“1. And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel… 11. Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father. 12. And their father said unto them, What way went he? For his sons had seen what way the man of God went, which came from Judah. 13. And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon, 14. And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak: and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am. 15. Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread. 16. And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place: 17. For it was said to me by the word of the LORD, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest. 18. He said unto him, 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. But he lied unto him.”
There was a recent social media post of a man holding up his turkey with a comment along the lines of how beautiful the morning was. It was on a Sunday morning and his comment ended with a statement of him being in his church (“my church”). One man even commented that the outdoors was his church and nature was his choir. As I read the post, I thought how sad it is that a man thinks that forsaking God and going to the woods on a Sunday morning will help him through the difficulties of life. II Corinthians 11 also came to mind: 13-15 “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” I’ve also heard Christian’s make statements that they pray to God from the deer stand on Sunday morning or even try to justify why its ok to go fishing on the day we worship The Saviour. Revelation 20:10 “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone…” Don’t be deceived by man’s word, man will aways fail us. We must realize God is true and every man a liar(Romans 3:4). Let me ask this question: Are you obeying God’s Word? God’s Word tells us exactly why we cannot have church in the turkey woods or at the lake. Remember, its not your church. Matthew 16:18 “And I say also that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” The church was not built upon a sinful man, it belongs to Jesus Christ. Who is man to tell is that we can serve the god of creation, rather than the Creator God? Ephesians 4:11-12 tells us that God calls people to serve in the church to help others. “And he gave some, apostles; and some evangelists; and some pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” The body of Christ is the local New Testament Church. The greek word translated church is ekklesia, which means lawful, organized assembly. If we could have church in the field chasing wild animals, that would make the entire New Testament untrue!
James 1:15 “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” The flesh is drawn to many lustful things, as believers we must obey God’s Word. Looking back to our main context we see a man of God that is called into Bethel. He has been given very clear instructions to eat no bread, nor drink water, nor return to the same path from which he came. Jeroboam was the new king in the 10 northern tribes. The kingdom has just been divided from Judea and Benjamin. Jeroboam has brought in calves of gold to be worshipped by God’s chosen people in Bethel and in Dan. The man of God is sent from Judah to speak against what has been done. Jeroboam stretched forth his hand against the man of God and his hand literally dries up. Once he see’s the condition he’s in, he changes his course to ask now if he could be healed. Through the power of God, the man of God heals Jeroboam. Jeroboam offers for him to return to his house for a reward, but the man of God that was walking with God refuses to follow king Jeroboam because of what God commanded him to do.
The sons of this local prophet observe what happens and takes word back to their father. We see that account starting in verse 11. Put yourself in the shoes of this prophet from Judea for just a moment! He has been faithful to God’s Word for a time, but now as he sits under an oak tree, he’s very hungry and thirsty. If you have never fasted, you must realize that things can get cloudy at times. Your mind doesn’t always work right. Your internal organs go through changes and hunger pains as the fast becomes more extensive. The days can become weary. Whether fasting or just on a spiritual journey we read so many stories in the Bible about how God puts His children on a mission, and then in a short while, the road becomes long, the waves become bigger, the journey becomes tougher! We must stay faithful to the Word of God. The story doesn’t end well for this man of God from Judea because he chooses rather to listen to the lying prophet, than obey God’s Word. I Kings 13:19 “So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.” As this prophet departs from town the Bibe says he is slain by a lion. Psalm 118:8 “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.” Today, maybe you are weary, maybe the path God has put you on has become much harder than what you expected, maybe Sunday is your only day to go hunting. Remember that God’s Word never changes! Don’t be that man that drops out of the ministry because someone told you it was a good idea, don’t start missing services because you are overwhelmed with things and cant figure it out! Stay faithful because God is faithful! I would encourage you to read all of I Kings 13! It may help you with whatever trial or temptation that may be in front of you! Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
Memory Verse
James 1:15
“Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”
