In this chapter, we find that God sent an unnamed "man
of God" out of Judah into Israel to rebuke Jeroboam because of his wicked
ways. The man of God prophesied about a coming king named Josiah. He told the
NAME of a future king of Judah & what he would do. But the prophecy didn't come to pass until
over 3 centuries later (II Kings 23:16). When Jeroboam heard the words of the
man of God, he was offended. But, despite a significant miracle in his
presence, Jeroboam remained in his sin (I Kings 13:33).
Now, one amazing thing about this is that God was relatively
lax with Jeroboam, but incredibly strict with the man of God. God had
instructed his messenger not to do anything during his mission into Israel
except what he had been commanded to do. Specifically, he wasn't even supposed
to pause for a meal. And, when Jeroboam invited him home for supper, the man of
God prudently refused. However, on his way home, an old prophet lied to him and
convinced him that God had changed his orders. Well, the man of God paid for
his disobedience in this small matter. He paid for it with his life. A lion
killed him after he went aside from his mission. God's words are never to be
taken lightly. When God makes a decree, we had better take heed.
No comments:
Post a Comment