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Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 13:1-32
The story recorded in 1 Kings 13 is a sobering story; it is also a tragic story. In it we see two persons — a man of God and an old prophet. Both men were used by God, but both had a tragic ending. The lesson we draw from these two men is a very grave one.
The old prophet was a prophet who was once used by God; however, God could not use him any longer. Jeroboam sinned in Bethel, and God intended to warn him. But He did not ask the old prophet in Bethel to speak for Him; instead, He sent the man of God from Judah to speak for Him. This means that the old prophet could no longer be used by God. The "oldness" of the old prophet does not imply spiritual maturity or the abundance of spiritual experience but staleness. He was no longer useful in the hand of God. When God wanted to speak with Jeroboam, He could only go to the man of God; He could no longer use the old prophet. Man of God implies a person in fellowship with God. Fellowship is the basis of light. Whenever fellowship ceases, light stops. The old prophet had a spiritual history; he was once a prophet. But he lost his fellowship with God and became an old prophet. God could no longer use him. What a sobering thing this is!
The spiritual condition of many brothers and sisters today is the same as their condition eight or ten years ago. They have not made any spiritual progress before the Lord. Some have a good mind and appear to have made some progress. Actually the progress is not spiritual progress at all. They speak what they do not understand. Even as they are speaking, they do not understand what they are saying. They only have mental knowledge but not genuine light. They have picked up many spiritual terms, but in God's eyes they have not made any genuine spiritual progress at all. Some people received some light ten years ago, and their condition was quite proper before the Lord at that time. But when you meet them ten years later, they do not have any fresh light, and there is no spiritual growth at all. They are prophets, but old prophets through whom God can no longer speak. God is a God who is always working. The Lord said, "My Father is working until now, and I also am working" (John 5:17). The light we received twenty years ago, ten years ago, or even five years ago is not sufficient to be our guide today. If we remain in our past experiences, we will have no way to go on.
We must pay attention to this one question: How can we not be put aside by the Lord? How can we preserve ourselves from being rejected by the Lord? The question of freshness is a big one before the Lord. The question of spiritual riches is also a big one before the Lord. Many times we are too old and too poor spiritually!
The old prophet lived in Bethel. What was the condition of Bethel at that time? In Bethel Jeroboam sacrificed to the calves he made, appointed priests of the lowest people, who were not of the sons of Levi, made offerings upon the altar, and burned incense on the days and months that he had devised of his own heart (1 Kings 12:28-33). All these things offended the Lord. Jeroboam was afraid that the people would offer sacrifices in Jerusalem. Therefore, he set up another place of worship outside Jerusalem. He was not worshipping other gods; he was still worshipping the God who led the Israelites out of Egypt. But he worshipped according to his own way outside Jerusalem, and for that the Lord condemned him. He did not sin alone but led many kings into the same sin (see 1 Kings 16:19, 31; 22:52; 2 Kings 13:2, etc.). The sin that Jeroboam committed in Bethel was a very serious sin. The old prophet was living in Bethel, and the acts of Jeroboam were committed before his very eyes, yet he did not consider them as sins. This is too serious! A prophet speaks for God because he understands God's heart's desire. But here was an old prophet who did not understand God's heart's desire. Those who do not know God's heart's desire can never speak for God. God cannot commission anyone to speak for Him who does not know His heart. Therefore, He had to send the man of God.
The old prophet did not see any sin in the worship at Bethel. This proves that something was wrong with him. Brothers and sisters, do not think that practicing love is being a nice person. There is no such thing. If you think that this and that are good, that it is good to worship God in Jerusalem and equally good to worship in Bethel, you have not seen anything and you are sick. Many people are like the old prophet; their eyes are blinded, and they are sick. They do not see the things that offend God, and they think that it is good to worship God any way they like. They do not understand why it is wrong to worship in Bethel. Brothers and sisters, can you say that this is love? A doctor can care for his patient and love his patient, but he cannot cheat his patient and tell him that he is not sick. If a doctor says that a sick man is not sick, it proves that there is something wrong with the doctor himself; his eyes are blind. The old prophet lived in Bethel, yet he did not see the sin of Bethel. Sin was before him, yet he did not have any feeling for it. What a tragedy this is! How terrible this is!
