Sunday Evening, June 17, 2006
THE MAN OF GOD AND THE OLD PROPHET
I Kings 13
I have some exciting news for you tonight. Sometimes you wonder what the specific will of God is for you. Well, for the next five days, the Lord has revealed His specific will. For the next five days, I want you to take a break from reading the scriptures and I want you to read a book that is powerful. You’ve never heard of this book, but I assure you that the Lord will use it in your life. It is only 100 pages, so all you have to do is read 20 pages a day.
Someone: "You are telling us not to read the Word of God for the next five days?"
"That’s right."
Someone again: "But God tells us that the blessing of God is upon the one who delights in the law of the Lord and makes it his meditation day and night."
"I understand that. In general, that is certainly the will of God. But an angel appeared to me that said that this is what we are to do for the next five days. After that, we will go back to reading and meditating on the Word."
What do you think? I hope that I wasn’t very convincing. I trust that you wouldn’t expect me to seriously ask you to do that. However, what if I pressed my argument that an angel spoke to me? How can you resist such a claim?
Now let’s read again that fascinating story from I Kings 13. Read I Kings 13:1-6…
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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 6. And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Entreat 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.
Notice in verse 1 that this is a man of God who came by the word of the Lord. The reality of that statement is borne out by what we read in verses 2-6. The Lord gave this man a very specific prophecy to deliver before the altar at Bethel.
Now let’s pause for just a moment to make sure we understand the situation that is taking place. This man of God was "out of Judah." Bethel was a city in the northern kingdom of Israel, but it was only a mile or two from the northern border of Judah. So it really wasn’t a long trip for this man to make. But when we look at the spiritual distance, as opposed to the geographical distance, it was much farther.
Let’s go back to the division of the kingdom. There were only three kings of the united kingdom – Saul, David, and Solomon. At the beginning of the reign of Solomon’s son Rehoboam, the ten northern tribes united under Jeroboam and pulled away from Rehoboam. From that point on, there were two kingdoms – Judah in the south and Israel in the north. Immediately Jeroboam could see a problem developing. The temple was in Jerusalem, and Jerusalem was in the southern kingdom. The law declared that God’s people must go three times a year to the temple, the place where the Lord had placed His name. If His subjects faithfully made this trip to Jerusalem three times a year, Jeroboam felt certain that they would eventually defect to the house of David and to King Rehoboam. So what could he do about it? He set up two altars and with golden calves, one at Dan (in the far north) and one at Bethel (on the southern border). Then he said to the people, "These are your gods, which brought you out of the land of Egypt" (I Kings 12:26-29).
The man of God from Judah was sent to the altar at Bethel. And the Lord had given him a very specific prophecy against that altar. Listen to it again from verse 2, "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." Notice that he names a future king of Judah by name. We know, of course, that Josiah would indeed become king of Judah and this prophecy would be fulfilled. Not only did the man of God faithfully deliver the prophecy, but he also gave a miraculous sign, which was a pledge that it would actually happen. "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."
It was at this point that Jeroboam stepped in. This was serious business. I don’t know whether the man of God expected Jeroboam to be present. Whether expected or not, Jeroboam was there and he heard this strange prophecy from this man’s lips. You can understand why Jeroboam was upset. So he reached out his hand and said, "Lay hold on him." Grab him. Arrest him. After all, Jeroboam was the king of the nation. Surely no one could oppose him. No one could treat his altar like that. The king reached out his hand, but he couldn’t pull it back to himself. It dried up. At the same time, the altar suddenly split and the ashes were poured out on the ground. King Jeroboam must have realized that he was confronting a power that he knew little about. He said to the man of God, "Pray to God for me, so that the use of my hand will be restored." The man of God prayed, and the king’s hand was restored to what it had been before.
Can there be any question that this man did indeed come to Bethel by the word of the Lord? God not only gave him a message to deliver, but He also gave him a sign to confirm it. And when this man prayed to the Lord, the Lord heard immediately and healed this wicked king. You might ask, "How did the Lord speak to the man of God?" We don’t know. What we do know is that God truly spoke to him. Of that, there can be absolutely no question. That is the thing we want to hang on to at this point. This man heard from the Lord.
Now let’s read verses 7-10…
And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward. 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: 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. 10. So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel.
