God’s ways of getting through to us
1 Kings 13:1-10
Some years ago, a Christian friend shared how God wanted to move him to another country and into a different ministry, but he was unwilling. Shortly after, he became seriously ill and felt convicted that he was resisting the Lord’s will. After he decided to obey, the illness lifted. I remember feeling shocked at the story and even wondering if God would put someone under such pressure. Yet, we cannot judge others’ stories because God knows our personalities and what we respond to best. There are those who come to the Lord because they fear God’s judgment and others who are primarily drawn by His love. Whether we are led gently through life without major drama or experience the Lord’s discipline more often, what matters is that God gets through to us. He understands what we need to hear and experience and may act with severity or with kindness, but both come from His desire to reach us and bring us to Himself.
God’s word of judgment
Having seen how Jeroboam’s lack of trust in God led him to institute false worship in Israel, we now read of the Lord’s efforts to bring him to repentance. More is at stake than his individual life (though that matters too). Unless he turns, he will entrench Israel in idolatry. Consequently, God sends His prophet (1 Kings 13:1; ‘man of God’ and prophet are interchangeable terms) to pronounce judgment on the altar (and by extension on Jeroboam’s brand of worship) by pointing to the desecration of pagan altars that will happen in Josiah’s time (1 Kings 13:2). Jeroboam does not know the timeframe (about 300 years after his time; 2 Kings 23:15-16), but the mention of a Davidic king in authority would confirm his fears that the northern kingdom will not last (1 Kings 12:26) and the sign of the splitting altar foreshadows the coming judgment (1 Kings 13:3).
God’s power: to destroy or give life
Yet, prophecy is not primarily about predicting the future, but about effecting change, even if it makes no explicit call to action. Jeroboam could choose to repent, and God may even change His mind about the judgment (see e.g. Jonah 3:4-10). Instead, the king attempts to suppress the truth by ordering the messenger’s arrest (1 Kings 13:4). In a graphic illustration of how impossible it is to fight God and His truth, Jeroboam’s outstretched hand becomes incapable of action as it withers (v.4). The altar splitting at the same time confirms that the judgment stands (1 Kings 13:5). In a surprising turn of events, however, God restores the king’s hand at his pleading (1 Kings 13:6). Once again, it is a visual demonstration of God’s power: He can destroy or give life. Sadly, none of this changes Jeroboam’s deep-set attitude. There is no repentance, only an offer to reward the prophet (1 Kings 13:7). The prophet, however, knows better and will not be beholden by accepting a fee for his services nor countermand God’s command not to have fellowship (eat and drink) in that place (1 Kings 13:8-9).[1]
What God is concerned about
We often agonise over personal decisions of whom to marry, what job to take and the like, but this incident highlights that God’s concern is primarily with our character and godliness. Do we trust Him and worship Him alone? Is our life compromised by sin? Nobody is sinless, of course, but if we persist in actions and attitudes that God convicts us of then we are heading towards trouble. Like the king, we may try to suppress the truth perhaps by avoiding Scripture readings or prayer or by burying ourselves in busy-ness. However, just because we will not acknowledge it, the truth will not go away. Yet, we are reminded in Jeroboam’s story that even in the midst of judgment, God is willing to extend extra grace to us despite our rebellion – if only to get through to us and bring us to repentance. We may fear our circumstances, but it is God who determines how our life unfolds and trusting Him will never leave us stranded.
[1] Prophets could and did accept payment for services (e.g. 1 Sam 9:3-9), but in this case it may have given the impression that the king has bought the prophet. Later kings would have court prophets (in the king’s pay), which made them less likely to speak messages unfavourable to the king (for an example of the pressures, see 1 Kings 22:1-14).
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