1 Kings - Lesson 13

• In our last session of 1 Kings, we covered the straw that broke the camel’s back which led to the division of the United Kingdom of Israel.

  • It began with King Rehoboam rejecting the wisdom of the elders who served under his father, King Solomon.

    • Rather than Rehoboam easing the burden in which his father had placed upon the people, he decides to increase it all the more.

    • This response was ultimately rooted in the pride of Rehoboam operating in the strength of the crown rather than the humility as a servant to the people.

  • This rejection of wisdom led to the Northern tribes pulling away from the South causing Jeroboam’s rise to leadership.

    • The opportunity before Jeroboam was to walk in the ways of the Lord so that he too would have an enduring house.

    • However, pride becomes the downfall of Jeroboam as well.

  • Jeroboam becomes worried that a day would come in which the people would desire to return to Jerusalem to worship Yahweh and serve the King.

    • As a result of this anxious attitude, Jeroboam sought to establish his own system of religion to mimic Yahwehism.

    • And in doing so, Jeroboam, for the first time in Israel’s history as a nation, brought the people into full-on apostasy and idolatry.

    • He established his own religious feast and worship in the north and compelled others to worship on his established “high places”

  • And as one could imagine, Jeroboam’s rejection of the Lord’s promise to build Jeroboam an enduring house was now at stake.

    • So, what we will see unfolding in the following chapters will be a clear distinction between that of the North and the South.

    • The south remains in worshipping Yahweh while the North moves towards the worship of idols and the like.

  • Yet, God in His mercy will provide a prophetic word through a prophet sent to the north to turn the heart of the king back to God.

    • If I were to put an outline together for our time in the text, we are going to see the following:

    • 1. Jeroboam Warned (vv.1-10)

    • 2. A Disobedient Prophet (vv.11-19)

    • 3. Consequence for the disobedient prophet (vv.20-25)

    • 4. The guilt of the Old Prophet (vv.26-32)

    • 5. The way of Jeroboam (vv.33-34)

  • If I were to put a tag on our text tonight, it would simply be, Shoo Fly, Don’t Bother Me.

    • With that being said, turn with me to 1 Kings 13 beginning in verses 1-10 for the reading of the word of the Lord.

1 Kings 13:1 Now behold, there came a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of the Lord, while Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense.
1 Kings 13:2 He cried against the altar by the word of the Lord, and said, “O altar, altar, thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and human bones shall be burned on you.’ ”
1 Kings 13:3 Then he gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign which the Lord has spoken, ‘Behold, the altar shall be split apart and the ashes which are on it shall be poured out.’ ”
1 Kings 13:4 Now when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, “Seize him.” But his hand which he stretched out against him dried up, so that he could not draw it back to himself.
1 Kings 13:5 The altar also was split apart and the ashes were poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord.
1 Kings 13:6 The king said to the man of God, “Please entreat the Lord your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.” So the man of God entreated the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored to him, and it became as it was before.
1 Kings 13:7 Then the king said to the man of God, “Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.”
1 Kings 13:8 But the man of God said to the king, “If you were to give me half your house I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water in this place.
1 Kings 13:9 “For so it was commanded me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘You shall eat no bread, nor drink water, nor return by the way which you came.’ ”
1 Kings 13:10 So he went another way and did not return by the way which he came to Bethel.

• The writer of Kings begins Chapter 13 by introducing us to a “no-name” prophet from the Southern kingdom of Judah.

  • And this prophet from the south is sent with a word from the Lord that bears both a prophecy and condemnation regarding the ways of Jeroboam.

    • However, instead of this word being given directly to Jeroboam, this prophecy is spoken to the altar where Jeroboam is standing.

    • It’s like the person who uses someone else to talk to you about you and your ways because they’re too upset to talk to you directly.

    • Perhaps this is a mercy of the Lord extended to Jeroboam to get himself together.

  • So this prophet proceeds to tell the altar a prophecy regarding the house of David.

    • The prophecy consisted of a future king of the South named Josiah who would eventually decimate the illegitimate priesthood of the north.

    • And along with the destruction of the priest would come the desecration of the “high places” with human bones.

