Do you ever arrive at a narrative in the scriptures that causes you to pause and ask, “Lord, what is going on here?” There is one such account in 1 King 13, where an unknown prophet from Judah is sent to prophesy against evil King Jeroboam.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world (1 John 4:1).

View Comments (28)

For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works (2 Cor. 11:14-15).

An Idolatrous Worship Condemned

Perhaps you know the story: A man of God from Judah, the southern kingdom, is told by the Lord to go to Bethel, in the north, where Jeroboam has erected a golden calf, appointed his own men as priests, and created false feast days to prevent the Israelites from going up to Jerusalem (1 Kings 12:26-33). God instructed this young prophet to prophesy against the false altar and its priests, as well as declare a coming king, Josiah, who would sacrifice the false priests on that very altar (1 Kings 13:1-3). He also declares a sign — the altar will split in half.  As he prophesies, the king reaches out to arrest him, the king’s hand shrivels, and the altar splits! If this were a movie, I would be on the edge of my seat.

The king is distraught and begs the young prophet to ask his God to heal him. He complies, and the king’s hand is immediately restored. The king then invites the man of God back to the palace for a meal and a reward which he declines:

“If you were to give me half your house, I would not go in with you; nor would I eat bread nor drink water in this place. For so it was commanded me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘You shall not eat bread, nor drink water, nor return by the same way you came’” (1 Kings 13:8-9).

The Lord gave the young prophet two clear directions. First, do not eat and drink anything. Second, do not return by the same way that you came. These were commands of the Lord — His clear word.

A Prophet Deceived

But this story is not over. Enter an older prophet still living in Bethel under the rulership of King Jeroboam. We are told in verse 10 that the young man of God “went another way and did not return by the way he came to Bethel.” But news has spread about the dramatic events at the altar, and the older prophet now sets out on his donkey to find the younger man. His motive in seeking him out is not at first clear (is it to thank him, to question him, is he jealous), but later he will intentionally lie to this young man (v. 18). The older prophet finds the younger under a tree and invites him for — you guessed it — a meal of bread and water (1 Kings 13:15).

At first, the young man refuses, repeating the Lord’s commands: I cannot return with you nor go in with you; neither can I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place. For I have been told by the word of the Lord, “You shall not eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by going the way you came” (1 Kings 13:16-17).  But the older prophet answers him with a lie: “I too am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.” (He was lying to him.)”  The younger man follows him home — going back the way he came — eats and drinks, and mid-meal, the older prophet, hearing from the Lord cries out, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Because you have disobeyed the word of the Lord, and have not kept the commandment which the Lord your God commanded you, but you came back, ate bread, and drank water in the place of which the Lord said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water,” your corpse shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.’ ”

A Tragic Ending

We are not told how the man of God from Judah, the young prophet of the Lord who prophesied to a king, saw an altar split at his command and a shriveled hand healed, received this word from the older man who had intentionally deceived him. Nor do we see into the older man’s heart once he has delivered this dire word.

The young man continues on his way home. He is met by a lion who mauls him to death (v. 24) but neither eats him nor his donkey, rather stands watch over them on the road until the older prophet hears about it and goes out with his own donkey to retrieve the younger man’s body and put it in his own tomb (1 Kings 13:23-30).

Selah — pause and think of that.

This tale raises many questions. Why did the man of God from Judah, after clearly stating what the Lord had commanded him, return home with the older prophet? Why did the older prophet lie? Why did the older prophet remain in Bethel where King Jeroboam was leading the nation into sin without challenging him? Why did the lion not eat his prey? Why did the donkey remain and not flee in fear of the lion? Why was the Lord’s dealing with the young prophet so seemingly harsh while the older man seems to get off with no reprisal?

A Tale of Caution

This narrative seems to me to be of great importance to us as intercessors in this day and hour. There are many prophetic voices speaking into the Body of Christ and not all of them are speaking the Word of the Lord.

