1 Kings 13:1-3 – Cultivate a sensitive heart to God

First Kings 12 describes everything that Jeroboam had done in contradiction to what God had in mind for him and for Israel. He outrightly violated the instructions concerning not having other gods, about not having non-Levite priests, and about not having high places. He even had the audacity to go up to the altar at Bethel to burn incense and declare a new religious order. What he had done was obviously wrong and repulsive to God. Continuing the account, 1 Kings 13:1-10 show us what God declared He would do.

In 1 Kings 13:1-3, God sent a nameless prophet from Judah to deal with the situation. Precisely at the moment when Jeroboam was burning incense at the altar in Bethel, the man of God appeared and prophesied against that altar. He did not even care to speak to Jeroboam. He went straight to declare what would happen to the altar. He foretold of a descendant of David, Josiah by name, who would emerge to deal with the deviant altar. In 2 Kings 22-23, we will read of the emergence of Josiah and his reform. He came 330 years after Jeroboam. One of the things he did was to clear the aberrant altar of sacrifices. To affirm what he said would come to pass, the nameless prophet said the altar Jeroboam was burning the incense then would be split apart and the ashes on it would pour out. This really came to pass as the prophet had declared.   

Why did the prophet speak to the altar and not to Jeroboam? Had Jeroboam become so callous, insensitive, and indifferent to God? Looks like he had. This would be attested to later. Whatever had happened did not stop him from continuing in what he was doing. The prophet’s words were not so much for Jeroboam as for the people. There was no point talking to Jeroboam, for he was bent on doing what he planned, regardless. Insensitivity makes a person nonchalant and not receptive to the truth.  Are we sensitive to what God is doing in our lives?

How can we cultivate a life that would keep us aware and open to the transforming work of God in our lives? Here’s a suggestion: before we start each day or before we go to bed, take five to ten minutes to do a review of the last 24 hours of our lives. Think through the different aspects of that duration. Go through our interpersonal interaction with God and others, our inner attitude, our thought patterns, and our responses or reactions. Stop to ask where we are most lacking in Christlikeness. As we do, ask God to help us deal with our shortcomings. We will be amazed by how transforming short moments like these can make us more sensitive to God. Take time to build a life of awareness and sensitivity to God. It will help our relationship with God and our journey with Him. It is a habit worth cultivating!