(1 Kings 13:1-32)
The Bible tells us in the above text that a prophet of God came out of the presence of God, had the word of God in his mouth, and was led by the word of God and unto the city of God. By this time, Bethel, the city of God, had become a city of idol-worshippers because of Jeroboam.
Israel had been divided into two parts: Judah and Israel. Jeroboam took over Israel while Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, took over Judah and the tribe of Benjamin where he came from.
Jeroboam had put up two golden calves at Bethel and Dan to prevent the people of God from going to Jerusalem to worship because Jerusalem was in Judah.
He had stood by the altar of God to burn incense, and this man of God whose name was not mentioned cried against that altar according to the word of the Lord.
As soon as this prophet gave God’s word against the altar at Bethel, Jeroboam wanted to get hold of him. But as he stretched out his hand against this man of God, his hands withered.
Jeroboam then asked this man of God to pray for him that his hand might be restored. When he prayed for Jeroboam, his hand was restored.
Jeroboam was a great sinner and had committed great atrocities against God and wanted to destroy this man that God had sent to prophesy against him. But it was this same man of God that prayed for the restoration of his hand.
A man of God prayed for a great sinner and God answered that prayer. Yet Jeroboam the king remained in his sins.
Jeroboam then asked this man of God to come home with him that he might reward him for his prayer. He declined.
This tells us that as men of God, we preach the word of God not for gain or reward, but the calling of God. God had charged this man of God not to eat or drink or turn into any place except to return from where he was coming from. So he returned by a different way from the one which he came from.
Now there was an old prophet living in Bethel whose sons went to tell all that had happened between the man of God and the king. This old prophet then went after this man of God and found him sitting under an oak.
There are many times when men of God are sitting when they should be walking, running or flying.
The old prophet lied to the man of God that an angel of God had told him to go and bring him into his house. This tells us immediately that some prophets of God are liars.
They tell lies for their own advantages and benefits and usually to the destruction of the people of God. Don’t be intimidated by any man of God. Try to hear from God yourself. God will talk to you yourself. Be careful under whose anointing you are.
So this man of God went back with this old prophet and ate and drank in his house. As they sat at the table, the word of the Lord came to the old prophet that brought him back.
Our God is very interesting. The Word of the Lord still came back to a liar. We cannot fully understand or comprehend God. The easiest thing is for you to be in association with God yourself.
There are some things that we do in our lives that have serious consequences that may never be reversed. One small sin may lead to a cancer. One small sex can lead to AIDS; there is even a direct correlation there. One abortion can lead to so many problems.
This man of God did many great things, but he made one small mistake and God killed him.
Jeroboam, who was the father of sins and sinned from morning till night, was alive; his sickness was even restored. But we have this man of God who still had many years to serve God dying.
We serve a dangerous God. The Bible says that He is quick to mercy and slow to anger. There are many little things that we do that we think He has forgotten. Nothing happens immediately.
Pastor may not see, but it is between you and God. The way God deals with Mr A is not the same way God deals with Mrs B. God deals with each person according to that person.
Note that God did not forget Jeroboam’s sins, but dealt with him at His own time. All that this man of God did was a little disobedience based on a small persuasion from a respected old prophet.
We need to fear God. We need to ask God’s forgiveness. The Bible says that let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. Let us ask for God’s mercy forgiveness. One of the problems of the man of God was that after the old prophet gave God’s word against him, he did not ask for forgiveness and mercy.
When David sinned against God, he at least asked God for forgiveness and God forgave him partially, though he had set off a chain of curses against his house and country.
So ask God for forgiveness for your sins and secondly ask God to forgive the sins of your ancestors. God gave David mercy, but his children suffered.
Pray that your children will not suffer because of your sins and you will not suffer because of your father or forefather’s sins.
Ask God for total restoration and a new beginning. God will answer.