  • And as a sign in that day of the legitimacy of this prophecy, the Lord would cause the altar where Jeroboam was standing to be split apart and ashes poured out.

    • Imagine you being Jeroboam and hearing this prophecy as you are standing near the altar…

    • There would be a sense of rage or anger being that someone has come to let you know that there would be an upending of your religious system.

  • Furthermore, you are told that the person who would do this would be from the house of David.

    • This would probably further exacerbate Jeroboam’s anxiety of losing the kingdom, therefore wanting to further secure his throne.

  • But what makes this word from the Lord from this “no-named” prophet so powerful is that the prophecy of Josiah was 290 years in advance.

    • We won’t hear of King Josiah of Judah until 2 Kings 23:15-20 where he will accomplish to a “t” everything the Lord said would be done.

  • So in hearing these words from this prophet, he cried out, stretching his arm in an authoritative manner demanding this prophet from the south be seized.

    • And with the attempt of cutting off the word of God from the prophet, the text tells us that the hand of Jeroboam dried up – literally withered!

    • What a demonstration of the power of God against one who has tried to go against His messenger.

  • Immediately after the withering of Jeroboam’s hand came the sign that this word was to be fulfilled.

    • The altar split apart, and ashes were poured out from the altar just as the prophet from the south said it would.

    • So with Jeroboam witnessing these things before his very eyes, got his attention so much so that he asks the man of God to undo the damage.

  • Apparently, the Lord granted such a request because his arm was immediately restored which then prompted the king to ask the man of God a question.

    • The king wanted to now extend hospitality to the prophet for having his hand restored from a withered state.

    • This type of gesture was a typical custom in the East and along with it came the offer of a meal and drink and at times, physical protection.

  • However, the prophet from the south wanted no dealings with the fellowship of Jeroboam and his wicked idolatrous ways.

    • The prophet, in a very straightforward manner let Jeroboam know the instructions in which the Lord had directly given him.

    • And in that, there was no room for compromise on the word of God as Jeroboam had done several times over.

  • Herein lies good food for thought as believers today: Even when the culture invites us with a seat at the table, it leaves no room to compromise the Lord’s word.

    • There are too many churches, pastors, and ministries that compromise the word of God simply to have “a seat at the table”.

    • We must learn that the Lord’s desire for His people is obedience.

    • And as we will see the moment that we compromise the truth of the word of God because it “sounds legit” is the moment we give way to discipline.

  • So with great haste and obedience to the word of the Lord, the prophet parts ways from Jeroboam and leaves in the opposite direction in which he came.

    • Check out verses 11-19.

1 Kings 13:11 Now an old prophet was living in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the deeds which the man of God had done that day in Bethel; the words which he had spoken to the king, these also they related to their father.
1 Kings 13:12 Their father said to them, “Which way did he go?” Now his sons had seen the way which the man of God who came from Judah had gone.
1 Kings 13:13 Then he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him and he rode away on it.
1 Kings 13:14 So he went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak; and he said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” And he said, “I am.”
1 Kings 13:15 Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.”
1 Kings 13:16 He said, “I cannot return with you, nor go with you, nor will I eat bread or drink water with you in this place.
1 Kings 13:17 “For a command came to me by the word of the Lord, ‘You shall eat no bread, nor drink water there; do not return by going the way which you came.’ ”
1 Kings 13:18 He said to him, “I also am a prophet like you, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’ ” But he lied to him.
1 Kings 13:19 So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house and drank water.

• As the narrative continues, we can see that the writer pivots to a different scene of sorts.

  • Jeroboam is no longer in the picture at this point, and we are introduced to what the writer calls “an old prophet” who’s living in Bethel.

    • This “old prophet” is not named but rather is characterized by his age and eldership in the city.

    • These details, although quite small, bring some very interesting details to light.

  • The reality was, according to 2 Chronicles 11:13-17, there was a migration of priests and people from the North to the South.

    • And the reason for this migration was because of the ways of Jeroboam in the North.