From this part of the story, we learn that the Lord had said something else to the man of God. Verse 9, "For so it was charged me by the word of the Lord, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that you came." So do you think the Lord actually gave the man of God these instructions? Why do you think so? If this man heard the Lord with respect to the prophecy against the altar, even accurately revealing Josiah’s name, then surely he heard the Lord concerning this thing, which apparently was spoken by the Lord at the same time. He was so certain of the Lord’s instruction that he would not allow King Jeroboam to do anything for him. Even if Jeroboam were to offer him half of all he had, that would make no difference. Why not? Because the Lord had spoken to him and he must obey the Lord. Once the man of God had told the king what the Lord had said, he turned and left. The man of God said no to the king and walked out of his presence. That is how resolute he was about obeying the word of the Lord.
What a testimony! It would be wonderful, if we could close the story right there. But not really, for all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable. Praise God that He gives us the rest of the story, though it is sad and even tragic. It must be told. So let’s read I Kings 13:11-14…
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. 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. 13. And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon, 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.
Now we are introduced to the old prophet, who lived in Bethel. Wouldn’t you like to know something about the old prophet? But we are told nothing, other than the fact that he had sons. We are not told why he wanted to find the man of God, but he seemed very intent about it. So now the old prophet meets the man of God. Let’s continue in 13:15-17…
Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread. 16. And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place: 17. For it was said to me by the word of the LORD, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest.
The old prophet offers the man of God common courtesy by inviting him home to eat bread. When he heard the invitation, the man of God immediately responded by telling the old prophet what God had told him. At this point, we might ask, "Did the man of God know this man was a prophet?" We are not told. There is no record that the old prophet identified himself as such, but we just don’t know.
Now verses 18-19…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. 19. So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.
At this point, the questions begin to flood our minds. Why did the old prophet do this? He wasn’t just being hospitable after all. But why would he say that an angel spoke to him, when an angel didn’t speak to him? We are told clearly that the old prophet lied to the man of God. So we begin to wonder if this man was a prophet at all. Was he? Why would he say that an angel spoke to him by the Word of the Lord?
But verse 19 brings questions about the man of God. Why did he go back to this man’s house and eat with him, when he knew the Lord had told him not to do so? How could he stand against a powerful king and then wilt in the presence of this lying old prophet? Why didn’t he take time to think about what he was doing?
We’ll let those questions rumble around in our minds, while we read the rest of the story. 13:20-22…
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: 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, 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.
I don’t think I like this old prophet, or whatever you want to call him. The nerve of him to rebuke the man of God. Who does he think he is? But we are told that "the word of the Lord came unto the prophet," that he was speaking to the man of God what God told him to relay. But if the man of God was disobedient, what can we say about the old prophet. He is a conniving, scheming… No, I don’t like this man one bit. Why should the man of God have to die for his act of disobedience, when this lying deceiver is allowed to live?
Let’s read the rest of the story. Read 13:23-32…
And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back. 24. And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcase. 25. And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcase cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcase: and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt. 26. And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the LORD: therefore the LORD hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake unto him. 27. And he spake to his sons, saying, Saddle me the ass. And they saddled him. 28. And he went and found his carcase cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcase: the lion had not eaten the carcase, nor torn the ass. 29. And the prophet took up the carcase of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass, and brought it back: and the old prophet came to the city, to mourn and to bury him. 30. And he laid his carcase in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother! 31. And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones: 32. For the saying which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass.
Can you believe it? The old prophet mourned for the man of God. Isn’t that like murdering a man and then grieving over the loss? He not only mourned for the man of God, but he buried him in his own tomb. When he leads the mourners in saying, "Alas, my brother," it is almost more than we can bear. The only redeeming feature in the actions of this man is found in verse 32, "For the saying which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass."
What are we to do with the story of the man of God and the old prophet? We could ask more questions and proceed in a number of different directions, but I suggest that we focus on the man of God and why he disobeyed the Word of the Lord. Let me remind us that he had heard the Word of the Lord clearly, so clearly that he called Josiah by name and was willing to prophesy the destruction of the altar in the presence of the King of Israel. Nevertheless, in the presence of the old prophet, he disobeyed what the Lord had clearly said. He had quoted the clear instructions of the Lord to both Jeroboam and the old prophet, but then he proceeded to do otherwise. Why?
I can’t begin to answer all the questions we have already raised. What we must focus on is the fact that the man who resisted the king wasn’t able to stand against the old prophet. This deceiver effectively persuaded the man of God to go directly against the Word of the Lord.
