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There is a sad story recorded in 1 Kings 13. A prophet of God from Judah is called to Israel to give a prophecy over the king of Israel, Jeroboam. Though he had only just been appointed king, Jeroboam had already gone against God's command and had set up golden calves for the people to worship (See 1 Kings 12:25-33), and God sent this unnamed "man of God" to prophecy against the altar set up by Jeroboam. The prophecy was very specific, even naming a future king of Judah who would one day tear down the altar, a prophecy that would be fulfilled approximately 300 years later (See 2 Chronicles 34). Interestingly, and for reasons not recorded in scripture, this man of God was commanded by the Lord Himself to, "...not eat bread nor drink water, nor return by the way that [he] came.” (1 Kings 13:9 NASB).
As the story goes, a prophet in Israel heard of this and went to the Judean man of God to invite him to his home. The man of God was quick to inform the old Israeli prophet that he had specifically been commanded to return directly to Judah without eating or drinking. The old Israel prophet responded by saying: "I too am a prophet like you, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, 'Bring him back with you to your house, so that he may eat bread and drink water.'" (1 Kings 13:18a NASB).
Believing that the older prophet spoke the truth, the Judean man of God turned aside and ate and drank with the Israeli prophet. The only problem was, the old Israeli prophet had lied: "But he lied to him..." (1 Kings 13:18b NASB)! Nonetheless, the man of God from Judah hadn't even finished eating when God did speak through the older prophet, condemning this man of God from Judah for his disobedience: "Because you have disobeyed the command of the Lord, and have not kept the commandment which the Lord your God commanded you...your dead body will not come to the grave of your fathers.” (1 Kings 13:21, 22b NASB). That same old prophet would later find the body of this Judean man of God (See 1 Kings 13:28)!
I don't know about you but this story rubs me totally wrong. Why would this man of God be the one who is punished? Shouldn't it have been the older prophet from Israel? The same one whose lie led to the man of God's disobedience? After all, the lie was given by another prophet under the premise that it was a word of the Lord! Why should he have been punished for following what he was led to believe were the orders of the Lord? Where did the Judean man of God go wrong?
But the Bible doesn't give answers to these specific questions. We are only told that he was punished for his disobedience.
As "unfair" as all of this may seem to each of us, the story teaches us a vital and invaluable lesson: we can't take anything at face value! Whenever we hear a word "from the Lord", we need to verify that it is, indeed, from the Lord!
We have all experienced how God sometimes speaks directly to us, how He sometimes speaks to us through His Word, through circumstances, and sometimes He even speaks to us through other people. No matter what avenue the Lord uses, however, it is vitally important that we verify it is indeed from the Lord. We can't just blindly take someone's word for it. It is our own personal responsibility to hear from the Lord. Especially in such situations where the new information goes against what we've specifically been told!
Remember: we are ultimately responsible for our actions. It doesn't matter who gives us advice—our pastors, teachers, those with the prophetic gift, our spouses, our parents, etc.—If we don't take the time and effort to check with God, then there is the possibility that the advice is...wrong! There is only one way to ensure we are in the will of God: we must take everything back to Him for verification!
Here is an example:
I had pledged to refrain from any type of dessert until something very specific happened to remove a huge stressor in my life. After an entire year of avoiding sugar, the specific thing hadn't happened. In fact, things had gotten so much worse. And then God removed the stress, but He didn't do it in the way He and I had discussed when I first made the pledge.
The thought occurred to me that this had been God's answer all along, and that my pledge was fulfilled. As others had made similar pledges to the same end, I began asking if they considered their pledges fulfilled. Some of them did.
I then began asking for advice: Should I continue to avoid sugar?
I got mixed messages.
And so I finally began asking the One who I should have asked in the first place: God Himself! God's response? God gave me the above story of the man of God from Judah! Yes, God had spoken: my pledge was not fulfilled, I was to continue.
Let's remember the advice of the world's wisest man: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6 NASB). Notice this verse doesn't tell us to trust in a prophet or our pastor or spouse. Rather, we are to acknowledge God as the all wise One, and when we do, He will keep us from turning off the right path! No matter what advice you have been given, don't follow the example of the man of God from Judah. Instead, take everything back to the Lord for verification!
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart
Author, Moderator, Acting Director, Answers2Prayer Ministries
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