Intro
Last week we taught on the subject of testing prophecy. How do we know that a dream, a vision, a word that someone is sharing is truly from the Lord? And even if it is from the Lord, are we interpreting it correctly and applying it wisely. We found that all three aspects of a prophecy must be examined.
Today we continue with that theme of testing prophecy. I had planned to share several principles for testing prophecy today. But in my preparation felt we should spend some time with a story recorded in Kings 13. In it we find a crucial lesson about operation in and receiving prophetic messages.
PROPHETIC WORD GIVEN TO THE UNNAMED PROPHET
The story begins with a prophet receiving a word from the Lord. Follow with me as we read 1 Kings 13:1-3.
“And behold, a man of God went from Judah to Bethel by the word of the Lord, and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. 2 Then he cried out against the altar by the word of the Lord, [so we have here a true word from God] and said, ‘O altar, altar! Thus says the Lord: 'Behold, a child, Josiah by name, shall be born to the house of David; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men's bones shall be burned on you.’’ 3 And he gave a sign the same day, saying, ‘This is the sign which the Lord has spoken: Surely the altar shall split apart, and the ashes on it shall be poured out.’”i
A little historical background will help us understand what is going on here. God had established that the temple in Jerusalem was to be the place where all Israel came for worship. When Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, became king the people asked him to reduce the heavy taxation that Solomon had imposed on them. Rehoboam arrogantly and foolishly refused to do that. As a result, the northern ten tribes led by Jeroboam revolted and formed a separate kingdom. That left only the tribes Judah and Benjamin in the southern kingdom with most of the tribe of Levi.
In order to maintain control, Jeroboam imitated a separate system of worship centered at Dan and at Bethel. He set up a golden calf at each location to provide something tangible to represent the Lord. Of course, that violated the second commandment. Providing these two centers of worship made sense politically, but it was contrary to the command of God to worship at the temple in Jerusalem.
Therefore, in our text God is sending this unnamed prophet from the southern kingdom with a word to denounce this false worship system. The word began with a prediction that a king named Josiah would be born. This Josiah would define the altar at Bethel by burning men’s bones on it.
That prediction would be fulfilled nearly 300 years later. King Josiah was born to the house of David, and we read the fulfillment of this prophecy in 2 Kings 23:15-16: “Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he broke down; and he burned the high place and crushed it to powder, and burned the wooden image. 16 As Josiah turned, he saw the tombs that were there on the mountain. And he sent and took the bones out of the tombs and burned them on the altar, and defiled it according to the word of the Lord which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words.”
That is the fulfillment of this prophecy. Then 2 Kings 23:17-18 we have this interesting comment about the grave of this unnamed prophet. “Then he [Josiah] said, ‘What gravestone is this that I see?’ So the men of the city told him, ‘It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things which you have done against the altar of Bethel.’ 18 And he said, ‘Let him alone; let no one move his bones.’ So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria.” We will be introduced to this prophet who lived in Samaria later in our current story. In 1 Kings 13:31 this prophet asked to be buried next to the prophet who denounced Jeroboam’s alar. That request was obviously honored.
Now look at the sign given in 1 Kings 13:3 that validated the long-term prophecy: “And he [the unnamed prophet from the southern kingdom] gave a sign the same day, saying, ‘This is the sign which the Lord has spoken: Surely the altar shall split apart, and the ashes on it shall be poured out.’” This immediately came to pass in verse 5.
Just a quick lesson about the way prophecy works from what we have read so far. The prophecy about Josiah would not come to pass for nearly 300 years.ii One test of prophecy is that the thing predicted actually happens. But how do you implement that test when it will be generations later before it happens? After ten- or fifteen-years people would be questioning the validity of the prophecy since no time frame was provided in the prediction. For that reason and perhaps others, God gave an immediate sign letting them know the validity of what was being predicted. The altar split apart, and the ashes poured out right before their eyes.
Let’s read 1 Kings 13:4-6 for additional details. “So it came to pass when King Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, who cried out against the altar in Bethel, that he stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, ‘Arrest him!’ Then his hand, which he stretched out toward him, withered, so that he could not pull it back to himself. 5 The altar also was split apart, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord. 6 Then the king answered and said to the man of God, ‘Please entreat the favor of the Lord your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.’ So the man of God entreated the Lord, and the king's hand was restored to him, and became as before.”