    • Check out the text:

2 Chronicles 11:13 Moreover, the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel stood with him from all their districts.
2 Chronicles 11:14 For the Levites left their pasture lands and their property and came to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons had excluded them from serving as priests to the Lord.
2 Chronicles 11:15 He set up priests of his own for the high places, for the satyrs and for the calves which he had made.
2 Chronicles 11:16 Those from all the tribes of Israel who set their hearts on seeking the Lord God of Israel followed them to Jerusalem, to sacrifice to the Lord God of their fathers.
2 Chronicles 11:17 They strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam the son of Solomon for three years, for they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years.

• So, scripture tells us that individuals who desired to seek the God of Israel departed from the North so that they may engage in worship to Yahweh.

  • However, the text tells us that this “old prophet” remained.

  • Perhaps this was indicative of the man’s stubbornness or steadfast ways and complacency.

  • Furthermore, we are told by the historian Josephus the following:

““Now there was a certain wicked man in that city, who was a false prophet, whom Jeroboam had in great esteem, but was deceived by him and his flattering words. This man was bed-rid by reason of the infirmities of old age … Whereupon he was afraid that this stranger and prophet should be in better esteem with the king than himself, and obtain greater honour from him …”

• We’re told that this old prophet has sons who inform him about the scene that took place between Jeroboam and the prophet from the south.

  • They must have been in the vicinity because they speak to details of the matters as those who were nearby.

  • Upon hearing this information, unaware of intentions, brings some intrigue in which the old prophet seeks to inquire more information on a first-hand basis.

    • So he asks his sons which way the prophet went and follows after him

  • The “old prophet” finds the prophet from the south under an oak and asks the man the same question that Jeroboam asked him some time ago:

    • “Come home with me and eat bread.”

  • One question that is worth asking at this point is: “Why?” Why does this old prophet seek the company of this prophet?

    • Could there be some underlying motives that foster a bit of ill-intent?

    • Perhaps Josephus’ words hold weight in that this old prophet began to be impacted by the ways of Jeroboam and pride settled in.

    • Whatever the case, we find that initially the prophet from Judah was not moved by the old prophet’s words.

  • The prophet from the south informs the older prophet that he has been given words from the Lord that he was not to depart from the instructions given.

    • What a solid response – this prophet is unmoved and steadfast in the instructions of the Lord.

    • However, this becomes short lived because of the manipulation of the “old prophet’s” false information disguised as divine revelation from God.

  • The “old prophet” tells the younger prophet that he too has gotten revelation, however, he says that an angel spoke to him from the Lord.

    • And he proceeds to tell the prophet from the south that this “new word” from the Lord says to invite him back to the house to eat and drink water.

• Herein lies the way the enemy seeks to deceive, especially within the confines of the church.

  • The enemy is so crafty that he will use words that sound like they come from God but are not from the Lord.

    • This is why it is so very important that we know what thus saith the Lord!

    • Because even in pulpits today, pastors are preaching what people want to hear rather than what they need to hear!

    • 2 Timothy 4:3-4, the Apostle Paul tells young Timothy these words:

2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,
2 Timothy 4:4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.

• If we do not guard our hearts in the word of God, we can be fooled to think something said to us that “sounds good” is good.

  • When the reality is, the Lord didn’t say it and therefore what HE does not say is not good for me!

  • So the prophet from Judah, having bought into the lie from the “old prophet” proceeds to go with him to his home. Check out verses 20-25:

1 Kings 13:20 Now it came about, as they were sitting down at the table, that the word of the Lord came to the prophet who had brought him back;
1 Kings 13:21 and he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have disobeyed the command of the Lord, and have not observed the commandment which the Lord your God commanded you,
1 Kings 13:22 but have returned and eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which He said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water”; your body shall not come to the grave of your fathers.’ ”
1 Kings 13:23 It came about after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for him, for the prophet whom he had brought back.
1 Kings 13:24 Now when he had gone, a lion met him on the way and killed him, and his body was thrown on the road, with the donkey standing beside it; the lion also was standing beside the body.
1 Kings 13:25 And behold, men passed by and saw the body thrown on the road, and the lion standing beside the body; so they came and told it in the city where the old prophet lived.

