Read: 1 Kings 12-14
Today we see the kingdom divide just like God had said it would. Solomon’s son Rehoboam was next in line to be king but instead of listening to the counsel of his elders, he caved to peer pressure. It cost him more than half his kingdom. He kept Judah and the rest of Israel went with Jeroboam. Neither were good kings and both kingdoms fell into idolatry.
In the middle of the story we have a tale of a prophet who was given a tremendous prophecy of King Josiah who would cleanse the land of the false priest who worshipped on the high places. Then he performed a great sign. He cried against the altar that they were using wrongly saying it would split and the ashes would be wasted. When King Jeroboam heard about it he went to lay his hand on the prophet and God dried up his hand. The altar rent just like the prophet had said it would and the king had to ask him to pray for God to restore his hand. He did and his hand was restored. When King Jeroboam went to pay the prophet he refused and told him his orders were to give the word and get out of town. Instead he was deceived by another prophet who lied to him and said that God had spoken to him in a dream and told him the prophet was suppose to eat with him. The young prophet went with the old prophet and ate and was killed by a lion. Why did God put this story in the Bible? I think it was to show the people that they needed to fear His word above any other. God had done such miraculous things through the first prophet and then he failed the next test. He didn’t totally obey God. When God moves through a person so miraculously as he did through that prophet then the fear of God needs to permeate him and he cannot disobey. The greater the anointing, the greater the responsibility. If you want to wear the hat of a prophet then you have to be totally sold out. This prophet was a splash in the pan, then he turned his gift off. If he had remained listening, he would have known that this prophet’s word was false. God is not wishy-washy. He doesn’t change his mind at a whim. This is a very sobering story for those of us who want to grow in the Lord. We have to keep our armor sharp and always be in tune to what the Spirit is saying. We can’t let our armor down like he did.
It was also a picture of Israel and how God had done so many wonderful and miraculous things for them but instead of obeying God, they went after the words of the false prophets and in the end they will be devoured by the lion.
Lord, may we honor Your Word above the wisdom of man. May we keep our armor on and our sword sharp.
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