1Ki 13:1 And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.
1Ki 13:2 And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee.
1Ki 13:3 And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the LORD hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.
Jeroboam stood by the altar of a false god, he was there to burn incense to this false god, one that could neither smell nor see the burning incense. Jeroboam was removed from King David by one generation he actually served under Solomon. So he knew of the true God of Israel but he instituted the golden calf as a god in Israel. How funny is it that they return time and again to a false god, one they had to make?
And why did Jeroboam do this? He did all this to keep power, to keep Israel from going back up to Jerusalem, and returning to God and the King set up by God, Rehoboam, So Jeroboam made golden calves, set up a feast day to replicate the Israelites feasts days, all to keep power. He corrupted a nation with a false religion, to keep his power. and the people listened to him, why? so that they didn't have to travel to Jerusalem.
Sound familiar church of 2020? Letting the world tell you how to worship to make it more appealing to them? Giving in because it is just so much easier that way?
The Lord gave a sign, a sign by which the people could verify that these things would be true. He said the altar would be rent (torn apart) and ashes would pour out.
Usually when there is a prophecy made and the promise of a sign it is not the very same day it takes awhile to happen but not this time.
1Ki 13:4 And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Bethel, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him.
1Ki 13:5 The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.
Jeroboam heard the words of the prophet, stretched out his hand and told them to take hold of this prophet. Things got decidedly bad for Jeroboam at that point the arm he had stretched forth withered up so that he could not pull it back in, and then the altar was torn and ashes poured forth right in front of the man it was made about and the man who made the prophecy.
Jeroboam changes his tune real quick now,
1Ki 13:6 And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the face of the LORD thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the LORD, and the king's hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.
1Ki 13:7 And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward.
1Ki 13:8 And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place:
do you notice though here as in acts with Simon they didn't pray for themselves but asked pothers to pray for them? It is amazing that so many when they see the work of God, still turn to the man of God and ask them to intercede instead of speaking to God themselves.
So the king's arm is fixed the prophecy is fulfilled and all is well, so the king asks the prophet to come home with him, eat with him and get a reward. Can you smell the snake oil he is selling here? Jeroboam was just called out and humiliated in front of the people and he wanted to give this guy a reward? I am sure it would be the greatest prize of this prophets life (pun intended).
The prophet under strict orders from God answered the king
1Ki 13:8 And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place:
1Ki 13:9 For so was it charged me by the word of the LORD, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest.
1Ki 13:10 So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel.
This guy was good, and he was smart. He listened to the Word of the Lord and was not flattered by the things of this world. Nor was he entrapped by the empty promises of man. He was God's man.
1Ki 13:11 Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father.
1Ki 13:12 And their father said unto them, What way went he? For his sons had seen what way the man of God went, which came from Judah.
1Ki 13:13 And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon,
1Ki 13:14 And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak: and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am.
The old retiring man of God heard of the mighty works, and chased after the man that the Lord spake to. Was he jealous God was talking to Him and not himself? Was he trying to catch up to the young man to relive the glory days of his ministry?
The young man stayed steadfast in his refusal, that the Word of the Lord told him to not eat or drink or go out of his way. so the old prophet responds
1Ki 13:18 He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him.
So wearing the title of prophet, brothers in arms he gets this huy to disobey the Lord. He lies to make it seem as if they are both serving God on this mission.
1Ki 13:20 And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came unto the prophet that brought him back:
1Ki 13:21 And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee,
1Ki 13:22 But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the LORD did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers.
The prophet of the Lord was lied to, tricked by a brother in arms and now God speaks again. This time to doom the young man.
please note the other prophet did not pay the price of his trickery, the young man did by not listening to the Word of the Lord fully. How often do we at the behest of a brother or older servant of God turn aside from out given mission and pay the price? How often do we get beguiled by those serving with us, good intention-ed or not, into not obeying God and having a doom placed on us or on our fulfilling the Will of God.
The young man left the older's house, and was killed by a lion in the way. The lion ate neither the body not the donkey he was on. He just killed the prophet. The elder prophet went out gathered the body up and buried it in his sepulchre. Then he left instrucvtions that when he died he was to be put beside the bones of the young prophet. The one he was responsible for killing.
Again why he lied, why he chased after him is not known, to relive the glory days, to share in the glory, to boast among the people that he was still in God's service by ministering to the younger prophets, I don't know. I do know that whatever the cause the fall out from his lie was enormous. It cost the young prophet his life and it emboldened Jeroboam to continue on in his sin, where if the younger prophet was still alive and a reminder to Jeroboam of what he saw and heard things might have changed.
1Ki 13:33 After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places.
1Ki 13:34 And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth.
Jeroboam could now explain away what happened at the altar, for the prophet died, so he could claim that hi "gods" had so dealt with the prophet.
Jeroboam made the lowest of the people priests in the high places of his false gods. The sin of the elder prophet rang through generations until Jeroboam and all his family were cut off from the face of the earth.
What a sad fate for all involved.
When there is a word, a mission from God, do it. Follow his instructions.
If you are on the sideline and jealous God is not using you, do not interfere, do not turn aside the man of God, do not caution against God's Word but go and see if you can help, not out of your glory but for the Glory of God and be a servant instead of having to be the one who is at the forefront. Ride along sure, but do not turn the man of God aside from the Will of God even when you think you know better.
This elder prophet sinned and lied, and he did not pay the price. At least not then. there is coming a day when that price will be required of him at judgment. As for the young prophet we do not know his name, nor anything about him because of the elder prophet lies.
It all started out so well for the young man when he was listening to God and God alone.
Perhaps there is a moral in there somewhere for us.
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