| "What to do when adversity strikes? There is only one thing to do. Stand steady and see it through. Stay steadfast, constant, and true. The real tragedy in the whirlwinds of life comes only when we allow them to blow us off our true course." |
| David S. Baxter - Oct. Gen. Conf 2006 |
1 Kings 13 Part Two Two Prophets, a Lion, and a Donkey
We pick up out story with the unnamed man of God refusing Jeroboam's invitation. This prophet had just prophesied of future events, given a sign of God (the altar breaking and the ash pouring out), and maimed and healed Jeroboam's hand. This had been a busy day and now it was time to follow the Lord's advice and leave.
Confused
In verse 11 we are introduced to a second prophet, this one is known as the old prophet. This is where the story starts to get confusing. The old prophet's sons come and tell him all about what the other prophet had done and said. The old prophet goes after the other prophet and finds him sitting under a tree. He invites him to come home with him and to eat with him.
Now remember that the unnamed prophet was told by God not to eat or drink anything and to leave going a different direction than he came (vv 8-9). In his reply to the old prophet he states these facts (vv16-17). But the old prophet does something that throws the unnamed prophet off, he tells him that he is also a prophet and that an angel of the Lord told him that he was to bring him back to his home to eat and drink (v 18). The very last line of this verse says, "But he lied unto him."
What? Can a prophet of the Lord lie? It seems so wrong. Is this another story like Abraham telling everyone that his wife was his sister? Well, if you check footnote b for verse 18 you find the JST for this verse should read, "drink water, that I may prove him; and he lied not unto him." So this is a test for the unnamed prophet.
The Test
As confused as I was about this verse, can you imagine how the unnamed prophet must have felt? God had told him not to do this thing, yet another prophet comes along and says that he was told that it is okay now. The prophet had turned away from Jeroboam's invitation with ease, he was wicked and the prophet knew this, but here is a man who shares the same calling from God, surely a prophet of God could be trusted!
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you were taught one thing and then someone comes along who you think you can trust and throws a wrench in the mix. I have found this situation within the Church. Sometimes you come across a person in the church that feels like they have a better understanding of a concept. They might disagree with some principle and they have convincing evidence to back their argument. When they share their thoughts with you, it creates a very confusing situation, who do you trust?
The old prophet gets this other prophet to compromise what God had told him to do. He returns with him and he eats and drinks.
The Consequences
Then another surprise! The old prophet prophesies that the unnamed prophet has sinned against God and therefore, "thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy father" (v 22). This means that the "man of God" would meet an untimely death and not be buried in his homeland. This is a big deal because the ancient Hebrews believed it a great tragedy not to be buried properly.
If you were this prophet and this had been said to you, what would you be thinking? I think I would be angry with the old prophet. I would think that he tricked me into sinning and I would be scared of the consequences!
We are not given an account of the prophets reaction other than he left the old prophets house. I can only imagine how long the road home must have looked to this prophet. How could you not be nervous about traveling after such a statement!
The unnamed prophet does not get far before a lion kills him and casts him in the road. Then the donkey and the lion stand by the body (v 24). This is something highly unusual. The lion kills the prophet, but he doesn’t eat him. The lion doesn’t even kill and eat the donkey. The lion is simply used by God to kill the prophet, and then guard his dead body. Only in the Old Testament do we hear of animals acting out of character!
What can we learn from this story?
The More You Receive the More Required
The more you receive from God, the more is required of you. This prophet had received much from the Lord and thus God dealt with him more severally.
God Should Come First
When we know we are doing what the Lord has commanded us to do, we must not allow ourselves to be diverted by any appeal or threat, from whomsoever it may emanate. We need to deal with God first-hand. If something feels wrong, pray about it and if God wants you to do something else, He will speak to your heart about it. You need to know for yourself.
Determining the Truth
The rule for determining the true worth of the advice which our friends gives us, is to ask:
First, whether it conflicts with our own deep-seated conviction of God’s will
Second, does it appeal to our worldly side or to our spiritual side. We need to beware of any one who tries to tempt us with bait that is likely to disturb the balance of our judgment.
Obedience Counts
As Christians, we better heed the warnings of God and listen to what He has to say. We must be obedient to His word, rather than to what man has to say. We are responsible to listen and obey God's word. We are also responsible for the consequences for our disobedience.
Final Resting Place
The old prophet goes and retrieves the other prophets body and buries him in his own grave. He requests of his sons that when he dies he wants to be buried with this prophet. We know this happens because in 2 Kings 13:17-18 we once again hear of the unnamed prophet and the old prophet as Josiah spares their grave and bones from being destroyed.
What a crazy, mixed-up, awesome story of the Old Testament! Who knew we could learn so much from two prophets, a lion, and a donkey!
No comments:
Post a Comment