This week I was talking to someone who shared a testimony of how her obedience brought the blessing and faithfulness of GOD in her life. Her parting words were, “The only things that matter are obedience and faith.” I began to ponder this and wondered, “Why do we disobey God when we know what He requires of us?”
In the book of 1 Kings, chapters 12 & 13, we meet a broken Israelite kingdom after the death of King Solomon. Ten tribes went with Jeroboam son of Nebat, while Judah and Benjamin remained with Rehoboam, Solomon's son. Jeroboam believed that if the people went to Jerusalem to worship at the Temple, their allegiance would revert to Solomon's son so he built altars of idolatry in Bethel and Dan, placing golden calves upon them telling the people, “Here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt,” 1 Kings 12:28.
The LORD sent a prophet, 'a man of God', to Bethel to speak against this altar of idolatry. The prophet was given strict instructions by God not to accept the hospitality of anyone from the town, but to prophesy and leave. When the 'man of God' had finished his task, King Jeroboam invited him into his home and offered him a gift. He replied, “Even if you were to give me half your possessions, I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water here. For I was commanded by the word of the Lord: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came,’” 1 Kings 13:8-9.
“Now there was a certain old prophet living in Bethel whose sons came and told him all that the man of God had done that day,” 1 Kings 13:11. This old prophet went in search of the prophet. “He found him sitting under an oak tree and asked, 'Are you the man of God who came from Judah?' 'I am,' he replied. So the prophet said to him, 'Come home with me and eat.' The man of God said, 'I cannot turn back and go with you, nor can I eat bread or drink water with you in this place.'” 1 Kings 13:14-16. The old prophet responded, “I too am a prophet, as you are. And an angel said to me by the word of the LORD: 'Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.' (But he was lying to him.) So the man of God returned with him and ate and drank in his house,” 1 Kings 13:18-19.
“While they were sitting at the table, the word of the Lord came to the old prophet who had brought him back. He cried out to the man of God who had come from Judah, 'This is what the Lord says: You have defied the word of the Lord and have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. You came back and ate bread and drank water in the place where he told you not to eat or drink. Therefore your body will not be buried in the tomb of your ancestors,’” 1 Kings 13:20-22.
Why did the first prophet-'the man of God'-reject God's instruction? What caused him to change his mind even after he declined the King's offer? What causes us to disobey God, even after He has directed our paths in the way in which we should walk? Please click on the comments link below to share your thoughts with us at BGO. We look forward to hearing from you and thank you for walking with us! Let us encourage each other in Christ!
7 comments:
There's a couple of things that jump to mind when I read this: 1) the snake + Eve. The evil one is so good at putting doubt in your mind. Did God really say that? The man of God shouldn't have believed the old prophet's lies, but he did. He doubted his own conviction of what God Himself told him. 2) the evil one will use anyone not grounded in the Lord - even an old prophet - one who seemingly did God's will - at least at some point. This tells me we need to be praying daily. We can't count on our past encounters with God - we need him every day: a fresh & constantly renewed relationship with the Living God. We can't leave room for the devil to get in.
Other reasons: 3 Fear/impatience. Whispers of fear is usually what gets me. It takes hold + doesn't let go. I begin planning & plotting - instead of giving it to God, waiting on the Lord for His plan to unfold, for His Will to be revealed, for His peace to descend upon me..
4) Lastly and simply put it's 'weakness'. We need not be weak-minded, weak-willed or weak in character. And that's fact and also an easy excuse. How many have referenced that 'the flesh is weak'? If only we could truly lean on the Lord's strength - trust Him, drawing on His wisdom and learning from Jesus Himself.
Bless you BGO.
I always enjoy reading your posts.
Anonymous,
Thank you for your response! You provide some deep insight into the process of our disobedience and the role of the Deceiver. In both cases, Eve and the 'man of God'/prophet, initially respond to the temptation by repeating the commands God. Yet, when the 'Deceiver' insists, they acquiesce.
Gen. 3:1-6
3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” 4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.
1 Kings 13:16-19
16 The man of God said, “I cannot turn back and go with you, nor can I eat bread or drink water with you in this place. 17 I have been told by the word of the Lord: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water there or return by the way you came.’”18 The old prophet answered, “I too am a prophet, as you are. And an angel said to me by the word of the Lord: ‘Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.’” (But he was lying to him.) 19 So the man of God returned with him and ate and drank in his house.
What happens between that time when we repeat the commands of God and we change our minds? Fear, impatience and weakness truly do drive us to disobedience. What can we do to avoid falling into this trap?
You aptly point out the importance of prayer. I think meditating on the Word of God may also be helpful. David says, "I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you," Psalm 119:11. Accountability also comes to mind, but how useful is it at that time when we are utterly alone? Yet I guess that we never really are. God's Holy Spirit is with us. As you state, if we could only lean on the Lord's strength, then we could draw wisdom from Jesus.
May the LORD protect and strengthen us all. I am reminded of Proverbs 4:23, "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."
Thanks again,
Natasha
The old prophet was convincing as he employed seductive words to win the confidence of the first prophet: "I too am a prophet and God told me..." The serpent also won Eve with seductive words of deception and she fell into the trap just like this first prophed.
We have to be ever mindful to keep our focus on God's instructions and cast off any other instructions that donot line up with God's Word.
Thank you for such a deep and heart-searching post! God bless you both!
The old prophet was convincing as he employed seductive words to win the confidence of the first prophet: "I too am a prophet and God told me..." The serpent also won Eve with seductive words of deception and she fell into the trap just like this first prophed.
We have to be ever mindful to keep our focus on God's instructions and cast off any other instructions that donot line up with God's Word.
Thank you for such a deep and heart-searching post! God bless you both!
I agree. I'm also reminded of the story of Eve and the serpent.
With regards to this story, I think that we're prone to think that just because someone is a "man of God", a person who claims to know or represent God, that they're actually speaking for God. That's why being saturated in the Word and having a discerning spirit is so important. Above all, yes, we must walk in obedience as well. When God clearly tells us not to do something, we're to obey Him. After all, He is not a man that He should change His mind. (Numbers 23:19)
P.S. I would love to use this story with my Sunday school class and hear their intake on this. Blessings!
Farah,
You make an excellent point when you say that we must be mindful of everyone who comes to us with counsel, and not because someone claims to be a 'man of God', does it mean that they are leading you according to His will. I think the thing that amazed me the most is that in both instances, Eve and the 'man of God' (first prophet) repeated God's commands before they were convinced to disobey.
You quoted on my favourite scriptures, Numbers 23:19. We have to remember that GOD keeps His Word, no matter what. I wonder what was going through the mind of the old prophet who lied to the 'man of God'?
Anonymous #2,
Isn't it incredible how all it takes is often seductive words to lead people astray from the commands of GOD? The Apostle Paul warns us about false apostles and deceitful workers:
12 And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. 13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve. 2 Corinthians 11:12-14
So many times people are able to present themselves as emissaries of GOD when in fact they do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour of their lives:
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. 2 Timothy 3:1-5
May GOD give us wisdom and discernment so that our hearts respond only to His commands!
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