Day 165

1 Kings 12:20–13:34; Acts 9:26-43; Psalm 132:1-18; Proverbs 17:6

IN 1 KINGS, WE’VE moved from the apex of Solomon’s rule to a divided kingdom and idolatry in only a couple of short days. Solomon’s heir, Rehoboam, intended to attack the ten tribes that had abandoned him, but this plan was thwarted by prophetic warning. Meanwhile, Israel’s new king, Jeroboam, built temples in the cities of Dan and Bethel —the northern and southern borders of his kingdom —and placed golden calves in each. He was afraid that if the people continued to journey to Jerusalem, they would eventually give their hearts and allegiance to Rehoboam, and Jeroboam would be ousted in the process.

God was not pleased with the idolatry Jeroboam was leading Israel into, and he sent a prophet to Bethel to curse the altar. Jeroboam was present when the prophet arrived and witnessed the curse spoken against the altar. Furious, King Jeroboam pointed to the prophet and demanded that he be seized. At once, the king’s hand froze in place and the altar split, spilling ashes on the ground. Only after the prophet prayed was Jeroboam’s hand made mobile again.

The king invited the prophet to dine at the palace, but the man refused: “Even if you gave me half of everything you own, I would not go with you. I would not eat or drink anything in this place. For the LORD gave me this command: ‘You must not eat or drink anything while you are there, and do not return to Judah by the same way you came.’ So he left Bethel and went home another way” (1 Kings 13:8-10).

Unfortunately, this was not the end of the story. Another prophet heard the news and set out to find the prophet who cursed the altar before he returned to the southern kingdom of Judah. When he located him, he invited the traveling prophet to rest and refresh at his home.

“I am a prophet, too, just as you are,” he said. “And an angel gave me this command from the LORD: ‘Bring him home with you so he can have something to eat and drink.’ But the old man was lying to him” (1 Kings 13:18).

Ultimately, this cost the traveling prophet his life —he was killed by a lion once he left the old prophet’s home.

Stories like these unsettle us. They are supposed to. The traveling prophet was on the final leg of his journey. He had obeyed exactly what he heard from God until someone else came along, claiming new divine instructions. But those instructions were not true, and thus the man disobeyed God. Had the prophet obeyed what God had told him and not what someone else claimed God had said, the conclusion of the story would have been different.

It is no different in our own lives. Yes, community is important, and we find clarity and confirmation within it. But community cannot replace intimacy and direct instruction from God. When we have heard from God about a path we are to take and then someone contradicts those instructions by saying, “God told me to tell you . . . ,” we must obey God. We must own our personal relationship with God and follow His intimate lead. Otherwise, we may find ourselves facing a lion, as the ancient prophet did —and things will not end well.

WORSHIP:

Let us go to the sanctuary of the LORD; let us worship at the footstool of his throne.