Old Prophet

Now an old prophet dwelt in Bethel, and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel; they also told their father the words which he had spoken to the king. 1 Kings 13:11

The old prophet dwelt in Bethel, which means the House of God. The old prophet made a living in Bethel. The old prophet lived near Jeroboam yet did not have a message or word from God. God had to bring a man of God all the way from Judah, a one-day journey away. The man of God may be a prophet, and his message was prophetic in nature, accompanied by God’s power.

There were many high places, false priests, and a lot of idol worship during Jeroboam’s time. The old prophet may have begun to adjust or adapt to the ways of Jeroboam’s kingdom. The man of God had a prophetic voice which was similar to the old prophet. God could have spoken the prophetic word through the old prophet, but He chose not to. God bypassed the old prophet. The old prophet was living at Bethel, yet God was not willing to speak through him. The old prophet might have adapted to the wicked ways of Jeroboam. If there was burden in the old prophet looking at the wicked ways of Jeroboam, God would have used his prophetic voice itself. The old prophet lost his burden for God’s Honor and Glory to be displayed in the land.

The old prophet knew the price of disobedience and the ways of God’s working. It is said when he heard the man of God death, he said this about him – “It is the man of God who was disobedient to the word of the Lord. Therefore the Lord has delivered him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke to him” (1 Kings 13:26).

Compromise in living in Jeroboam’s kingdom might have caused the old prophet to adjust his core values in accordance with Jeroboam’s kingdom. He might have lost his prophetic voice gradually over a period of compromise.

The Old Prophet is not old in age, but in God’s ways. God has stopped speaking to the prophet. The prophet had experience of hearing God. Once upon a time, he was God’s mouthpiece. Somewhere down the line the mouthpiece lost its voice. It’s like retirement when the mouthpiece loses its voice. A retired prophet gives experience, but not the divine ways of God required for the current season. The seasons are changing. The way God used the old prophet might have been for that specific old season. That same experience will not be applicable in this current or new season.

The man of God is not as experienced as the old prophet. Nonetheless, God picked the man of God over the old prophet. Some of the points are as follows:

1) The man of God did not know the price or cost of disobeying God’s instruction

2) The man of God did not cross-check the words of the old prophet with God.

3) The man of God was unaware that the message he speaks on God’s behalf has the potential to destroy him if misused or carried wrongly.

The old prophet had a name and experiences with God, but God was not willing to speak through him now. In the past seasons, the old prophet had the experience of being part of God’s plans. For the present time, the old prophet doesn’t have a word from God.

As a result, the old prophets share their past experiences but lack a word from God for the present time. To fulfill the current need, old prophets are providing stale food (experiences). Stale food cannot satisfy the present hunger. Only God’s now word can quench our present hunger. The man of God had this now word from God.

God did not want to rub the experience of the old prophet on the man of God. The man of God had a word from God regarding the current season. The prophetic word of God – created a ripple in Jeroboam’s kingdom. ‘O Altar, O Altar,’ resonated and rang throughout the kingdom. Experience simply serves to discern and protect, but it does not create a path for God to work in this season.

The experience of the old prophet caused the man of God to fall. The enemy used Jeroboam to deceive the man of God, but he did not succeed. The enemy was successful to deceive the man of God through the old prophet. The enemy can use even Godly or God’s people who are off tune with God to deceive us. Be always cautious and vigilant.

And he said, “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