with him to eat. After initially refusing, the young prophet went home and had a meal with him. We are told the older prophet lied to the younger prophet. "'I too am a prophet, as you are. And an angel said to me by the word of the Lord: "Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water."' (But he was lying to him.) So the man of God returned with him and ate and drank in his house." Verses 18-19.
The younger prophet paid dearly for disobeying the Lord by allowing himself to be deceived. As he left the old prophet's home for Judah he was killed by a lion.
So, what is a prophet? Very simply, a prophet is someone who relays a message from the Lord to others. What kind of person is tapped by the Lord to be a prophet? Here is an interesting question. The text calls the younger prophet "The man of God", verse 16. This, apparently, not especially because he was a perfectly godly man (although I suspect he was in many ways) but that he was used by God for God's own purposes.
What I observe about these two prophets is that the younger prophet was only partially obedient to the Lord. He did go to Bethel and pronounce the curse upon the altar and he refused the king per God's directions, but then afterward he allowed himself to be sidetracked and deceived by the older prophet, directly disobeying the Lord.
And, what of the older prophet? He lied. He deceived the younger prophet into going home with him for a meal. I suspect this older prophet's motive may have been that he had an active prophetic ministry at an earlier time, and sought to authenticate or assert the credentials of his former glory of service to God by having a currently active prophet join him in his home for a meal.
In any event, both prophets display the human weakness we all share in our lost and fallen condition. Prophets were just as susceptible to sin as we all are. I am quite certain that many were very godly men and women whose hearts were completely given to the Lord. From this passage, however, it is clear that "holiness", a life free from sin, was no requisite for being called by God as his spokesperson. Every prophet was a sinner.
Perhaps that is a good thing to keep in mind today when we castigate leaders in ministry when their failures become evident. Hypocrisy is easy to condemn. However, should we not keep in mind that we all are sinners, that we all fail from time to time? No one, save the Son of God, ever lived a life free from sin. I'm not suggesting we condone sin here, what I am suggesting is that when I feel that urge to judge someone else, all I need do is look in the mirror to relieve myself of such a tendency.
Just ask these two good ol' boys!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
"The king said to the man of God, 'Come home with me for a meal, and I will give you a gift.' But the man of God answered the king, 'Even if you were to give me half your possessions, I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water here. For I was commanded by the word of the Lord: "You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came."' So he took another road and did not return by the way he had come to Bethel."
Here we see the response of a young prophet to King Jeroboam when he was invited to eat with the king and receive a gift. The prophet was sent, "by the word of the Lord", to Bethel to pronounce an imprecation against an altar that King Jeroboam was using. The prophet had been told not to eat or drink water there or return back to Judah by the same way. So, he refused the king.
Along came an older prophet and tricked him into coming home with him to eat. After initially refusing, the young prophet went home and had a meal with him. We are told the older prophet lied to the younger prophet. "'I too am a prophet, as you are. And an angel said to me by the word of the Lord: "Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water."' (But he was lying to him.) So the man of God returned with him and ate and drank in his house." Verses 18-19.
The younger prophet paid dearly for disobeying the Lord by allowing himself to be deceived. As he left the old prophet's home for Judah he was killed by a lion.
So, what is a prophet? Very simply, a prophet is someone who relays a message from the Lord to others. What kind of person is tapped by the Lord to be a prophet? Here is an interesting question. The text calls the younger prophet "The man of God", verse 16. This, apparently, not especially because he was a perfectly godly man (although I suspect he was in many ways) but that he was used by God for God's own purposes.
What I observe about these two prophets is that the younger prophet was only partially obedient to the Lord. He did go to Bethel and pronounce the curse upon the altar and he refused the king per God's directions, but then afterward he allowed himself to be sidetracked and deceived by the older prophet, directly disobeying the Lord.
And, what of the older prophet? He lied. He deceived the younger prophet into going home with him for a meal. I suspect this older prophet's motive may have been that he had an active prophetic ministry at an earlier time, and sought to authenticate or assert the credentials of his former glory of service to God by having a currently active prophet join him in his home for a meal.
In any event, both prophets display the human weakness we all share in our lost and fallen condition. Prophets were just as susceptible to sin as we all are. I am quite certain that many were very godly men and women whose hearts were completely given to the Lord. From this passage, however, it is clear that "holiness", a life free from sin, was no requisite for being called by God as his spokesperson. Every prophet was a sinner.
Perhaps that is a good thing to keep in mind today when we castigate leaders in ministry when their failures become evident. Hypocrisy is easy to condemn. However, should we not keep in mind that we all are sinners, that we all fail from time to time? No one, save the Son of God, ever lived a life free from sin. I'm not suggesting we condone sin here, what I am suggesting is that when I feel that urge to judge someone else, all I need do is look in the mirror to relieve myself of such a tendency.
Just ask these two good ol' boys!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
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