God Means What He Says
3/6/05 a.m.
Ridgeway Assembly of God Church
Pastor Greg Tabor
Introduction
Read 1 Kings 13
To understand the setting for this morning’s message we need first of all to have a little background information. The story involves Israel’s 1st king after it seceded, King Jeroboam. It is important to understand who he is and what he did in order to grasp the reason for the occasion mentioned in 1 Kings 13.
Who was Jeroboam?
He originally worked for King Solomon
Read: 1 Kings 11:28 NIV
1 Kings 11:29-39 records the account and words of Ahijah the prophet who spoke to Jeroboam about God’s plan to tear all but one of the tribes of Israel out of Solomon’s hand by taking them from his son’s hands (Rehoboam). This was because of Solomon’s idolatry. God promised to build an enduring dynasty for Jeroboam if he followed God’s commands.
He had to leave the country
Read: 1 Kings 11:40 NIV
He eventually became leader of ten tribes
Read: 1 Kings 12:2-3 NIV
Jeroboam and all Israel pledged their allegiance to Rehoboam if only he would lighten the heavy labor load Solomon had placed on the people. Of course we know that Rehoboam, listening to the advice of his peers, tried to look “in charge” and refused the request of the people. All Israel, except for one tribe, seceded from the Kingdom to form their own kingdom.
Read: 1 Kings 12:20 NIV
He led the Israelites into sin.
1 Kings 12:26-33 tells us that Jeroboam, being scared that the people would go to the temple in Jerusalem and eventually become loyal again to Rehoboam, decided that he would set up two golden calves to be worshipped. One of these would be in the northernmost part of Israel and one in the southernmost. He also substituted his own festival to replace a festival Judah would observe, and he made up his own priesthood from just about anyone willing to serve, from “all sorts of people.”
1 Chronicles 11:13-14 tells us that all the Levites abandoned their property and came to Judah and Jerusalem because they had been rejected by Jeroboam and his sons.
It was in this environment of godlessness that our story begins. This morning we will apply the story of 1 Kings 13 to you and I today. You see, there are three main characters in this story and God spoke to all three of them things that I believe can be applied to us today. We have the unnamed Man of God. The wicked King Jeroboam. And we have the old prophet.
The Man of God
The Man
We know nothing about this man except that the Bible says “a man of God came from Judah.” He is an unnamed prophet.
The Message
Read: 1 Kings 13:2 NIV
He prophesied judgment on that wicked place. His prophecy came true years and years later. 2 Kings 23:15-18 gives the account of the destruction of the idols at Bethel.
The Deception
Read: 1 Kings 13:18-19 NIV
A has-been-prophet from a wicked city fooled the man of God into thinking God had changed his mind all of a sudden. Friends, God doesn’t change His mind. He may change His response in accordance with our response, but He does not change His mind. The man of God had believed so firmly God did not want him to eat or drink or stay there or return by the same way he came that he told the king all of this. Now he believed a prophet he didn’t even know, over God’s Word that had come to him, and was going back on everything he knew to be true.
The Judgment
God judged that man of God for this. He pronounced his judgment through the prophet. We’ll talk about the reason I believe this to be so in a moment. What did the prophet say?
Read: 1 Kings 13:21-22 NIV
I’m sure it was a shock to the man of God to be getting double talk from this old prophet. Of course, I’m sure the old prophet was shaken up when the word came to him. He was probably not too far off from the spiritual condition of Eli, Samuel’s caretaker. A word from the Lord was rare for both of these men.
After the man of God left he was killed.
Read: 1 Kings 13:24 NIV
Why was God’s judgment so harsh to this man of God?
I am sure the magnitude of the task to which he was called and the impact the message was to have on a wicked kingdom played a part in the type of punishment he received for disobedience. You remember that in James 3:1 NIV it says, “you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” Why? Because of the great impact your words and walk will have on others.
God judged the man for his disobedience to God’s Word. There was no excuse for his deception. God had not instructed him otherwise. When God spoke specifically to him before, why didn’t He now? He should have consulted God on the matter before listening to the prophet. I believe God judged him not only to punish the man of God and therefore end his ministry early because of his disobedience thus showing that the messenger is not above his message, but also for the sake of Jeroboam and the old prophet. Jeroboam would likely hear that the man of God who said he couldn’t stay in Bethel and eat and drink had done likewise. This would send mixed signals to Jeroboam and may in fact weaken the affect of God’s Word to Jeroboam. Also, the old prophet, a backslidden man at best, needed to see that God means what He says He means.