But what was tragic was not just the condition of the old prophet but the damage the man of God suffered under the old prophet! The Lord charged the man of God saying, "Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest" (1 Kings 13:9). The man of God remembered this charge and rejected the offer of the king. He also rejected the first invitation of the old prophet. Yet he was deceived when the old prophet said, "I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water" (v. 18). He thought that the old prophet was more experienced than he, and he thought that he should listen to him. He returned with the old prophet and ate bread and drank water in his house. The man of God disobeyed the Lord's charge because of the word of the old prophet, and he was killed by a lion. He was very clear about the Lord's charge but was affected by the words, "I am a prophet also," and he became confused. Here we must learn a grave lesson. Once a servant of the Lord has received a clear commandment from the Lord, he should never listen to an old prophet whose word does not match the Lord's charge.
Paul's charge to the Galatian believers was along the same principle. "If even we or an angel out of heaven should announce to you a gospel beyond that which we have announced to you, let him be accursed" (Gal. 1:8). The gospel which Paul preached was not according to man but according to the revelation of Jesus Christ (vv. 11-12). But there was another group of people who tried to change the gospel of Christ. They preached another gospel to the Galatian believers. Paul warned the Galatian believers not to be deceived by them. He saw through the deception of the ones who came as servants of God and who tried to distract others with seemingly spiritual words. He warned the Galatians with severe words. He said, "But if even we..." This means that even if Paul himself went to them and preached a gospel different from what he had been preaching, they should not believe in it; they should only believe in the gospel which came from the revelation of Jesus Christ. They should not put their trust in the name "Paul." If he, Paul, were to preach a gospel different from the one he had received from God, they should not believe in it. Paul knew that many people were easily influenced by names; it was easier for them to believe in man's name than in God's word. Therefore, he took a stand; he spoke on behalf of God's truth. He did not give any ground to man or to himself. He wanted them to follow God's truth completely and not man's name. Paul struggled to defend the truth; he was absolutely for God and not for himself at all. He maintained God's truth, not his own name. The only reason he opposed the deceivers was because they had adulterated the word of God and had led the believers into error. He showed us that we should stand on God's side and choose what words we should receive and what words we should reject. If anyone teaches anything that is contrary to God's truth, we cannot listen to him no matter who he is. Paul said, "But if...an angel out of heaven..." He reminded them that they could not even lightly accept the words of the angels. In 2 Corinthians 11:13-15, when Paul spoke about the false apostles, he said, "For such ones are false apostles, deceitful workers, transfiguring themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself transfigures himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if also his ministers transfigure themselves into ministers of righteousness." An "angel of light" comes with a mask of benevolence, and it is easy for a man to drop his guard. The Galatians were deceived after they had heard the gospel of the Lord because these ones claimed that they were also preaching the gospel, and that they were zealous for the law of God. Their words seemed persuasive, and the Galatians who had heard the truth were deceived. These deceivers often creep into the church to damage men's faith and to entice them from the Lord's way. We must guard against them watchfully. They are able to deceive others through their false spirituality and their pretended love for the Lord. They speak about "God's revelations" and "God's will," and they can teach seemingly correct doctrines. They confuse truth with falsehood and easily deceive others. Brothers and sisters, we should have a watchful heart and discerning power; we should be faithful to God's Word and keep the faith that has been once delivered to us. We should reject all the "gospels" of those who adulterate the Lord's word, no matter who they are, and we must ask the Lord to keep us in His truth.
This old prophet did not have any feeling concerning the great sin that Jeroboam had committed. Yet he cheated others with his title of "prophet." He had lost his fellowship with God, yet he still claimed that "an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord." The failure of the man of God lies in the fact that he did not keep the word which he had received directly from God; he was shaken by the vain name of the old prophet and deceived by his lies; therefore, he fell into tragedy.
The old prophet was so fallen that he even lied to a man sent from God. When they were sitting together at the feast, the word of the Lord came to the old prophet. Does this mean that he had become spiritual again? No. God was dealing with the man of God who had disobeyed His word. He no longer had any demand on the old prophet; God already had put him aside. After the man of God was killed by the lion, the old prophet buried him in his own grave and charged his sons to bury him next to the man of God when he died. The old prophet believed that the word which the Lord charged the man of God to speak against the altar in Bethel and against all the houses of the high places which were in the cities of Samaria would surely come to pass. Yet he himself simply waited to die there!
Brothers and sisters, we should remember a few things from this sober and tragic story. First, once a man has lost his fellowship with God, he becomes old, blind, and stale. Second, even though a man has been used by the Lord, once he departs from God, he must no longer deceive others with his "qualifications." Third, once a man disobeys God's word and stays in a place that he should not stay, spiritual death will result. Fourth, any spiritual utterance must match the word of God. Otherwise, even if the words come from an old prophet or from an angel, one should reject them resolutely.