Jeroboam was not intimidated by this prophet or the word he spoke. Jeroboam immediately asserted his authority and commanded the guards to arrest the prophet. But when we’re doing exactly what God tells us to do, there may be a few surprises for those who oppose us. And God had one here for Jeroboam. The NLT says his arm “became paralyzed.” The words of the prophet did not get his attention, but the power of God released at that moment did. He humbled himself enough to ask the prophet to pray for him. And when the prophet prayed for him, he was healed.
Verse 7 introduces a test encountered by this unnamed prophet. 1 Kings 13:7-10: “Then the king said to the man of God, ‘Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.’ [A king inviting you to his house with the promise of a reward would be rather compelling. God was testing the heart of his prophet. We know that by what follows in verse 8.] “But the man of God said to the king, ‘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. 9 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.'’ 10 So he went another way and did not return by the way he came to Bethel.”
So far, so good! The unnamed prophet has done exactly what God told him to do. But just because we pass one test is no guarantee we will pass the next one. In fact, we are often most vulnerable right after a success. I can imagine the prophet felt pretty good about turning down Jeroboam’s offer. He had passed a significant test. But, we must stay diligent and continue in obedience.
PROPHETIC WORD FROM THE OLD PROPHET LIVING AT BETHEL
The next test comes from an unexpected source: another prophet. This prophet from Judah was probably braced for the devil using Jeroboam against him. But did he let his guard down when he encountered this old prophet?
Follow as we read verses 11-22. “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. 12 And their father said to them, ‘Which way did he go?’ For his sons had seen which way the man of God went who came from Judah. 13 Then he said to his sons, ‘Saddle the donkey for me.’ So they saddled the donkey for him; and he rode on it, 14 and went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak. Then he said to him, ‘Are you the man of God who came from Judah?’ And he said, ‘I am.’ 15 Then he said to him, ‘Come home with me and eat bread.’ 16 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. 17 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.'’ 18 He said to him, ‘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.) 19 So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house, and drank water. 20 Now it happened, as they sat at the table, that the word of the Lord came to the prophet who had brought him back; 21 and he cried out to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, ‘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, 22 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.'”
The irony in this story is astonishing. This old prophet is the one who talked the unnamed prophet into disobeying God. Then he turns around and prophecies his judgment for the disobedience. The old prophet doesn’t seem to feel any remorse for his role in the matter. You have to wonder what kind of person he is. We are told in verse 18 that he lied to the unnamed prophet to entice him to his house. But this prediction of judgment was a true word from the Lord. Is it possible for a person to prophesy accurately and truly one time, and prophesy falsely another time? It certainly happened in this case. We are talking about the importance of testing prophecy.
Now here is the rest of the story in verses 23-34:
“So it was, after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for him, the prophet whom he had brought back. 24 When he was gone, a lion met him on the road and killed him. And his corpse was thrown on the road, and the donkey stood by it. The lion also stood by the corpse. 25 And there, men passed by and saw the corpse thrown on the road, and the lion standing by the corpse. Then they went and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt. 26 Now when the prophet who had brought him back from the way heard it, he said, ‘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.’ 27 And he spoke to his sons, saying, ‘Saddle the donkey for me.’ So they saddled it. 28 Then he went and found his corpse thrown on the road, and the donkey and the lion standing by the corpse. The lion had not eaten the corpse nor torn the donkey. 29 And the prophet took up the corpse of the man of God, laid it on the donkey, and brought it back. So the old prophet came to the city to mourn, and to bury him. 30 Then he laid the corpse in his own tomb; and they mourned over him, saying, ‘Alas, my brother!’ 31 So it was, after he had buried him, that he spoke to his sons, saying, ‘When I am dead, then bury me in the tomb where the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones. 32 For the saying which he cried out by the word of the Lord against the altar in Bethel, and against all the shrines on the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, will surely come to pass.’ 33 After this event Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way, but again he made priests from every class of people for the high places; whoever wished, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places. 34 And this thing was the sin of the house of Jeroboam, so as to exterminate and destroy it from the face of the earth.”
Notice first Jeroboam’s encounter did not change him. He is given a very strong witness of God’s displeasure with what he is doing. He has a direct encounter with power of God. His hand is supernaturally paralyzed, and then mercifully healed. He has heard the true word of God. He has seen the prophet of God resist temptation in favor of obedience to God. You would think all of that would work repentance in a person’s heart. It was an opportunity for him to repent. But the decision to do so still rested with him. And his choice was to continue in his evil ways. Remember when Moses confronted Pharaoh with the word of God and miracles following? We tend to think if God would just show people miracles they would repent. But history teaches otherwise. Seeing a miracle may present an opportunity to repent. But the individual still has to decide to do so. Instead of repenting Pharaoh hardened his heart even more against God. Jeroboam seems to have done the same thing. Jeroboam’s softening after his arm was healed proved to be a temporary response. For a brief time, it looked like repentance. But that was short lived. There was no lasting change in Jeroboam’s heart.