As a charismatic follower of Christ Jesus, I honor the prophetic, so this is not a post warning us away from listening to or following prophets. It is a plea for maturity as we elevate the Word of God above the word from any man or woman. It is a plea for us all to follow the Lord’s instruction and ‘test the spirits’ (1 John 4:1), remaining aware that Satan masquerades as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:15) in order to deceive us. This idea of light suggests that what we might hear or see will be pleasing to us and not seem dark. Even Paul warned us that we should take care not to be deceived by a different gospel even if Paul himself came preaching it, claiming that it came from an angel! (Gal. 1:8) Even godly, well-meaning people are fallible. But God’s word is eternal. God is “not a man that he should lie” (Num. 23:19).

In the 1 Kings 13 narrative, the young prophet is obviously hearing from God. He delivers a powerful word to a king and all his declarations come to pass, and the Lord protects him by shriveling the king’s hand. Then the Lord hears his prayer for the king’s healing!

This is heady stuff. I know how I feel when I pray for someone and they get healed. To God be the glory, but I am always thrilled that God could use me. It is a good time to remind myself that I need not rejoice that demons obey me but that my name is written in the Book of Life (Luke 10:20).

This young man withstands the evil king’s invitation, realizing that receiving the king’s favor would put him in the king’s debt. But when one of his own comes to him, another ‘prophet’ (v.18), claiming that an angel has brought him a word from the Lord, the younger man acquiesces without even asking the Lord. He defies both of the Lord’s clear commands and harkens to the word of a man. The one sent to challenge the king about defying the Lord’s word then defies it himself.

Tremble at His Word

In these days, are we harkening more to the voices of man than to God’s clear Word, whether in the scriptures or to our own hearts and minds?

Even God says of His word in Psalm 138:2 (AMPC), “You have exalted above all else Your name and Your word and You have magnified Your word above all Your name!” He equates His own word with His name which embodies His character and holiness. Obedience to His word is central to growth as believers and to being His disciples. His Word is pure and perfect and tested (Ps. 12:6). It is always to be heeded above the word of men.

In some ways, this story reminds me of Joshua being fooled by the Gibeonites (Josh. 9). Joshua was deceived because he did not ask the Lord for wisdom. We are told in Proverbs 3: 5-6 to acknowledge the Lord in all our ways and He will make our paths straight.

What a reminder to be constantly in intimate communion with the Lord, asking Him about each decision, large or small. Let us be those who TREMBLE at His word, knowing our need and renouncing all independence from Him. “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word” (Is. 66:2).

Final thoughts

This story clarifies the importance of consistent and complete obedience to the Word of God. It was the same message that the Lord sent to Jeroboam through the man of God from Judah. Could it be that the older prophet was sent to lie as a test after such a high-level assignment as prophesying to a king? With added privilege or promotion comes added responsibility. Twice the young prophet declared the commands that the Lord had given him, but he did not heed them in the end.

Could it be that the Lord Himself was the lion who mauled the prophet on the road home? He disciplined His servant, the young prophet, but watched over his body until it was cared for. And the lion did not eat the donkey or attack it, nor did it flee, which seems highly unlikely in the natural realm.

And what of the older man? Had he been affected by living under the apostasy of King Jeroboam? His care for the young prophet showed that He honored the young man despite his message of correction.

We can only guess about these matters but what is certain is that we, too, must learn to hear the Lord’s word and obey – no matter what. We must learn to test the spirits and weigh all we hear against God’s own word, even from messages from the most respected prophets. We must guard our hearts in times of success against pride or self-sufficiency. We must learn to tremble at His word.

Father, how we need You! Thank You for these stories in scripture that are for our edification. Thank YOU that we can come any time to Your throne of grace BOLDLY asking for the specific grace that we need. We ask now for an increase in intimacy with You, hearing Your voice, and of discernment so that we can test the spirits. Give us a hunger for Your Words so that they become a plumb line in us to all that we hear. We want to be those that You look on with favor. Forgive us for not loving Your Word and for following after the word of others. Thank You giving us Holy Spirit who is the Spirit of Truth, indwelling us, leading us into all truth.

Lori Meed is a leader on IFA’s Headline Prayer Live and an IFA contributing writer. In 2004, God moved her family from Canada to the U.S., imparting to them His heart for this country and for revival. Having walked out her own journey of freedom after being radically born again in 1992, Lori has a heart to see others set free to walk fully in their destiny. She is also passionate about teaching on aliyah (“going up,” the return of the Jews to the land of Israel), the feasts of the Lord, and the rich connections of the gentile churches to Israel.