1 Kings 13:20-25 – Be careful who you listen to

Deceived, the nameless prophet from Judah returned with the dishonest old prophet from Bethel. First Kings 13:20-25 then proceed to describe how God dealt with his disobedience. Verses 20-21 said that the word of the Lord came to him through the lying prophet as they were sitting and having a meal. This time the dishonest old prophet was used as a channel to re-iterate what the Lord had spoken earlier to him. And the Lord went further to tell him what would happen to him for not obeying His word. He was told that he would die on the way and not be buried with his ancestors.

Verses 23-25 then describe how the word of the dishonest old prophet came to pass. Verse 24 said that the young prophet from Judah was mauled to death by a lion when he was on his way home. Remarkably, the lion who attacked him did not devour nor eat him up. Neither was the donkey that he rode on attacked by the lion. Verses 24-25 only say that his dead body was left by the roadside with both the donkey and lion standing over it. What happened was seen by onlookers who returned to tell the old prophet from Bethel. This unusual scene proved that whatever had happened to the man of God from Judah was clearly a divine discipline.

It seems unfair to the victim who had fallen for a lie. But it’s a fact that no matter how much each of us has grown in the Lord or how often God has used us for His work, He is constantly working at perfecting our obedience to Him. This event could be seen as God seeking to perfect the young prophet’s obedience. Here was a test that the man of God from Judah had obviously failed. The judgment he had to face tells us every responsibility from God comes with accountability. It behooves us to take every responsibility given to us seriously. Remember greater responsibility always means greater accountability.   

But still, we are bugged by the fact that God would use a lying prophet. Why should God use a dishonest man? The truth is: God is sovereign, He uses whom he wills to do His bidding. He has the right to use anyone and anything to fulfill His purpose. Remember, if He could use a donkey to speak to disobedient Balaam, why not a dishonest prophet? It is also true that God used Satan to bring about Job’s perfection. In Job’s case, Satan became God’s unwilling servant to fulfill God’s purpose in His servant’s life. Hence, we don’t have to wonder and debate why a person who purported to be a dishonest prophet could be used by God. The truth remains that he was used by God to test the nameless prophet.

Firstly we can learn from this incident, that we must be careful who we listen to in life and ministry. It is always better to listen and consult only with people with proven character, with leaders whom God has placed over us. Leaders, whose proven life we can attest to. Don’t ever run helter-skelter, here, there, and everywhere to listen to every purported man of God without finding out their resume. Secondly, being deceived is a poor excuse for not taking seriously the personal word of God to us. It remains our duty to be sure that every word we hear from God personally must be obediently adhered to without compromise. Finally, remember that if we are on talking terms with God, He seldom directs us through someone else without first revealing his direction to us personally. Hence, we must test every personal prophecy given to us. Don’t be hook-winked, be sure you are listening to the right people!