1 Kings 13:1 “And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the Lord unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.” Verses 3-4 “And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the Lord hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out. And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Bethel, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him”.  Verses6-10 “And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the face of the Lord thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored him again, and became as it was before. And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward. And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place: For so was it charged me by the word of the Lord, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest. So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel.”

There are many different voices in the world saying many different things. “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: Because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1)There are those even among God’s sheep who are there to mislead, to deceive, and ultimately to destroy! Jude warns us of them and their intentions: “For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Jude 4)John’s words again are: “But try the spirits whether they are of God:” Be sure the voice you’re listening to is God’s! The prophet in our scripture text seemed to be very sure of his instructions. He was not going to listen to the king. He knew what the Lord had told him, and no amount of money or treasures would change his mind. We must always listen and heed God’s word, whatever the circumstance may be!

1Kings 13:11“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.” V. 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.”

Let us look again at the charge the prophet gave in verse 9.The prophet seemed to feel an urgency to complete the task and leave immediately. Yet, he was apparently found not too far away, “sitting under an oak”. We must go when God says go or stay when God says stay. To not fully obey God, is to subject ourselves to trouble. If the man of God had been fully obedient, he would not have subjected himself to the coming temptation. Until now he had been firm. The king had offered gifts of thanks and the prophet had refused! The devil had tried to tempt the prophet to disobey, but he did not fall for it. Notice his words in V. 8.But what about a message from a fellow prophet? One who apparently was older and wiser? When one trap fails, you can be sure that the adversary will set another one. When we’re just “sitting under an oak”, what is going on in our mind? Most likely for the prophet, the devil was already talking to him about the things he missed, by not accepting the king’s gifts. How could just a short visit to the king’s house have done any harm? God would have understood. After all, look what he had accomplished! Look at what a miracle he had performed! He deserved those things! We must be alert and aware! Even though those gifts in themselves may not have been wrong, “sitting under an oak” may have allowed his mind to wander into places that were dangerous! There’s an old saying: “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop” comes to mind.

John 10:4-5 “And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: For they know not the voice of strangers”. Any message contrary to the word of God, regardless of its source, is a stranger’s voice! The message must not only be the truth, but it must also be delivered with the spirit of truth, and in the spirit of love! “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” (Matthew 7:20)Try the spirit and check the fruit. Does it line up with God’s word? If it doesn’t, do not follow! 1 Kings 13:15-19 “Then he said unto him, come home with me, and eat bread. 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: 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. 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. So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.” Our personal relationship with God, is one in which we must follow and heed His instructions, on a personal basis. His Word does not change! It is clearly shown throughout the Old Testament that when God spoke His Word through prophets, once it was declared, that’s the way it was! When God gives us direction for our life, He will not change it! Why the old prophet lied, we’re not told. What is clearly shown, is that the devil will use every trick he has to cause you to disobey God! We cannot allow our faith to be shaken when it is concerning the words of the Lord. If we are just “sitting under an oak” we may be opening the door for doubt to creep in and putting ourselves in danger. What God says, is final! 1Kings13:21-22 “And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, thus saith the Lord, forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the Lord, and hast not kept the commandment which the Lord thy God commanded thee, but camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the Lord did say to thee, eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers.” All the great things the prophet had done were now meaningless. God is trying to lead people “into all truth”. But many are only partially obeying. But now just as then, full obedience is required. If God is speaking to you, concerning anything, no amount of accomplishments that you achieve will be accepted without obedience. 1 Samuel 15:22-23 “And Samuel said, hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king”. Whose voice are you listening to?

Donalhue Grimes, State Overseer of Georgia