Day 309 – Obedience

1 Kings 13:1 Behold, a man of Elohiym went from Judah to Bethel by the word of JEHOVAH, and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.

 2 Then he cried out against the altar by the word of JEHOVAH, and said, “O altar, altar! Thus says JEHOVAH, ‘Behold, a child, Josiah by name, will be born to the house of David; and on you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and he will burn men’s bones on you.’” 3 He gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign which JEHOVAH has spoken: Surely the altar will split apart, and the ashes on it will pour out.”

 4 Then it happened when King Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of Elohiym, 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 split apart, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of Elohiym gave by the word of JEHOVAH.

 6 Then the king answered and said to the man of Elohiym, “Please entreat the favor of JEHOVAH your Elohiym, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.” Then the man of Elohiym entreated JEHOVAH, and the king’s hand was restored to him, and became as before.

 7 Then the king said to the man of Elohiym, “Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.”

 8 However, the man of Elohiym 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 JEHOVAH, saying, ‘You will not eat bread, nor drink water, nor return by the same way you came.’”

 10 Then he went another way and did not return the way he came to Bethel.

 11 Now an old prophet dwelt in Bethel, and his sons came and told him the works the man of Elohiym did that day in Bethel; they also told their father the words which he had spoken to the king.

 12 Their father said to them, “Which way did he go?” For his sons had seen which way the man of Elohiym went who came from Judah. 13 Then he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” Then they saddled the donkey for him; and he rode on it, 14 and went after the man of Elohiym, and found him sitting under an oak. Then he said to him, “Are you the man of Elohiym who came from Judah?”

  He said, “I am.”

 15 Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.”

 16 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 the word of JEHOVAH said to me, ‘You will 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 JEHOVAH, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, so that he may eat bread and drink water.’” (He lied to him.)

 19 Then he went back with him, and ate bread in his house, and drank water.

 20 Now it happened, as they sat at the table, the word of JEHOVAH came to the prophet who brought him back; 21 and he cried out to the man of Elohiym who came from Judah, saying, “Thus says JEHOVAH, ‘Because you disobeyed the word of JEHOVAH, and did not keep the commandment which JEHOVAH your Elohiym commanded you, 22 but you came back, ate bread, and drank water in the place JEHOVAH said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water,” your corpse will not come to the tomb of your fathers.’”

 23 Then it happened, after he ate bread and after he drank, that he saddled the donkey for him, the prophet whom he brought back.

 24 When he left, a lion met him on the road and killed him. His corpse was thrown on the road, and the donkey stood by it. The lion also stood by the corpse.

 25 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 brought him back from the way heard it, he said, “It is the man of Elohiym who disobeyed the word of JEHOVAH. Therefore, JEHOVAH delivered him to the lion, which tore him and killed him, according to the word of JEHOVAH which He spoke to him.”

 27 He spoke to his sons, saying, “Saddle the donkey for me.” Then they saddled it.

 28 He went and found his corpse thrown on the road, and the donkey and the lion standing by the corpse. The lion did not eat the corpse nor tore the donkey. 29 The prophet took the corpse of the man of Elohiym, laid it on the donkey, and brought it back. Thus, 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 Then it happened, after he buried him, that he spoke to his sons, saying, “When I am dead, bury me in the tomb where the man of Elohiym is buried; lay my bones beside his bones. 32 For the saying which he cried out by the word of JEHOVAH against the altar in Bethel, and against all the shrines on the high places in the cities of Samaria, will happen.”

 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 This thing was the sin of the house of Jeroboam, to exterminate and destroy it from the face of the earth.

God’s names:

Elohiym – Supreme God

JEHOVAH – Self-existent, Eternal

Yeshuwa – Jesus

God’s character:

Sovereign

Holy

Just

You know when you do something wrong. It should not surprise you when events come against you to show everyone the kind of person you are.

Jeroboam offered sacrifices on the altar he built in Bethel. A prophet came to him and told him what would happen to the altar by a future king of Judah. He also gave a sign about what would happen to the altar to prove the word of JEHOVAH. When the altar split in two and the ashes poured out, Jeroboam wanted the prophet arrested. Instead Elohiym withered his hand. When Jeroboam begged the prophet to pray to Elohiym to restore it, he did, and then invited the prophet to his home to eat and drink with him. However, the prophet refused to because JEHOVAH told him not to eat or drink anything in that place but to return home by another route.

Another prophet, hearing what took place at the altar in Bethel and the words he spoke to Jeroboam, went to him to invite him to his home and lied to him about what an angel said to him. After he ate and drank at the prophet’s home, he left, and a lion killed him.

When you disobey Elohiym after you did what He told you, He will punish you. In this case, the prophet died.

When you accepted Yeshuwa as Savior and Lord, you committed yourself to obey Him in everything He tells you to do. When you disobey Him, He will punish you. You might find your life cut short as the prophet’s was because of his disobedience.

Many Christians die young and those who know them, shake their heads, wondering why they died so young, why they had health issues that led to death, or why they were involved in accidents that killed them instantly. The only way you can stop JEHOVAH from punishing you is to confess your sin with a penitent heart, and He will forgive you.

The prophet knew he wasn’t supposed to eat or drink in that place. However, because of a lie from a prophet, he did and Elohiym killed him. You know when you sin. You know the punishment for sin. When you confess your sin, Elohiym will forgive you and you will live.

What sin lies heavy on your heart, and you have not confessed it to Elohiym? What troubles do you face because of your sin? Confess your sin with a penitent heart and Elohiym will forgive you. Turn your life around and live an obedient life to Yeshuwa in everything He tells you to do.

Let’s pray: Father, help me live an obedient life to You. Forgive me when I confess my sin against You. Heal me according to Your Word and bless my life because of my obedience to You. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Copyright © 23 November 2024 by Valerie Routhieaux