So what about the old prophet? Was he really a prophet of the Lord? We might say, "No, for surely a prophet of the Lord would not lie, and this man lied. Surely a prophet of the Lord wouldn’t try to trip up a man who was seeking to do the will of the Lord." On the other hand, after the man of God disobeyed, we are told that the Word of the Lord came to the old prophet (vs. 20).
What about his claim that an angel spoke to him and said, "Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water?" We know the answer to that question, because the scripture tells us in no uncertain terms, "He lied to him" (vs. 18). Again, how could a prophet of the Lord make up such a story as this?
We could go on and on, but let’s come to a conclusion. I am going to share with you the conclusion to which I have come. I don’t demand that you agree with me, but I would ask you to consider it carefully. Concerning the old prophet, who he was and what his motives were make absolutely no difference. Was he truly a prophet? It doesn’t matter. Was he deliberately trying to cause the man of God to stumble? It doesn’t matter. Or was God using him to test the man of God. It makes no difference.
Why do I say that none of these things matter? Let me answer by bringing this story up to date. Suppose your pastor suggested to you that you should cease reading the Word of God for a time. But why would he do that? Can such a pastor be called a man of God? Is the Lord using him to test us? How can such a man claim to be a shepherd of God’s flock? It doesn’t matter. What matters is what the Lord says and that you obey what the Lord says. The motive of those who would lead you astray makes no difference.
Please do not misunderstand me. I am not saying that God does not speak directly to people about specific things. He certainly does. I am not saying that we should disregard the person who says, "God told me," or "An angel told me." I am saying this: "If what someone tells you contradicts the Word of God, don’t listen." If the man of God had turned and walked away from the old prophet as quickly as he did from Jeroboam, he could have lived considerably longer on this earth. But when he lingered and considered the words that clearly contradicted what the Lord had told him, he got in trouble.
We don’t have to know the motives of other people. We don’t have to condemn other people. But we can’t go along with what they say, when it clearly contradicts the Word of God. Suppose you have sons who hear a message something like this. "Yes, the Bible says that a man should not lust after a woman, but we have to consider the day in which we live. Because of the world around us, that is impossible. A young man must simply be wise. If he slips up and finds himself lusting, he should certainly turn away from that. But on the other hand, he doesn’t have to feel like he has sinned, because it is inevitable." What should you tell your son? Take him to the Word of God. Lust is sin. Flee youthful lusts. If you do lust, claim the promise immediately: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:9).
Remember that we live in day of great deception. Our adversary, the devil, will stoop to any deceitful trick in order to devour us (I Pet. 5:8). Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves (Matt. 7:15). Gal 1:8-9, "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."
Conclusion
Now let’s read the last two verses of I Kings 13 (33-34)…
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. 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.
We read that and are tempted to say, "And after all that, the ministry of the man of God meant nothing. Even though he faithfully proclaimed God’s Word to Jeroboam, it didn’t change him in the least." True, Jeroboam didn’t change, but that does not mean that the ministry of the man of God was wasted. Make no mistake, for the Word of the Lord will not return to Him void (Is. 55:11). The word spoken by the man of God accomplished that for which God sent it forth. In the first place, it justified God’s judgment against Jeroboam. Jeroboam will never be able to say throughout all eternity, "But God, you didn’t warn me."
But that isn’t the end of the story. Let’s read II Kings 23:15-18…
Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he brake down, and burned the high place, and stamped it small to powder, and burned the grove. 16. And as Josiah turned himself, he spied the sepulchres that were there in the mount, and sent, and took the bones out of the sepulchres, and burned them upon the altar, and polluted it, according to the word of the LORD which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words. 17. Then he said, What title is that that I see? And the men of the city told him, It is the sepulchre of the man of God, which came from Judah, and proclaimed these things that thou hast done against the altar of Bethel. 18. And he said, Let him alone; let no man move his bones. So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet that came out of Samaria.
The Word of the Lord is tried (Ps. 18:30). The Word of the Lord is right (Ps. 33:4). The words of the Lord are pure words, as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times (Prov. 12:6). Let’s read again Ps. 19:7-11…
The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. 8. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. 10. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. 11. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.
God’s Word will never fail. Neither Jeroboam nor the old prophet could keep the Lord’s Word from being carried out. Praise God for His faithfulness. May we be faithful to Him and to His Word!
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