1 Kings 13 Study Notes: The Prophet from Judah at Bethel
A prophet from Judah denounces Jeroboam’s altar at Bethel, foretelling a future king named Josiah; the altar splits, and Jeroboam’s hand withers and is healed. Deceived by an old prophet, the man of God disobeys God’s command and is killed by a lion, and Jeroboam still refuses to turn from his sin.
General
Why did the man of God refuse Jeroboam’s invitation to come home with him for a meal and a reward (1 Kings 13:7-9)?
Answer: The LORD had forbidden him to eat or drink there or go back the same way
After his hand was healed, Jeroboam invited the man of God home for refreshment and promised him a gift (13:7). The prophet answered that even half of the king’s wealth would not make him come, because the LORD had told him to take no food or drink in that place and not to go home by the road he had come on (13:8-9). So he left by another road (13:10). His refusal was simple obedience to a clear command from God. The law warned against adding to or subtracting from what God commands (Deuteronomy 4:2), and Jesus taught that we live by every word from God’s mouth (Matthew 4:4).
- 1 Kings 13:8-9 (BSB)“But the man of God replied, “If you were to give me half your possessions, I still would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water in this place. For this is what I was commanded by the word of the LORD: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came.’””The man of God refuses the king’s hospitality because God had forbidden him to eat, drink, or return by the same road.
- Deuteronomy 4:2 (BSB)“You must not add to or subtract from what I command you, so that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I am giving you.”God’s people were not to add to or take away from what He commanded.
- Matthew 4:4 (BSB)“But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’””Jesus taught that people live by every word that comes from God’s mouth.
Theological
On what ground did the man of God decline Jeroboam’s hospitality and reward (1 Kings 13:7-9)?
Answer: The LORD had forbidden him to eat or drink there or go back the same way
Jeroboam offered the prophet refreshment and a reward (13:7). He refused even if offered half the royal treasury, citing an explicit divine command not to eat, drink, or retrace his route (13:8-9), and he departed by another road (13:10). The prophet’s refusal was straightforward obedience to the revealed word, which is neither to be added to nor diminished (Deuteronomy 4:2) and by which God’s servants live (Matthew 4:4).
- 1 Kings 13:8-9 (BSB)“But the man of God replied, “If you were to give me half your possessions, I still would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water in this place. For this is what I was commanded by the word of the LORD: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came.’””The man of God refuses the king’s hospitality because God had forbidden him to eat, drink, or return by the same road.
- Deuteronomy 4:2 (BSB)“You must not add to or subtract from what I command you, so that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I am giving you.”God’s people were not to add to or take away from what He commanded.
- Matthew 4:4 (BSB)“But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’””Jesus taught that people live by every word that comes from God’s mouth.
General
How did Jeroboam respond after the events at Bethel, including his withered and restored hand (1 Kings 13:33)?
Answer: He did not turn from his evil way and kept making anyone a priest
Despite the split altar, his own withered hand and its healing, and everything else that had happened, Jeroboam did not abandon his evil course (13:33). Instead he went on installing priests at the high-place shrines from all kinds of people, ordaining anyone who wanted the role (13:33). Abijah, king of Judah, later rebuked Jeroboam for exactly this, for making priests of anyone willing to bring an offering (2 Chronicles 13:9). The priesthood was not a post a person could take for himself (Hebrews 5:4). Signs and mercy alone did not change Jeroboam’s heart.
- 1 Kings 13:33 (BSB)“Even after these events, Jeroboam did not repent of his evil ways, but again he appointed priests for the high places from every class of people. He ordained anyone who desired to be a priest of the high places.”Even after these events, Jeroboam does not turn from his ways and keeps appointing priests for the high places.
- 2 Chronicles 13:9 (BSB)“But did you not drive out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites? And did you not make priests for yourselves as do the peoples of other lands? Now whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams can become a priest of things that are not gods.”Abijah of Judah later rebukes Jeroboam for letting anyone become a priest of false gods.
- Hebrews 5:4 (BSB)“No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was.”Hebrews teaches that no one may take the priestly office unless called by God.
Theological
What was Jeroboam’s response to the signs at Bethel (1 Kings 13:33)?
