1 Kings 13:11-34

1 Kings 13:11-34

One point we did not cover in the opening verses of 1 Kings 13 was what God had commanded the prophet out of Judah to do. While his mission was to go and confront Jeroboam, he had also been commanded to return home immediately and not stay with anyone or eat or drink with anyone during his journey. Jeroboam was not following the Lord, and He did not want His prophet to get caught up in the practices of those from the north. But when the prophet was on his way home, he ran into one of the so called prophets from the north. He was invited to eat with this older prophet, but he quickly denied the offer explaining what God had commanded him to do. However, the older prophet told him that God had given him a different message, and the young prophet from Judah disobeyed God by staying with this other prophet.


As a result of his disobedience, God spoke through the older prophet, predicting the younger prophet’s death. He was told that he would not return to the land of his fathers to be buried. Then, once he left the home of the older prophet, he was attacked by a lion and killed. Many men walked by and saw his dead body, and news eventually traveled to the older prophet that the young man was dead. He then set out and retrieved the body and buried it near his own home.

So what is the lesson from this story? Follow God’s commands. But even more than that, we never have to worry about God giving conflicting stories to separate people. God would not have told the younger prophet not to eat or drink with anyone from the Northern Kingdom and then turn around and tell another prophet differently. God does not lie, and His stories are always true and consistent. The younger prophet should have recognized this and continued on his way home. But he lost trust in God, questioned his beliefs, and paid for it in the end. We can trust God in what He says. His words are true. Scripture is true. If we ever hearing someone saying differently, saying that they have received a new word from God, then we need to question them. Anything that contradicts what God has already stated is a lie, and we must be careful to guard ourselves against them.

As for Jeroboam and the Northern Kingdom, they were continuing to turn away from God. The split in Israel came as a result of Rehoboam’s disobedience, but those who followed Jeroboam were not much better. Although God had ordained for Jeroboam to take the throne in the north, He did not approve of the way they were acting. That is why He had sent the young prophet in the first place, to warn them of the judgment to come if they did not turn back to God. But instead of listening to the words of the prophet, they continued to worship false gods.

Matt