When God Has Spoken

Chapter 13 is a sober story about the authority of God's word. A man of God came from Judah and cried against Jeroboam's altar at Bethel. He named Josiah, a king who would not appear for about three hundred years (2 Kings 23:15-16). The sign came at once: the altar split, and the king's outstretched hand withered. Yet the man of God interceded, and God restored the hand.

The man had clear instructions: no bread, no water, and no return by the same road. He resisted the king's offer of a reward. But an old prophet from Bethel claimed an angel had spoken to him, and the narrator states plainly that he lied. The man of God went back and ate. Then, strikingly, the true word of the Lord came through the very prophet who had deceived him. Because he had disobeyed, he would not be buried with his fathers.

A lion met him on the road and killed him, yet the lion stood beside the body and did not harm the donkey. This detail showed that it was God's judgment and not chance. The old prophet buried him and mourned, and he asked to be buried beside him, confirming that his words would come true. After this, Jeroboam still did not turn from his evil way, and it became sin to his house. In the New Testament, Paul says that even if an angel from heaven preaches a different gospel, it should not be believed (Galatians 1:8).