Answer: He did not turn from his evil way and kept making anyone a priest
Notwithstanding the sundered altar and the withering and healing of his own hand, Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way (13:33). He continued to ordain high-place priests indiscriminately, consecrating whoever wished (13:33), the very practice Abijah of Judah later denounced (2 Chronicles 13:9) and which contradicts the principle that priestly office requires a divine call (Hebrews 5:4). Signs and mercy, by themselves, did not produce repentance.
- 1 Kings 13:33 (BSB)“Even after these events, Jeroboam did not repent of his evil ways, but again he appointed priests for the high places from every class of people. He ordained anyone who desired to be a priest of the high places.”Even after these events, Jeroboam does not turn from his ways and keeps appointing priests for the high places.
- 2 Chronicles 13:9 (BSB)“But did you not drive out the priests of the LORD, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites? And did you not make priests for yourselves as do the peoples of other lands? Now whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams can become a priest of things that are not gods.”Abijah of Judah later rebukes Jeroboam for letting anyone become a priest of false gods.
- Hebrews 5:4 (BSB)“No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was.”Hebrews teaches that no one may take the priestly office unless called by God.
General
What happened to Jeroboam’s hand when he pointed at the man of God and ordered his arrest (1 Kings 13:4-6)?
Answer: It withered, and it was healed when the prophet prayed for him
On hearing the prophecy, Jeroboam pointed from the altar and ordered that the prophet be seized, but the hand shriveled and he was unable to draw it back (13:4). The king then begged the man of God to pray to the LORD for him, and when the prophet prayed, the hand became as it had been (13:6). The LORD, who gives and withholds every power of the body (Exodus 4:11), showed both His judgment and His mercy in a single moment, and the prophet’s prayer was answered (James 5:16). Even so, the healing did not change Jeroboam’s course (13:33).
- 1 Kings 13:4 (BSB)“Now when King Jeroboam, who was at the altar in Bethel, heard the word that the man of God had cried out against it, he stretched out his hand and said, “Seize him!” But the hand he stretched out toward him withered, so that he could not pull it back.”Jeroboam stretches out his hand to order the man of God’s arrest, and the hand withers.
- 1 Kings 13:6 (BSB)“Then the king responded to the man of God, “Intercede with the LORD your God and pray for me that my hand may be restored.” So the man of God interceded with the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored to him as it was before.”At Jeroboam’s request the man of God prays, and the king’s hand is restored.
- James 5:16 (BSB)“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail.”James teaches that the prayer of a righteous person has great power, as the prophet’s intercession here did.
- Exodus 4:11 (BSB)“And the LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Or who makes the mute or the deaf, the sighted or the blind? Is it not I, the LORD?”The LORD declares that He is the one who gives and takes away the abilities of the body.
Theological
What befell Jeroboam’s outstretched hand when he commanded the prophet’s arrest (1 Kings 13:4-6)?
Answer: It withered, and it was healed when the prophet prayed for him
Jeroboam extended his hand from the altar and commanded the prophet’s arrest; the hand shriveled and could not be withdrawn (13:4). At the king’s plea the man of God prayed for him, and the hand was restored (13:6). The episode displays God’s sovereign power over the body (Exodus 4:11) and the efficacy of a righteous man’s intercession (James 5:16), yet the mercy shown to Jeroboam produced no repentance (13:33).
- 1 Kings 13:4 (BSB)“Now when King Jeroboam, who was at the altar in Bethel, heard the word that the man of God had cried out against it, he stretched out his hand and said, “Seize him!” But the hand he stretched out toward him withered, so that he could not pull it back.”Jeroboam stretches out his hand to order the man of God’s arrest, and the hand withers.
- 1 Kings 13:6 (BSB)“Then the king responded to the man of God, “Intercede with the LORD your God and pray for me that my hand may be restored.” So the man of God interceded with the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored to him as it was before.”At Jeroboam’s request the man of God prays, and the king’s hand is restored.
- James 5:16 (BSB)“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail.”James teaches that the prayer of a righteous person has great power, as the prophet’s intercession here did.
- Exodus 4:11 (BSB)“And the LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Or who makes the mute or the deaf, the sighted or the blind? Is it not I, the LORD?”The LORD declares that He is the one who gives and takes away the abilities of the body.