Was the prophet’s ministry to Jeroboam fruitless since it did not produce obedience in Jeroboam? No, the ministry of that prophet produced the fruit of opportunity. It offered to Jeroboam and others who received the witness a chance to turn to God. We are not told what the others did. Most likely, they simply followed their leader, Jeroboam. But the prophet at that point had done what God told him to do. And that fulfilled his responsibility.
Our job is to simply obey what God tells us to do. The response is between God and those people. Sometimes people respond in a positive way, and sometimes they respond in a negative way. When Stephen gave witness to the Sanhedrin in Acts 7, their response was to stone him. That was not Stephen’s fault. That was their decision. Regardless of the response you get, keep faithfully speaking the word of truth and obeying what God tells you to do.
The unnamed prophet met his demise on the way home because of his disobedience. A lion came out and killed him. The supernatural nature of the judgment was demonstrated by the unnatural behavior of the lion and the donkey. The lion did not eat the corpse; he didn’t attack the donkey; he didn’t run away. Furthermore, the donkey didn’t run away. When people came by and saw the corpse, both the lion and donkey were standing there beside him. It’s as if the lion had fulfilled his mission and didn’t know what to do next. The unnatural behavior of the lion and donkey let people know this was not happenstance.
Everything about this story is rather strange. The response of the old prophet leaves us scratching our heard. When he was told about the unnamed prophet’s death, his immediate response was: “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.” He’s basically saying the guy got what he deserved for disobeying the Lord; I prophesied this would happen. But it would have never happened if he hadn’t deceived him in the first place. This old man doesn’t seem to have any remorse about his part in the problem. He does later mourn over him. But there seems to be a disconnect between his own sin and the end result. He had a prophet gift, but one wonders about his character. People can have a genuine prophetic gift and yet have serious character flaws. It’s a dangerous combination because the gift tends to give them credibility.
He goes and gets the corpse and buries the man in his own tomb. Then he asks to be buried beside him when he dies. 2 Kings 23:18 lets us know that happened. The old prophet also verifies his belief that the young prophet’s message was from God—that the prediction he gave would come to pass.
CENTRAL LESSON OF THE STORY
What is the main lesson we should get from that story? We are responsible to do what God tells us to do no matter what other people are saying! Obviously, this unnamed prophet could hear the Lord. He didn’t need another prophet to tell him what to do. God had already told him. He simply needed to keep obeying what God had told him to do.
In the New Testament every believer has the capacity to hear God. In a prediction of the New Covenant, God says in Jeremiah 31:33-34,
“But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” Hebrews 8 applies this passage to Christians in the New Testament.
So, when a person is born again, the Holy Spirit comes into the heart (Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 6:17). That equips the Christian with the capacity to commune with the Lord. If that person will listen, he or she can receive guidance from the Lord. Jesus promised this in John 16: “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you” (John 16:13-14). Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice” (John 10:27). Each one of us has the capacity to hear from God and the responsibility to do so.
It takes diligence to maintain a listening ear. Jesus warned the churches in Revelation 2 and 3 to listen to his voice. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” iii If we get lazy and neglect our relationship with the Lord, we can become dull of hearing (Heb. 5:11). But the remedy for that is to draw near to the Lord and remove anything that is obstructing our intimacy with Him.iv
One of the problems that periodically arises is what some people call “charismatic fortune telling.” In those cases, the prophet tells Christians one after another what the future holds for them. The word is usually very flattering, so people readily receive it. Because of the negative fall out from excesses in this, some denominations have taken the stand that personal prophecy is not of God. But scripturally there is a place for personal prophecy. It is the excessive reliance on it that is dangerous. Last week we examined a personal prophecy given by Agabus to Paul in Acts 21. It was a valid prophecy from the Lord.
God’s desire is that each one of us know Him intimately and commune with Him regularly. The devil opposes that by offering external religion in its place: religious rituals instead of personal encounters with God; external prophecies instead of the tender voice of the Shepherd in the heart. Anything that keeps us from cultivating personal intimacy with the Lord is suspect. First and foremost, each one of us is to be carrying on personal conversation with the Lord—not just petitioning Him for what we want but taking time to listen to Him and know Him.
