Weird
1 Kings 13:1-34
For generations, those who do not believe in
salvation through Jesus Christ or in the veracity of the Bible have claimed that
the book is too hard to understand and the stories are weird. Well, if they are
reading 1 Kings 13, they might be right! You’ve got to admit, this is a strange
story. First, let’s get the details straight, for it is a rather convoluted
plot line.
Jeroboam is the king of the northern tribes and he has erected two worship sites for his people so that they don’t have to
go back to Jerusalem to worship; one in the north and one in the south. In other
words, he is facilitating idol worship. One day, as he (the king and not a
priest) is leading worship in Bethel, a prophet (who
is unnamed) comes from Judah to tell Jeroboam that God is displeased with his
new temples to foreign gods and destruction is on the way. Jeroboam stretches
out his hand in protest of this prophecy only to have it shriveled by God. Then,
the altar at which he was making sacrifice is destroyed from above by God
Himself, thus scattering the ashes on top of the altar onto the ground.
(Typically, the remaining ashes from a sacrifice were collected and carried to
a “sacred” spot for disposal.) Dismayed by his withered hand, Jeroboam asks the
prophet to beg God to restore him to health. The prophet prays this prayer and
Jeroboam is restored. The prophet was commanded by God regarding three issues:
no food, no drink, and don’t go home the way you came. When invited for food
and drink, the prophet obediently refuses and heads home. As the prophet is traveling
home he encounters another prophet living in Bethel who lies to him and tells
him that he is no longer under the command to refuse food and drink. The
prophet from Judah foolishly believes the Bethel prophet and goes with the man
for a snack. This is a poor choice, for now the Judah prophet must face God’s
judgment for his disobedience. As he goes on his way he is killed by a lion,
which then stands guard over his body. The Bethel prophet goes, gets the body
and buries it. He also asks his sons to make sure that when he dies he is buried
alongside of the Judah prophet. (Wouldn’t it have been great if God has given
us the name of these guys?!? It would have made understanding the story a great
deal easier!!!)
So, what are we to make of this unusual tale? In
this most intriguing story, we find yet again that God takes idolatry very
seriously and still we are so deeply entrenched in its practice! Even after
having his hand withered and his altar destroyed as confirmation of what the
prophet from Judah had to say about the worship practices installed by Jeroboam,
he does not stop! Verses 33a tells us what impact these events had on Jeroboam:
“After this thing Jeroboam did not turn
from his evil way . . .” In fact, in the next chapter, in verse 14 it says,
“And He will give Israel up because of
the sins of Jeroboam, which he sinned and made Israel to sin.” That verse
is repeated often in the next several chapters as the descendants of Jeroboam
follow the path he blazed for them into apostasy and idolatry.
Remember, we are a people who allow the Word
to inform our spirit and transform our character, so we are obliged to look at
this sin of idolatry and constantly ask ourselves ‘what do I put before the
Lord?’ It is a crucial albeit difficult question to ask. Daily, we must ask
ourselves this tough question and confess the answer before an almighty God,
all the while remembering that this sin is covered in the blood of Jesus, just
like all the rest!
Comments
Post a Comment