General
What did the man of God from Judah announce about Jeroboam’s altar in Bethel (1 Kings 13:2)?
Answer: A son of David’s house named Josiah would defile it with burned bones
While Jeroboam stood at his altar in Bethel ready to burn incense, a prophet arrived from Judah and denounced the altar itself (13:1-2). The text gives him the title man of God, meaning one sent with God’s message. He announced that a descendant of David named Josiah would be born, would slaughter on that altar the priests who served there, and would burn human bones on it (13:2). The prophecy named the king long in advance, and it came true exactly. In 2 Kings 23, King Josiah of Judah tore down Jeroboam’s Bethel altar and high place (2 Kings 23:15) and defiled the altar by burning bones on it, which the text says happened just as this prophet had foretold (2 Kings 23:16). God’s word does what He sends it to do (Isaiah 55:11).
- 1 Kings 13:2 (BSB)“And he cried out against the altar by the word of the LORD, “O altar, O altar, this is what the LORD says: ‘A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David, and upon you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense upon you, and human bones will be burned upon you.’””The man of God from Judah cries out against Jeroboam’s altar at Bethel and names a future king of David’s line.
- 2 Kings 23:15 (BSB)“He even pulled down the altar at Bethel, the high place set up by Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin. Then he burned the high place, ground it to powder, and burned the Asherah pole.”Generations later, Josiah tears down and burns the altar and high place Jeroboam had set up at Bethel.
- 2 Kings 23:16 (BSB)“And as Josiah turned, he saw the tombs there on the hillside, and he sent someone to take the bones out of the tombs, and he burned them on the altar to defile it, according to the word of the LORD proclaimed by the man of God who had foretold these things.”Josiah burns bones on the Bethel altar, and the text says this fulfilled the word proclaimed by the man of God.
- Isaiah 55:11 (BSB)“so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it.”God declares that His word accomplishes what He sends it to do.
Theological
What did the man of God from Judah prophesy against Jeroboam’s altar at Bethel (1 Kings 13:2)?
Answer: A son of David’s house named Josiah would defile it with burned bones
As Jeroboam officiated at Bethel, a man of God from Judah came by divine command and addressed the altar directly (13:1-2). He foretold that a Davidic son named Josiah would sacrifice the altar’s priests upon it and burn human bones there (13:2). The prediction names its fulfiller generations ahead, and 2 Kings records its precise fulfillment: Josiah demolished the Bethel altar and high place (2 Kings 23:15) and defiled the altar with burned bones, explicitly in accordance with this prophecy (2 Kings 23:16). The episode displays the certainty of God’s word, which never returns empty (Isaiah 55:11).
- 1 Kings 13:2 (BSB)“And he cried out against the altar by the word of the LORD, “O altar, O altar, this is what the LORD says: ‘A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David, and upon you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense upon you, and human bones will be burned upon you.’””The man of God from Judah cries out against Jeroboam’s altar at Bethel and names a future king of David’s line.
- 2 Kings 23:15 (BSB)“He even pulled down the altar at Bethel, the high place set up by Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin. Then he burned the high place, ground it to powder, and burned the Asherah pole.”Generations later, Josiah tears down and burns the altar and high place Jeroboam had set up at Bethel.
- 2 Kings 23:16 (BSB)“And as Josiah turned, he saw the tombs there on the hillside, and he sent someone to take the bones out of the tombs, and he burned them on the altar to defile it, according to the word of the LORD proclaimed by the man of God who had foretold these things.”Josiah burns bones on the Bethel altar, and the text says this fulfilled the word proclaimed by the man of God.
- Isaiah 55:11 (BSB)“so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it.”God declares that His word accomplishes what He sends it to do.
General
When the LORD’s word came to the old prophet at the table, why did it say judgment would fall on the man of God (1 Kings 13:21-22)?
Answer: He had disobeyed God’s clear command by going back to eat and drink
As they sat eating, the LORD’s word came to the very prophet who had deceived his guest (13:20). He cried out that because the man of God defied the LORD and broke the command given to him, returning to eat and drink in the forbidden place, his body would not be buried in his family’s tomb (13:21-22). The man of God received God’s command directly and stated it twice himself (13:9, 17), so he was accountable for setting it aside on another man’s word. Samuel had told Saul that God prizes obeying Him above sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22), and later in the book another man faces the same kind of judgment for refusing a command from the LORD (1 Kings 20:35-36).