Application
Christian you are not above complete and total obedience to God’s Word.
a.Don’t preach to others and lose out yourself.
I like what Paul said in 1 Cor. 9:27 NIV
“Paul means he treated his body with severe discipline and made it his slave, so that it would obey his desires to serve Christ and win victories for Him. He knew that if he failed in this area all his preaching to others would count for nothing: He would be disqualified for the prize and rejected.” (Horton, Stanley. I & II Corinthians, A Logion Press Commentary. Springfield, MO: Logion Press. 1999. p.88).
b.Don’t be deceived by an imitation
Read Galatians 1:6-9 NIV
The Man of God in our story was deceived by the proclamation that an angel from heaven had come down and told the old prophet something contrary to what God had previously spoken to the man of God. The man of God should have rejected this for what he knew to be the true word which had been confirmed by signs and wonders.
Jeroboam
The Message
Read: 1 Kings 13:2-3 NIV
The Immediate Judgment
Read: 1 Kings 13:4 NIV
The Sign
Read: 1 Kings 13:5 NIV
The Demonstration of God’s Mercy
Read: 1 Kings 13:6 NIV
The Opportunity for Repentance
Read: 1 Kings 13:7 NIV
The king could have repented of his sinful ways and left that temple with a new zeal to rid his kingdom of sin. God had showed him mercy. But no, instead he tried to bribe the man of God. He tried to wine him and dine him. Rather than yield to God, he tried to make a truce with Him. The man of God didn’t ‘bite,’ but rather left for home. God makes no truces with sinners. He demands complete surrender.
Application
Friend, you need to recognize that God means what He says He means. He’s not playing games with you. While you may not face an immediate judgment for your sins always, there is coming a judgment. Sure, you can scoff at this word and say Jesus is never coming back. In fact Peter has something to say about scoffers.
Read: 2 Peter 3:3 NIV
Read: 2 Peter 3:9 NIV
God wants to give people the opportunity to repent. In fact, I believe the mercy God granted Jeroboam when he pleaded for his arm to be healed was God showing kindness to Jeroboam so that he would repent. But rather than repent, Jeroboam thought he could continue in his sin and just bribe God with a little “gift.” He was trying to shut up the preacher! The preacher rejected his gift and God rejects “deals” today as well. He makes no truce with sin. Either repent or perish. There is no other choice.
Don’t reject God’s opportunity for repentance! Jeroboam did.
Read: 1 Kings 13:33-34 NIV
His sin did what? It led to his downfall and his family’s downfall and destruction. Sin today will lead to your destruction if you do not heed the Word of the Lord! Repent! Don’t be a fool like Jeroboam.
The Old Prophet
The Prophet
We know little about him. All we know is that he was living in Bethel. 2 Kings 23:18 says that the prophet had come from Samaria. Samaria hadn’t been built yet however. Perhaps the writer put this in knowing it hadn’t been built yet, but knowing he came from the vicinity of where it had been built. I’m unsure.
We know he was old. We also know he obviously wasn’t standing up for righteousness. Verse 11 may be telling us that his sons were at the high place where Jeroboam had encountered the man of God. This may be telling us that the old prophet’s sons were involved in idol worship. Again it seems he has a lot in common with Eli.
Whether or not he’d been a real prophet of God at some time, he didn’t mind speaking forth lies in the name of God now. So he was currently a false prophet as well.
The Lie
Read: 1 Kings 13:18 NIV
Why did he want the man of God to come to his house so badly? We are not told. Maybe he wanted a special blessing. Maybe he was intrigued with all the man had said. Maybe he wanted bragging rights among friends. Maybe he was hoping it made him look spiritual too. I don’t know. He lied just the same.
The Message
Read: 1 Kings 13:20-22 NIV
Not only did this startle the man of God, but I’m sure it startled the old prophet too. If this man had ever been used of God before, I’m sure this word blasted the dust off his old vocal chords.
