The Young Prophet … Part I

This is a different type of posting for me ... something I haven't done before.  This story is one that most Bible teachers never get around to covering.  I find it interesting in that it is one of deception between two men of God ... both prophets.  At the end of Part II ... I give what I would consider a word of caution when following spiritual leaders such as this older prophet you read about in the following story from the Word of God.  This story is given for a reason ... but it's up to you to decide just what that reason is.

Please note: only Bible Scripture itself is in italics, the rest is commentary.

1st Kings 13:1-34 ...

There came a man of God, (the young prophet) out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel, and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense ... when the man of God came ... he (the young prophet) cried against the altar in the word of the LORD ... by God's order and command, and said ... "O altar" ... addressing himself not to Jeroboam, but to the altar; the altar being as ready to hear as Jeroboam.

... "thus saith the Lord, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name" ... who was not born until three hundred years after this, clear proof of the pre-determination of God with respect to future events, even in giving a name to this child.

... "upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee." ... all of which was fulfilled by Josiah, as recorded in 2nd Kings 23:15.  It may be read, "the bones of a man" which signify that, instead of the bones of animals, which were burnt on it, the bones of men should be burnt, and later even bones of the priests themselves; proof of the truth of this prophecy, and the divine revelation of it.

And he gave a sign the same day, saying "this is the sign which the Lord hath spoken" ... as a confirmation of the truth of what the prophet had said, and for the proof of his being a true prophet of the Lord ... "Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out." ... of itself, by an invisible hand, by the power of God; signifying it should be entirely demolished, not only shaken but destroyed.

And it came to pass, when King Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, (the young prophet) who had cried against the altar in Bethel, he was highly provoked, so that he put forth his hand from the altar; on which he was burning incense, saying, "lay hold on him."

He put forth his hand, and either shook it at the prophet, threatening what he would do to him; or as beckoning to the people to seize him, which he also expressed ... and his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him ... he could not move it one way nor another, but it remained in the same position.

The altar also was rent ... split into two parts perhaps, and one fell one way, and the other another ... the ashes poured out from the altar, the ashes of the burnt offering, these were spilled on the ground ... all which was done without any outward force, or any visible means thereof ... according to the sign which the man of God (the young prophet) had given by the word of the Lord ... by His direction and order.

And the King answered and said unto the man of God ... in a different tone than when he bid the people lay hold on him; not in a haughty, but humble manner; not as threatening, but supplicating ... "entreat now the face of the Lord thy God."  He does not say, my God, for he had apostatized from Him, and served other gods; but thy God, "and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again."

The man of God (the young prophet) besought the Lord ... not rendering evil for evil; but being of a forgiving spirit, though the king had stretched out his hand against him, he lifted up his hands to heaven for him ... and the king's hand was restored again, and became as it was before.

This was further proof of the young prophet's divine mission and another instance of divine power, from which it might be concluded that what he had prophesied of ... would be fulfilled, and was an instance also of divine goodness to the king, which should have led him to repentance, but did not.

And the king said unto the man of God, (the young prophet) "come home with me and refresh thyself" ... by eating a meal with him, after such a journey he had taken, and delivered his prophecies, and put up his prayers for the king ... "and I will give thee a reward" ... for his prayers, by means of which his hand was restored to him; but the king takes no notice of the Lord, the author of this miraculous cure, nor does he express the least degree of thankfulness and gratitude to God.

And the man of God ... (the young prophet) in answer to his request to him, to assure him it was not out of contempt to him, or ill will to him, or slight of his favor, but in obedience to the will of God ... said unto the king; "If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread, nor drink water in this place; for so was it charged me by the word of the Lord, saying, eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou came."

This was the command of the Lord, by which he came to Bethel, and cried against the altar there ... signifying that no communion was to be had with idolaters, nor any example to be set and followed; but the way (the path) to them, and their idolatry, was to be shunned and avoided ... So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel.

He neither ate nor drank with the king, (though that is not expressed) nor did he go back the same way he came; but in each ... he observed the divine command, and was obedient to it.

Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel ... which raises the question ... why was he dwelling in such an idolatrous place, allowing his sons to attend idolatrous worship, and later telling the man of God, (the young prophet) a premeditated lie.

... and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God, (the young prophet) had done that day in Bethel ... how the altar was rent, and the ashes poured out as he had said, and that Jeroboam's hand withered, and was restored upon his prayer to God ... the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father.

And their father said unto them, "what way went he?" ... having a strong inclination to see him, and converse with him ... for his sons had seen what way the man of God, (the young prophet) went which came from Judah; they took notice of it and they showed it to their father.

And he said unto his sons, "saddle me the ass" ... he used to ride on; intimating he had a mind to ride after him and overtake him, as he might reasonably think he might, since the man of God, (the young prophet) was on foot.

So they saddled him the ass, and he rode thereon after the man of God, (the young prophet) and found him sitting under an oak ... to shelter him from the heat, and being faint, hungry and thirsty, the ancients of old made use of oaks for a covering.

And the old prophet from Bethel said unto him ... "Art thou the man of God that came from Judah?"  And the man of God, (the young prophet) said, "I am."

Then the old prophet said unto him ... "Come home with me, and eat bread."  An invitation in which no doubt was heart felt, and might have no ill design in it, only perhaps to have some conversation with him as a prophet of the Lord, especially upon the subject of his prophecies at Bethel.

And the young prophet said ... "I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place: For it was said to me by the word of the LORD, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest."

Being forbidden of God, the young prophet was resolute and determined to abide by the commandment of the Lord, though there is reason to believe that he was now both hungry and thirsty.

Although it is not expressed as such, the young prophet must have told the old prophet that the commandment came to him by an angel that was sent to him, who gave him his message and instructions; and therefore looked upon himself as under obligation to regard them as from the Lord.

Therefore ... the old prophet said to the man of God, (the young prophet) ... "I am a prophet also as thou art" ... meaning, that he also was a prophet of the true God, and not of any idol deity as those of Bethel; that he not only believed in God, and worshipped God, and had revelations from him of the same things as the man of God, (the young prophet) had; and that he (the old prophet) believed that what he (the young prophet) had prophesied of, would certainly come to pass ... but ... he (the old prophet) said ... "an angel spoke unto me by the word of the Lord" ... with the following message for the young prophet ... "Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water" ... to be refreshed, and be fit to proceed on his journey.

But he (the old prophet) ... lied unto him ...


To be continued ...


From John Gill's Commentary ... (edited for clarity.)