- 1 Kings 13:21-22 (BSB)“and the prophet cried out to the man of God who had come from Judah, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because you have defied the word of the LORD and have not kept the commandment that the LORD your God gave you, but you went back and ate bread and drank water in the place where He told you not to do so, your body shall never reach the tomb of your fathers.’””While they are at the table, the LORD speaks through the old prophet, announcing judgment on the man of God.
- 1 Samuel 15:22 (BSB)“But Samuel declared: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience to His voice? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and attentiveness is better than the fat of rams.”Samuel’s words to Saul teach that God values obedience to His voice above outward religious acts.
- 1 Kings 20:35-36 (BSB)“Meanwhile, by the word of the LORD, one of the sons of the prophets said to his companion, “Strike me, please!” But the man refused to strike him. Then the prophet said to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, as soon as you depart from me a lion will kill you.” And when he left, a lion found him and killed him.”Later in the book another man is judged in the same way for refusing a command given by the LORD’s word.
Theological
On what ground was judgment pronounced on the man of God at the old prophet’s table (1 Kings 13:21-22)?
Answer: He had disobeyed God’s clear command by going back to eat and drink
During the meal, the LORD’s word came to the deceiving prophet himself (13:20), who announced that because the man of God defied the LORD and broke the command he had been given by returning to eat and drink there, his body would not lie in his ancestral tomb (13:21-22). Having received the command directly and restated it twice (13:9, 17), he was answerable for abandoning it on a human claim. The principle is that obedience to God’s voice outranks all else (1 Samuel 15:22), and the book records a parallel judgment in 1 Kings 20:35-36.
- 1 Kings 13:21-22 (BSB)“and the prophet cried out to the man of God who had come from Judah, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because you have defied the word of the LORD and have not kept the commandment that the LORD your God gave you, but you went back and ate bread and drank water in the place where He told you not to do so, your body shall never reach the tomb of your fathers.’””While they are at the table, the LORD speaks through the old prophet, announcing judgment on the man of God.
- 1 Samuel 15:22 (BSB)“But Samuel declared: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience to His voice? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and attentiveness is better than the fat of rams.”Samuel’s words to Saul teach that God values obedience to His voice above outward religious acts.
- 1 Kings 20:35-36 (BSB)“Meanwhile, by the word of the LORD, one of the sons of the prophets said to his companion, “Strike me, please!” But the man refused to strike him. Then the prophet said to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, as soon as you depart from me a lion will kill you.” And when he left, a lion found him and killed him.”Later in the book another man is judged in the same way for refusing a command given by the LORD’s word.
General
After burying the man of God in his own grave, what did the old prophet tell his sons to do when he died, and why (1 Kings 13:31-32)?
Answer: Lay him next to the visiting prophet, for that man’s message would surely come true
The old prophet brought the body back to his town, placed it in his own grave, and mourned over him as a brother (13:29-30). Then he told his sons that when he died they must bury him in that same tomb with his bones next to the man of God’s bones, because the message the man had proclaimed against the Bethel altar and the shrines in the towns of Samaria would certainly happen (13:31-32). The old prophet’s confidence proved right. When Josiah came to Bethel generations later, he ordered that this tomb be left alone, and the bones of both prophets were spared (2 Kings 23:17-18). None of God’s words fail (Joshua 21:45).
- 1 Kings 13:31-32 (BSB)“After he had buried him, the prophet said to his sons, “When I die, you must bury me in the tomb where the man of God is buried. Lay my bones beside his bones, for the message that he cried out by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel and against all the shrines on the high places in the cities of Samaria will surely come to pass.””The old prophet asks to be buried beside the man of God, certain that his message against Bethel will come true.
- 2 Kings 23:17-18 (BSB)“Then the king asked, “What is this monument I see?” And the men of the city replied, “It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things that you have done to the altar of Bethel.” “Let him rest,” said Josiah. “Do not let anyone disturb his bones.” So they left his bones undisturbed, along with those of the prophet who had come from Samaria.”When Josiah came, the man of God’s tomb was left undisturbed, along with the bones of the prophet buried with him.
