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A New Word From The Lord - 1 Kings 13-14
A New Word From The Lord - 1 Kings 13-14
The spirit speaketh expressly,” so wrote Paul in 1Tim. 4:1. We see that here in 1 Kings 13 – 14. There was a ‘man of God’, a prophet, a man whom God revealed himself to. He not only had a word of God for Jeroboam, he had specific instructions for himself: “"For so it was commanded me by the word of the Lord, saying, 'You shall eat no bread, nor drink water, nor return by the way which you came.'" (1 Kings 13:9).
Then, there was another prophet! He claimed to have ‘a command… by the word of the LORD: “He said to him, "I also am a prophet like you, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, 'Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.'" But he lied to him” (1 Kings 13:18).
“but he lied!” Take note: religious leaders, even ones that were legitimate prophets of God, sometimes spoke on their own authority and claimed it to be a revelation from God!
This first prophet knew what God had told him, he repeated it several times! First to Jeroboam (vs. 13:9), and then to the older prophet (vs. 13:16). THEN, he heard a lie, he believed the lie, and he acted upon the lie. Tragic result: he then died by the hand of the LORD.
Paul warns: “8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! 9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!” (Galatians 1:8-9).
John warns: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).
Peter warns: “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves” (2 Peter 2:1).
Thus the admonition: “21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; 22 abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22).
God gave us a written revelation in order that we could know His will. We have an objective standard we all can go to. How careful are you being with the Word of God?
Hugh DeLong
