A blog post from 2018.

There is an interesting passage in 1 Kings about two prophets—one called “the man of God” and the other “the old prophet”.  We are told very little about either of them; neither of them is named.  For me, there remain several unanswered questions about this story.  However, one thing is clear.  It warns us about people who would lead us away from obedience to God’s call.  (Disclaimer: I am making a point here to people who have a clear call from God to do something in particular.  It is not applicable to people trying to discover the will of God.)

Now the man of God was told to go from Judah to Bethel and prophesy a sign against the altar there (1 Kings 13:1-3).  This happened just after the nation of Israel split into two kingdoms.  Solomon’s son Rehoboam had charge of Judah (two tribes) and Jeroboam had charge of Israel (ten tribes).  God had decreed that sacrifices should be offered only in the temple in Jerusalem.  But Jeroboam did not want the people to go there, so he made two golden calves as set them up for people to worship.  One was in Bethel and the other in Dan.  He set up altars and appointed his own priests.  Effectively, he made his own religious system (1 Kings 12:25-33).

Now what the man of God prophesied came true.  That he was plainly a man of God was evidenced by the fact that when king Jeroboam tried to stop him, Jeroboam’s hand withered.  The man of God then did a miracle and the king’s hand was healed (1 Kings 13:4-6).  There was no doubt that he had done what he was called to do.  The direction he was given by the LORD was clear and he did it.  It bore fruit.

But then the first temptation to doubt came.  “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” (1 Kings 13:7-10).  The man of God did not give into the temptation to eat with the king.  He had been given a command and he intended to obey it.

In this first instance, the temptation to disobey the call was not very strong.  It was obvious to the man of God that Jeroboam was the bad guy and not to be trusted.  After all, he was the king who had rebelled against the true king from the line of David.  He was the one who had set up an idolatrous religious system to stop people from worshipping God in truth.  It was not particularly difficult to see that listening to his advice was a very bad idea.  So the man of God passed the first test.

However, the second test was much more difficult.  A prophet lived nearby and found out that the man of God was on his way home after denouncing the altar at Bethel.  The prophet went to meet the man of God.  “So the prophet said to him, ‘Come home with me and eat.’  The man of God said, ‘I cannot turn back and go with you, nor can I eat bread or drink water with you in this place.  I have been told by the word of the LORD: “You must not eat bread or drink water there or return by the way you came.”’  The old prophet answered, ‘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” (1 Kings 13:15-19).

Who knows why the prophet decided to lie to the man of God?  The story does not tell us the reason.  But the man of God fell for the deception that came from the prophet.  Why?  He did not disobey when the king said the same thing to him.  But in this case he let down his guard.  He let down his guard because he was with someone he trusted, a fellow prophet.  He did not expect someone like that could lead him away from obedience to his call.  The temptation to disobey became much stronger in the presence of the trusted one.  It no longer seemed like disobedience.  He took the words of the prophet as words from God, which they were not.

Now the man of God suffered a serious punishment for his disobedience.  The old prophet received a true word from the LORD that the man of God would not be buried with his ancestors.  On the way home, the man of God was killed by a lion (1 Kings 13:20-24).  This seems like a very harsh penalty.  But to those much is given much is expected (Luke 12:48).  Receiving the clear word of the LORD as this Old Testament man of God did was not something to be taken lightly.  However, even in the harshness of the penalty, there was mercy from God.  The man of God was not eaten by the lion as you might expect.  Instead he was buried by the old prophet and mourned by him (1 Kings 13:28-30).  He did not suffer the fate of the very wicked, who do not receive burial at all (see 2 Kings 9:37).

What can we learn from this story?  It is easy to spot the temptation to be disobedient to your calling when it comes from someone who is clearly godless.  In that case it is not difficult to stand against it.  The problem comes when the words come from someone who is a believer, especially someone who is close to you.  The words seem like good advice.  Those words might even be sincere and well-meant (unlike the words of the old prophet in the story).  When words come from someone who you think is godly, particularly someone who seems to have a similar calling to you, then you let down your guard.

Perhaps you begin to doubt a very clear call from God.  You begin to think that perhaps you are wrong and God did not really want you to do that.  Perhaps he has changed his mind.  Perhaps you heard him wrongly.  Even when the call of God is blessed and evident to others, this temptation from trusted people can still come.  It probably will come.  The trick is to be aware of what is happening.  Resist it.  Don’t decide to be disobedient based on the word of another.  Continue on with what you have been told to do until you hear a clear word from God to stop.

If you turn away and become disobedient, even if this was the result of listening to the word of someone you trust, there will be a consequence.  God will discipline you (Heb 12:5-11).  If you are reading this blog post, then you have not been killed by a lion.  There is opportunity for repentance, to be obedient again.  Pay attention to the discipline, repent and get back on track.  If you have so far resisted the temptation to stray from your call, be aware that temptation will come in a disguised way.  Don’t fall for it.