1 Kings 13:24, 28 “Now when he had gone, a lion met him on the way and killed him, and his body was thrown on the road with the donkey standing beside it; the lion was also standing beside it. And he (a lying prophet) went and found his body; the lion had not eaten the body nor torn the donkey.”
Observation: A godly prophet from Judah had come on assignment to confront evil king Jeroboam over his idolatrous sin. God worked through the prophet to miraculously arrest the king’s attention, not enough to change his heart, but at least enough to cause the king to offer the prophet a reward in payment for his service. But the prophet firmly and clearly responded, “…it was commanded me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘you shall eat no bread nor drink water, nor return by the way you came.’” (v. 9)
So far so good. That should have been the end of it. But as the man of God left to go home by another route, an old prophet from Bethel sought him and fed him a persuasive lie about an angelic visitation that should override God’s clear word to the man of God. (v. 18) He fell for the lie hook, line and sinker, eating with the lying prophet, and was soon struck dead by an avenging lion.
Application: I have no idea why the lying prophet wasn’t killed, but the good prophet, the one who risked his life by confronting the king, certainly was. The lion, obviously dispatched by God, was dispatched to kill the good prophet.
Think how narrow, how specific was the lion’s commission. Kill the prophet, then stop. Go that far and no further. This was a surgical strike, not a crazed mauling. Although blood was surely drawn by the lion’s attack, it then settled into a meek stance by the body. And the donkey remained peaceably standing there as well, as if aware that he would be needed later to transport the body. Passersby saw this strange sight (v.25) yet continued safely on with no threat from the watching lion.
What kind of God is this who causes a killer beast to suddenly become a meek sentinel? Who is this God who calms the natural fear of a donkey to the point that both animals simply stand guard over the prophet’s body? This is the same God who says to the raging storm, “Peace, be still” (Matt. 8:23-27) and the waters are becalmed. He is the same God who declares that in the resurrection the wolf and the lamb shall dwell at peace with one another. (Isa. 11:6-9) And he is the same God who speaks to my suffocating heart when I am brought low by hurricane-force gales that would overwhelm me. Like the David Crowder song says, “He is jealous for me, loves like a hurricane, I am a tree bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy, when all of a sudden I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory, and I realize just how beautiful you are and how great your affections are for me”.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, Oh, how you love me! How many are the times that you have calmed me in the midst of hurricane-like afflictions. Your love is overwhelming. Thank you for your grace and protection in the worst life can throw at me. In your name, Amen