1 Kings 13:21 “’You have disobeyed the command of the LORD, and have not observed the commandment which the LORD your God commanded you.’”
Observation: The prophet from Judah had spoken the word of the Lord to King Jeroboam concerning the king’s sinful behavior. The prophet also declared that the Lord had told him to neither eat nor drink while he remained in that part of the land.
An old local prophet heard of the Judah prophet, and went after him to invite him to his home. The Judah prophet again said that the Lord had told him to neither eat nor drink in this place, but the old prophet, wanting to curry favor with Jeroboam, lied to the Judah prophet, saying that an angel of the Lord had appeared to the old prophet and told him to bring the Judah prophet to his house so they might eat and drink together. Then, as they were sitting down to the meal, the word of the Lord came to the old prophet saying, “You have disobeyed the command of the LORD and have not observed the commandment which the LORD your God commanded you.” Later, the Lord sent a lion to kill the Judah prophet.
Application: I draw two lessons from this, one of which is that I need to hear from God myself and be very wary of someone who presumes to speak specific direction into my life. Godly counsel and wisdom will come from others; in fact, I am encouraged to seek it, but a “thus sayeth the Lord” from another person will not usually be the way God reveals His specific plans for my life.
The second lesson is that just because someone may claim to be a prophet and operate with prophetic gifting, doesn’t necessarily mean their character is righteous and their words true. I am to test the spirits and should always be more concerned with character than with gifting.
Prayer: Father, You are jealous for me to hear Your voice. I am Your child, and a brother to Christ Jesus. Cause me to be quiet enough, focused enough, to hear Your voice of guidance and instruction for my life, Lord. Let me not be swayed by others’ opinions when they contradict what You have said. Teach me to have a gracious, listening heart.