If you have never read this Bible passage in 1 Kings 13, I suggest that you take a read when you can find the suitable time to sit down and digest it. It is a most captivating passage of scripture that modern folklore, legends and fairytales can not even come close to in it's captivating hold, the drama, it's moral lesson or for purity of reading. Most of all and so unlike any similar fictional literature, this is a true record of actual events!
Take king Jeroboam for example. An apostate king coming out of the reign of Solomon's splendour. Wanting to go his own way, do his own thing.... pride comes easily before a fall. It took a frozen arm over which he had no control to plead for mercy to the Living God. Why did it take such a drastic measure for the young prophet to have to influence the king with the message that he reported? If a king was asking you to go to his place of rest, could you resist ? God had given this young prophet a divine purpose and the young prophet was determined to see it through as requested.
The rest of the passage is dealing with firstly the importance of obedience, and then secondly with the Spirit of Discernment. We have two prophets, one senior in years, yet willing to spin a yarn and the young prophet who had already overcome one tempting alternative to his instruction.
Question : should we follow the teaching of a prophet just because of seniority? How should we test the prophet to see if there is any Truth in him / her ? After all, in this instance the older prophet claimed to be speaking the words of the Lord as given by an angel. But the text tells us that he lied about this. In the young prophet's situation how would we fare ? Are there prophets at work today spinning the same yarns about messages as provided to them by angels. Could they be telling the truth, yet the angels have provided the lie ? Can angels lie ?
We learn about the young prophet's fate. The introduction of Truth comes into action. The prophet who lied then cries out in woe to the man of God, that he had disobeyed the commandment that had been given to him. This commandment was not a general one for all people as are the 10 commandments, but was as a personal instruction expected to be obeyed by the prophets, from God. Such is the responsibility and attention to detail required.
Picture the result : a lion, the young prophet's uneaten dead corpse and the donkey that he was riding, all side by side in the road for all walking past to see. What would you think ? What are your thoughts now ?
Finally to Jeroboam, a knee-jerk repentance at the first sign of human frailty when examined under God's righteousness. Yet when the dust of judgment seemed to have settled he soon fell into his previous evil ways and one can see from the account that his repentance was extremely short-lived. Once saved, always saved ? - I don't think so ! Is your prophet a representative of the Living God ? Who is your prophet ? How does he / she measure up to the discernment of the Spirit? How do you test the messages? Who does your prophet point to and what message have you responded to ? Does one need a prophet to provide a message in order to respond to God's will and for one's life ?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment