The divided kingdom · 1 Kings 13
The Man of God and the Old Prophet
At Bethel, King Jeroboam is standing by the altar to burn incense when a man of God, who has come from Judah by the word of the LORD, cries out against the altar: a son of David named Josiah will sacrifice the priests of the high places on it. The sign is immediate: the altar splits apart and the ashes pour out. Jeroboam stretches out his hand to have the man seized; it dries up, and he regains it only through the man of God’s prayer. The man of God refuses the king’s hospitality: the LORD has forbidden him to eat bread, drink water, or return by the same way. But an old prophet of Bethel catches up with him under an oak: “An angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD.” “But he lied unto him.” The man of God goes with him and eats. On the road, a lion kills him.
What happens
- A man of God from Judah cries out against the altar at Bethel 1 Kings 13:1–2
- The altar splits, and Jeroboam’s hand dries up 1 Kings 13:4–5
- “I will not eat bread nor drink water” 1 Kings 13:8–9
- The old prophet claims an angel spoke to him: “But he lied unto him” 1 Kings 13:18
- At the table, the sentence falls: his body will not come to the tomb of his fathers 1 Kings 13:21–22
- A lion kills him, then stands beside the body and the donkey 1 Kings 13:24
Who is in this story
The lesson
When the LORD has clearly spoken, no other voice should turn us away from it, not even that of an older brother who invokes an angel. Every word must be tested against what God has already said (Gal 1:8).
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.
Quick quiz on this story
What happens to Jeroboam’s hand when he orders the man of God to be seized?
Jeroboam had put forth his hand, saying, “Lay hold on him.” It “dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him,” until the man of God besought the LORD. 1 Kings 13:4
Who catches up with the man of God as he sits under an oak?
An old prophet who lived in Bethel learns from his sons which way the man of God went. He saddles his donkey and finds him sitting under an oak. 1 Kings 13:11–14
What does the old prophet claim in order to convince the man of God to come back?
He says, “An angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD,” and the text adds, “But he lied unto him.” The man of God believes him and eats at his house. 1 Kings 13:18
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