THE BACKGROUND:
The focus here is on the northern tribes and their king, Jeroboam. Jeroboam decides to change four aspects of worship, entirely made up out of his own heart (12:26, 33).
Chapter 13 begins with a prophet coming to King Jeroboam at Bethel as he worships at his false altar. The prophet denounces the sins of King Jeroboam and predicts that God’s wrath is going to come against that altar within 300 years.
Notice verses 8-9, the man of God’s response 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. 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.’”
ANOTHER PROPHET LIES TO THE FIRST PROPHET – 13:11-19:
Verse 11 introduces us to an “old prophet.” In verse 14, the old prophet catches up with the young prophet sitting under an oak tree. In verse 15, the old prophet invites the young prophet to come home and eat with him. The young prophet does what he is supposed to do; he quotes Jehovah God.
In verse 18, the old prophet says, “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.” Underline these next words in the text: “But he lied to him.” He lied to him! He deceived him! He told him, “An angel spoke to me the word of God!” But he lied. The devil, for whatever reason, motivated him to lie to this young prophet!
Why did he lie? Here’s the kicker… It doesn’t matter. His motivation does not matter. He lied! Solomon said, “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal faithfully are His delight” (Prov. 12:22). God never, never, said, “Oh, I’ll set aside my commandments because the disobedient was sincere in their disobedience.”
I’m trying to emphasize that obedience is God’s love language. If you love God, obey what He says and don’t change His commands to fit your pleasures…
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THE YOUNG PROPHET IS PUNISHED FOR LISTENING TO A LIE – 13:19-25:
Verse 19 is the center of the chapter. Then verse 20 tells us that this lying prophet suddenly becomes a true prophet of God as they were sitting eating that meal – the word of the Lord comes to the older prophet and now he cries out (the same verb used to describe what the younger prophet did to King Jeroboam back in verse 2) and speaks the truth (13:21-22).
“The word of the Lord came” distinguishes true prophecy from false prophecy, which comes from man’s imagination. There are so many things that have their origin, not in “book, chapter, verse” but in the imagination of humans. We can’t do that. Not if we are going to honor the authority of Jesus Christ.
Then the older prophet predicts that the younger prophet will not make it home safely. His body will not come to the grave of his fathers. In fact, as the younger prophet left, with the prophecy of his death ringing in his ears from a man who had deceived him, a lion meets him on the way and kills him. The fact that the lion does no further harm to the donkey or the prophet shows that this was truly the judgment of God against – not the lying prophet – but the disobedient prophet.
WHAT THE NT TEACHES:
We read in Galatians 1:6-9. “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!”
Notice that Paul says if someone distorts the gospel which he had already preached, then that person is cursed by God. Obedience is not an option.
God takes obedience very seriously. Let us, individually and congregationally, take obedience very seriously. Let us do what Christ commands us to do.
Paul Holland