The Wake-up Call
The man of God left his home and was killed by a lion (see 1 Kings 13:24). Some people that saw this came back to Bethel and told the old prophet (see 1 Kings 13:25). The prophet woke up then! He realized the word of God had been fulfilled. I’m sure he was even more astounded when he found the body of the man of God lying in the middle of the road with a lion and a donkey next to it (see 1 Kings 13:28). It was obvious this was divine judgment.
The Acknowledgment
We know he mourned over the man of God and that he buried him in his own tomb. We know he told his sons to bury him beside the man of God. We also know that this whole scenario brought about the testimony from his own lips that all the man of God said would happen.
Read: 1 Kings 13:32 NIV
We don’t have any sure sign of repentance. But we do have a sure sign that he got the picture that God means what he says he means. He became a believer of the word of the Lord.
Application
You’d better wake up. You are living in the world with your nominal form of Christianity. You, like the prophet, are living amongst a group of people who are living in sin and you have allowed it to affect you and cause you to grow cold. You know better. Perhaps when you hear of God doing great things it intrigues you. Perhaps you even have a mini-revival of sorts. But you’ve not decided to get right with God. You are like that old prophet who might have been used at one time, but was now comfortable doing the opposite of Psalm 1, and you are walking in the counsel of the wicked, standing in the way of sinners and sitting in the seat of mockers.
You’d better wakeup and realize like this prophet that God means what He says He means. He’s going to do what He said He’ll do. 2 Peter 3:9 tells us God’s being patient with you.
“Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives…” 2 Peter 3:11 NIV
The old prophet had showed his true colors by staying in Bethel and not speaking out against the sin of Jeroboam. We have on record as I stated earlier that in 1 Chronicles 11:13-14 we read that the Levites had abandoned their property in Israel and moved to Jerusalem and Judah. Though we have no knowledge of the old prophet’s tribal origins, you still have to ask why a god-fearing prophet would stay in such a godless place. And not only did he stay, but it seems he had allowed his family to be influenced by the sins of Jeroboam. His backslidden ways are obvious. After God killed the man of God the prophet realized the truth of the word that was spoken. We can only hope he lived the rest of his days differently.
What about you backslider? The world will be judged, how then should you choose to live your life?
Conclusion
Which one of our characters today do you resemble the most? The central point I am bringing out today is that God means what He says. No matter who you resemble most, whether that be a wicked king, a disobedient man of God, or a backslidden prophet, God wants us to realize the expectation He places on us to be obedient.
Jeroboam knew God meant it when He shriveled his arm up and split the altar. Unfortunately he tried to buy God off rather than repent. What is your response this morning? Friend, God’s wrath will not be bought off. Eventually the wages of your life will result in eternal death. God has allowed you the opportunity to repent. Won’t you take it this morning at these altars?
The man of God knew God’s Word. God had spoken very specifically to him. Instructions were clear, not vague. He believed God had spoken to him enough that he left Judah to go to a hostile environment in Bethel and confront the King. He’d see God move in signs and wonders. He’d even told the King he would not eat or drink or except a gift from him but was ordered to leave. Unfortunately he allowed himself to be deceived by someone claiming to be spiritual having a “word from the Lord.” He should have tested this by consulting God. He paid with his life for his disobedience. Friend, we need to check everything out with how it matches up with God’s written Word. You may not be a prophet receiving revelations that will be written in Scripture, but you are messenger of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You will have deceiving prophets and false teachers that will attempt to dissuade you from the right path for their own gain and your own destruction. Beware, because the consequences of your disobedience could be fatal. You need to ask God to help you to keep your eyes on the Author and Finisher of your Faith and to not fall to the modern deceptions.
The old prophet shouldn’t have been in the condition he was to begin with. He was living in Bethel where one of Jeroboam’s golden calves was. His sons were evidently participating in the paganism. He may have been too. He had no problem giving a false word for his own gain. But he realized in the end that God’s Word really would come true. God gave him a reality check of how serious he is about sin. Whether or not the old man repented is debatable, but we do know he believed the word of the Lord’s validity in the end. God may never give you this kind of a wakeup call. Hopefully it won’t come to this. But he does tell you that he’s coming like a thief in the night and you’d better be ready. I would hate to stand before Him one day knowing that I had known Him and rejected Him. What a sense of desperate loss will come over such a wretched soul. You need to repent this morning and come to your first Love before it is too late.
