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"For God so loved the world that He gave His onlyh begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
(John 3:16 - NKJV)
"For God so loved the world that He gave His onlyh begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
(John 3:16 - NKJV)
SPIRIT BREAD WEEKLY
THE PROPHET WHO DISOBEYED GOD
By Jerry D. Ousley
By Jerry D. Ousley
The Prophet Who Disobeyed God
By Jerry D. Ousley
A strange tale is told in 1 Kings 13. Jeroboam had become king in the Northern Kingdom of Israel after it was divided in the days of Solomon’s son, Reoboam. But instead of leading the people to God, he thought that the way he would keep them away from Judah, the Southern Kingdom, was to set up false gods of his own, which he did.
As a result, God sent a prophet from Judah to prophecy to Jeroboam. The words of the prophecy are found in 1 Kings 13:2, “O altar, altar! Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, a child, Josiah by name, shall be born to the house of David; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men’s bones shall be burned on you.’” He also gave them a sign in verse 3: “And he gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign which the Lord has spoken: Surely the altar shall split apart, and the ashes on it shall be poured out.””
Jeroboam happened to be standing by the altar to the calf-gods he had made, and when the prophet spoke these words, he stretched out his hand and commanded that the prophet by arrested. When he did, his stretched-out hand was immediately withered. Also, the altar, just has the prophet had said, split apart. I suppose Jeroboam saw then that this prophet was telling the truth (wouldn’t we all?). He asked him to ask God to heal his hand. The prophet did, and God did.
This is where the story gets a bit weird. God had told the prophet to speak the words He had given him, then turn immediately and head back to Judah going a different way. He was not to eat or drink anything there, but to just go back home. Because of his healing, Jeroboam tried to get the prophet to eat and drink with him, but the prophet was true to God and refused, then headed home, as God had said, a different way.
But there was an old prophet living there, who, when he found out what had happened, followed after the first prophet. He found him resting under a tree and gave a false prophecy to him, stating that God had told him to tell the first prophet to return home with the old prophet and share a meal with him. I suppose the younger prophet thought the older prophet knew what he was talking about, after all, he had been a prophet a lot longer than he had been, so he got up and went with him. They shared a meal at the old prophet’s house.
Then the old prophet revealed that he had lied to the younger prophet. He told him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Because you have disobeyed the word of the Lord, and have not kept the commandment which the Lord your God commanded you, but you came back, ate bread, and drank water in the place of which the Lord said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water,” your corpse shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.’” (1 Kings 13:21-22). WHAT?!!! Talk about ripped off!
The young prophet left again, heading home, and on the way, he was killed by a lion. The old prophet found his body and buried him. Years later, when the old prophet died, he had left instructions for his sons to bury him with the younger prophet.
So, what does all this mean for us? I suppose we could say that we are all represented in this younger prophet. We come to the Lord, ready to do what He tells us to do. We want to be obedient to Him. We read the Word, learn what He wants us to know. We are ready to go. Then comes along the older prophet. Don’t get me wrong; those older in the Lord should be our guides. They should be living examples of what we are to be. Many are. Some aren’t.
However, there are some sporting great followings who are just like this old prophet. They prophesy falsely. Especially today, we have many voices speaking many false teachings, many only in effort to make money from the Gospel. They are mockers and charlatans. Be careful of them because they will deceive you if possible, leading you down a road of erroneous teaching.
If you have founded your mission for the Master on the Bible, and prayed earnestly about it, He will lead you rightly. We don’t have to make serving God difficult. Actually, He has already told us many things He would like for us to do. For example, loving our brothers and sisters in Christ, loving our enemies, loving our neighbors and telling the world the Good News of God in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is our first, and foremost list to accomplish. We do that in the way that fits us best. Whether preaching, teaching, writing or just telling friends and neighbors what you know. That is following the orders of our Master.
Search your heart. God will let you know who those old false prophets are. When we listen to Him, then we won’t be accounted as a prophet who disobeyed God.
By Jerry D. Ousley
A strange tale is told in 1 Kings 13. Jeroboam had become king in the Northern Kingdom of Israel after it was divided in the days of Solomon’s son, Reoboam. But instead of leading the people to God, he thought that the way he would keep them away from Judah, the Southern Kingdom, was to set up false gods of his own, which he did.
As a result, God sent a prophet from Judah to prophecy to Jeroboam. The words of the prophecy are found in 1 Kings 13:2, “O altar, altar! Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, a child, Josiah by name, shall be born to the house of David; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men’s bones shall be burned on you.’” He also gave them a sign in verse 3: “And he gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign which the Lord has spoken: Surely the altar shall split apart, and the ashes on it shall be poured out.””
Jeroboam happened to be standing by the altar to the calf-gods he had made, and when the prophet spoke these words, he stretched out his hand and commanded that the prophet by arrested. When he did, his stretched-out hand was immediately withered. Also, the altar, just has the prophet had said, split apart. I suppose Jeroboam saw then that this prophet was telling the truth (wouldn’t we all?). He asked him to ask God to heal his hand. The prophet did, and God did.
This is where the story gets a bit weird. God had told the prophet to speak the words He had given him, then turn immediately and head back to Judah going a different way. He was not to eat or drink anything there, but to just go back home. Because of his healing, Jeroboam tried to get the prophet to eat and drink with him, but the prophet was true to God and refused, then headed home, as God had said, a different way.
But there was an old prophet living there, who, when he found out what had happened, followed after the first prophet. He found him resting under a tree and gave a false prophecy to him, stating that God had told him to tell the first prophet to return home with the old prophet and share a meal with him. I suppose the younger prophet thought the older prophet knew what he was talking about, after all, he had been a prophet a lot longer than he had been, so he got up and went with him. They shared a meal at the old prophet’s house.
Then the old prophet revealed that he had lied to the younger prophet. He told him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Because you have disobeyed the word of the Lord, and have not kept the commandment which the Lord your God commanded you, but you came back, ate bread, and drank water in the place of which the Lord said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water,” your corpse shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.’” (1 Kings 13:21-22). WHAT?!!! Talk about ripped off!
The young prophet left again, heading home, and on the way, he was killed by a lion. The old prophet found his body and buried him. Years later, when the old prophet died, he had left instructions for his sons to bury him with the younger prophet.
So, what does all this mean for us? I suppose we could say that we are all represented in this younger prophet. We come to the Lord, ready to do what He tells us to do. We want to be obedient to Him. We read the Word, learn what He wants us to know. We are ready to go. Then comes along the older prophet. Don’t get me wrong; those older in the Lord should be our guides. They should be living examples of what we are to be. Many are. Some aren’t.
However, there are some sporting great followings who are just like this old prophet. They prophesy falsely. Especially today, we have many voices speaking many false teachings, many only in effort to make money from the Gospel. They are mockers and charlatans. Be careful of them because they will deceive you if possible, leading you down a road of erroneous teaching.
If you have founded your mission for the Master on the Bible, and prayed earnestly about it, He will lead you rightly. We don’t have to make serving God difficult. Actually, He has already told us many things He would like for us to do. For example, loving our brothers and sisters in Christ, loving our enemies, loving our neighbors and telling the world the Good News of God in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is our first, and foremost list to accomplish. We do that in the way that fits us best. Whether preaching, teaching, writing or just telling friends and neighbors what you know. That is following the orders of our Master.
Search your heart. God will let you know who those old false prophets are. When we listen to Him, then we won’t be accounted as a prophet who disobeyed God.