There are steps we can take to increase our ability to hear the Lord—to discern His voice. (1) The baptism in the Holy Spirit strengthens our spirituality. In Acts 19 Paul ministered to some disciples at Ephesus. He helped them take an important step in their relationship with God. Acts 19:6 says, “And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.” The evidence of this empowerment with the Holy Spirit was inspired speech: “they spoke with tongues and prophesied.” The goal was not tongues
and prophecy. The goal was empowerment by the Spirit. But the evidence that was happening was tongues and prophecy. It was the entrance into a greater spiritual enablement.
Paul told the Christians at Corinth, “I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all” (1 Cor 14:18). Paul was an intelligent man. Why would he spend all that time speaking in tongues? He answers that in 1 Corinthians 14:4 where he says, “He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself.” The Greek word translated “edifies” means to build up or strengthen.v Praying in tongues builds up my inner man; it strengthens my spirit. When I am speaking in tongues I am communing with God (1 Cor. 14:2). Some say edifying oneself is selfish. But is it selfish to edify oneself by reading Scripture? Is it selfish to edify oneself by other forms of prayer and worship? No, edifying oneself equips us to edify others. We need to be built up in our inner man as preparation for ministering to the needs of others.
(2) All forms of prayer conditions and trains us to hear God’s voice more clearly. The more we communicate with anyone, the more familiar we become with that person’s voice. The more we talk with God in prayer, the more attuned we become to His voice. I include worship in this because worship brings the manifest presence of God; it opens heaven over our head and removes obstructions to that communion.
(3) Meditating on the word of God strengthens our ability to discern God’s voice. The Bible is a revelation of how God thinks. The more familiar we are with it, the better equipped we are to know whether a message is consistent or inconsistent with the way God thinks.
(4) We get clarity by hearing God in community. I am warning Christians against an excessive reliance on prophecy from others. But we do not throw out the baby with the bathwater. When prophecy is used in biblical moderation it is very helpful. Hearing God in our spirit is subjective. Next week we will talk about various test we can apply to what we are hearing internally and to what we hear externally. But one way we test both is by the word others are getting on the subject. We don’t rely on that entirely. But it can help us test our own sense of what God is saying. None of us is infallible in our ability to hear God.
Acts 13:1-3 is an example of how prophecy can help bring clarity of direction. “Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ 3 Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.” In this setting the Holy Spirit confirmed the call on Paul (Saul) and Barnabas to go onto the mission field. The prophecy did not produce the call. Paul knew from his Acts 9 experience that God would be sending him to the nations. We don’t have much of Barnabas’s history, but Paul and Barnabas were already working together some. The prophetic word in Acts 13 simply confirmed the calling they had already received. It may have helped them discern timing as well.
But these prophets and teachers were in community; they were in relationship. They were corporately seeking God with fasting and prayer. It was a healthy environment for the prophetic gift to function.
We must be cautious about the prophetic on the Internet because we don’t know the people prophesying. I’m not saying we totally dismiss it. But be aware that this important element is missing. Paul wrote to Timothy, “You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance . . .” (2 Tim. 3:10, NIV). Our confidence in people’s ministry is enhanced when we know them well enough to know those facts. This is usually not available for people who are prophesying on the Internet. That should cause us to be extra careful. In 1 Thessalonians 2 Paul pointed to his lifestyle which they were familiar with as a basis of confidence for receiving his ministry. We are to know those who labor among us (1 Thess. 5:12). It is very easy for people to present an image from a distance. And ministry cannot be separated from the life of the minister.
Conclusion:
The story recorded in 1 Kings 13 is a reminder of our responsibility to personally hear the Lord and obey what He tells us to do. We should test carefully prophesies that guide us into the future. It might be valid ministry. But if it is, it will only confirm what you’re hearing from the Lord yourself. Take time to hear God for yourself. Don’t totally dismiss the prophetic voice of others. But test it carefully and use it wisely. Next week we will talk more about how to do that.
ENDNOTES:
i All Scripture quotes are from the New King James Version unless indicated otherwise.
ii Jack W. Hayford, ed., New Spirit Filled Life Bible, (Grand Rapids: Thomas Nelson Bibles, 2002) s. v. “1 Kings 13:1, 2” by Larry D. Powers, p. 461.
iii Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22.
iv James 4:8; Heb. 2:3.
v “Internally, in a good sense, to build up in the faith, to edify, to cause to advance in the divine light (1 Cor. 8:1; 10:23; 14:4, 17; 1 Thess. 5:11).” Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Iowa Falls, IA: World Bible Publishers, Inc., 1994 [1992]) 1031.