• • What becomes such a mind-blowing reality is that as they are sitting at the “old prophet’s” table to eat, that true divine communication comes to him.

    • And this word is a word of judgement upon the prophet from the south.

    • And this judgement is that he will not receive an honorable burial in the burial grounds of his father.

  • This had to have been a sobering moment for both the young and old prophet.

    • For the young prophet, he had followed the instruction of the Lord up to a certain point, then compromised, forfeiting an honorable burial.

    • And perhaps an early death.

  • On the other hand, the “old prophet”, having lied about the very words of God, now hears the word of the Lord for Himself.

    • This had to be a humbling moment on both ends of the stick!

  • Without hesitation, the young prophet has his donkey saddled and departs from the home.

    • Some time passes and the younger prophet is killed by a lion on the road.

    • However, this scene is a bit strange, because the lion does not eat the prophet, he simply stands next to the body and the donkey.

    • This becomes a divine interaction from the Lord by which the prophet’s body is preserved but was met with judgement according to his disobedience.

  • The initial thought here becomes, why that type of death? Shouldn’t the “old prophet” have suffered judgement for having lied to the man.

    • On the onset, it would seem that that route would be fair and just.

    • However, if the Lord hadn’t dealt righteously with the man in whom He had given a word and mission to complete, how would the Lord be perceived?

  • God’s dealings and justice are far better than our own and at the end of the day, the Lord desires obedience rather than compromise.

    • Moreover, the responsibility was greater for the prophet which means that the severity of punishment would be equally great.

    • Unfortunately, the writer does not provide us with the consequences of the “old prophet’s” lies, but we can tell that there is some guilt felt.

    • Because in verses 26-31, we find the “old prophet’s” response to the death of the prophet from Judah.

    • It is as if the judgement that befell the young prophet brought about conviction within the heart of the “old prophet”. Check out the text.

1 Kings 13:26 Now when the prophet who brought him back from the way heard it, he said, “It is the man of God, who disobeyed the command of the Lord; therefore the Lord has given him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke to him.”
1 Kings 13:27 Then he spoke to his sons, saying, “Saddle the donkey for me.” And they saddled it.
1 Kings 13:28 He went and found his body thrown on the road with the donkey and the lion standing beside the body; the lion had not eaten the body nor torn the donkey.
1 Kings 13:29 So the prophet took up the body of the man of God and laid it on the donkey and brought it back, and he came to the city of the old prophet to mourn and to bury him.
1 Kings 13:30 He laid his body in his own grave, and they mourned over him, saying, “Alas, my brother!”
1 Kings 13:31 After he had buried him, he spoke to his sons, saying, “When I die, bury me in the grave in which the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones.
1 Kings 13:32 “For the thing shall surely come to pass 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.”

• The “old prophet” as best he can seeks to provide the young prophet an honorable burial.

  • And he does so by picking up the body, transporting him back to the town of the “old prophet” and burying him in his very own grave.

  • The old prophet concludes in the end based upon the judgement that fell upon the old prophet that his words about this future king was true.

    • The conviction comes about when he realizes how the Lord had dealt accordingly to the man of God.

  • This brings about an important point in application: The weight and responsibility on the pastor/teacher is a heavy one!

    • Because we are responsible for what we preach!

    • Not only in making sure that we are preaching the unadulterated word of God, but if we fail to live by it, we suffer all the more greatly.

  • James says in his writing in James 3:1-2 the following regarding the role of teacher:

James 3:1 Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.

• All in all, the Lord’s dealing with the prophet confirmed for the “old prophet” that: 1) the Lord doesn’t play with His word and 2) the Lord shows no favoritism.

  • Finally, the writer comes to a concluding point which at first glance may seem distant in discussion, however it is very much connected.

    • Because in verses 33-34, he reveals a particular response from a certain individual that did not change – Jeroboam. Check out verses 33-34.

1 Kings 13:33 After this event Jeroboam did not return from his evil way, but again he made priests of the high places from among all the people; any who would, he ordained, to be priests of the high places.
1 Kings 13:34 This event became sin to the house of Jeroboam, even to blot it out and destroy it from off the face of the earth.

• There seems to be a sense of contrast between the response of Jeroboam after the word of the Lord is given, versus that of the “old prophet’s” response to the word of God.

  • Jeroboam’s initial response to the judgement of a withered hand was not centered on a contrite heart, but rather a sense of circumstantial surrender.

    • In other words, because this has happened to me, what must I do to transactionally resolve the matter.

    • Jeroboam’s display of pleasantries to the prophet was not due to what the prophet had to say, but rather what the prophet could do for him.

  • Jeroboam’s heart was not stirred to repentance after the word of the Lord was given.

    • Instead, Jeroboam responded out of the abundance of his heart which was centered on himself, not a proper response – obedience to the word.

  • Now you juxtapose Jeroboam’s response to the word of God versus that of the old prophet.

    • The old prophet begins in lies and deception because he has become complacent in “the ways of Jeroboam”.

  • He then receives a true word of revelation from the Lord to give the man of God and ultimately realizes that his words have brought about judgement on the man.

    • And this response from the Lord due to the guilty hands of the old prophet moves him to guilt and a way to restore honor to the prophet from Judah.

    • Clearly, there was a light switch moment for the old prophet because at the end he realizes that the word of the Lord given to the prophet from Judah was true.

    • And in turn even the old prophet believed the words of the Lord.

  • However, this same sense of fear and remorse has not captured the heart of Jeroboam.

    • Because the text tells us that in verse 33, after the young prophet dies that “Jeroboam did not return from his evil way...”

    • Simply put, Jeroboam did not turn from his evil ways or show a repentant heart.

  • As a matter of fact, Jeroboam continues in his ways so much so that he made more priests for these “high places” for idolatrous worship.

    • There is this sense of overwhelming blindness in the actions of Jeroboam because the text mentions that anyone who desired to be an “illegitimate priest” was accepted.

  • What a place of desperation and darkness one must be at to not only neglect the standards in which God has established for His priesthood.

    • But even more so to seek whoever has a pulse to do an illegitimate job for the sake of looking right is a low that Jeroboam was willing to go.

  • Jeroboam’s lack of submission to the will and word of God and his giving into apostasy caused the North to fall into “great sin”.

    • As we continue through the study of 1 Kings, you will notice the writer will use this phrase, “in the ways of Jeroboam”,

    • This phrase speaks directly into the continued sin of apostasy and idolatry that was brought on by Jeroboam and his leadership in the North.

  • One thing is for sure, the Lord was not pleased with Jeroboam and his lack of obedience to the Law.

    • More than that, Jeroboam’s neglect for the word of God became such a sore spot for the Lord that He wants to completely rid Jeroboam from the throne.

• When we give our ear to the voices of individuals who do not know the word of God, we give way for confusion to settle in, compromise to get comfortable, and so on.

  • The guarding of our gates (hearts/mind) is so vitally important especially in the world we live in today.

    • There are people who claim to know God and His word, yet if not discerned against the very words of God, you can be fooled.

    • Scripture tells us that there will be a time in which people are going to want their ears tickled and their word diluted.

  • And the scary part about that is people are okay with it! But friends, may we take heed and know that a departure from the word leads to nothing good.

    • May we not be moved in our walk with the Lord even if the things that people say sounds “like God”.

    • We should be so stubborn in our faith that we do what the Bereans did: Ask the question, “where did you see that in the scriptures?”

  • If God did not say it, I don’t want to hear it!

    • There was this Sunday school song we used to sing when I was a child that went like this:

    • “Shoo fly don’t bother me, shoo fly don’t bother me, Shoo fly don’t bother me cause I belong to somebody (pointing to the Lord in Heaven).

  • And I loved this song because we were saying, “Move away all the distractions and nuisances that is around me – I belong to the Lord”.

    • The Lord is wanting to get your attention! Know the truth, discern His truth. His truth is found in His word.

    • And may we not let anything, or anyone get in the way of the pursuit of knowing what thus saith the Lord.

    • Let's Pray.

Citation:

• Tom Constable, Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003), 1 Ki 13:1. Josephus, Antiquities of …, 8:9:1.