- Joshua 21:45 (BSB)“Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to the house of Israel had failed; everything was fulfilled.”None of the LORD’s promises failed; everything He said came true.
Theological
What burial instruction did the old prophet give his sons, and on what ground (1 Kings 13:31-32)?
Answer: Lay him next to the visiting prophet, for that man’s message would surely come true
The old prophet retrieved the body, interred it in his own grave, and lamented him as a brother (13:29-30). He then instructed his sons to lay his bones beside the man of God’s, because the oracle against the Bethel altar and the high-place shrines of Samaria’s towns would assuredly be fulfilled (13:31-32). His confidence was vindicated when Josiah spared that tomb, leaving both prophets’ bones undisturbed (2 Kings 23:17-18). The episode testifies to the unfailing reliability of the LORD’s word (Joshua 21:45).
- 1 Kings 13:31-32 (BSB)“After he had buried him, the prophet said to his sons, “When I die, you must bury me in the tomb where the man of God is buried. Lay my bones beside his bones, for the message that he cried out by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel and against all the shrines on the high places in the cities of Samaria will surely come to pass.””The old prophet asks to be buried beside the man of God, certain that his message against Bethel will come true.
- 2 Kings 23:17-18 (BSB)“Then the king asked, “What is this monument I see?” And the men of the city replied, “It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things that you have done to the altar of Bethel.” “Let him rest,” said Josiah. “Do not let anyone disturb his bones.” So they left his bones undisturbed, along with those of the prophet who had come from Samaria.”When Josiah came, the man of God’s tomb was left undisturbed, along with the bones of the prophet buried with him.
- Joshua 21:45 (BSB)“Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to the house of Israel had failed; everything was fulfilled.”None of the LORD’s promises failed; everything He said came true.
General
How did the old prophet of Bethel get the man of God from Judah back for a meal at his house (1 Kings 13:18)?
Answer: He falsely claimed an angel had told him to bring the man home
An old prophet who lived in Bethel heard from his sons what had happened, rode after the visitor, and found him resting under an oak (13:11-14). When the man of God repeated the LORD’s command (13:16-17), the old prophet said that he too was a prophet and that an angel had brought him a message from the LORD to take the visitor home to eat and drink (13:18). The narrator states plainly that he was lying (13:18). The text does not explain why he lied. Scripture calls believers to test every claim to speak for God (1 John 4:1), and the law had already warned that a prophet who urges people away from the LORD must not be heeded, even if his sign comes true (Deuteronomy 13:1-3).
- 1 Kings 13:18 (BSB)“Then the prophet replied, “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.’” The old prophet was lying to him,”The old prophet of Bethel claims an angel told him to bring the man of God back, and the narrator says he was lying.
- 1 John 4:1 (BSB)“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.”John tells believers to test the spirits rather than believe every claim to speak for God.
- Deuteronomy 13:1-3 (BSB)“If a prophet or dreamer of dreams arises among you and proclaims a sign or wonder to you, and if the sign or wonder he has spoken to you comes about, but he says, “Let us follow other gods (which you have not known) and let us worship them,” you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. For the LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”The law warned that a prophet who leads people away from the LORD must not be heeded, even if his sign comes to pass.
Theological
By what claim did the old prophet of Bethel bring the man of God from Judah back (1 Kings 13:18)?
Answer: He falsely claimed an angel had told him to bring the man home
The old Bethel prophet pursued the man of God and found him under an oak (13:11-14). Met with the divine prohibition (13:16-17), he claimed prophetic standing and an angelic message authorizing the man’s return to eat and drink (13:18). The narrator flatly states that he lied (13:18), without disclosing his motive. Believers are charged to test every spirit (1 John 4:1), and the law forbade heeding a prophet who leads people away from the LORD, even when his sign comes to pass (Deuteronomy 13:1-3).
- 1 Kings 13:18 (BSB)“Then the prophet replied, “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.’” The old prophet was lying to him,”The old prophet of Bethel claims an angel told him to bring the man of God back, and the narrator says he was lying.
- 1 John 4:1 (BSB)“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.”John tells believers to test the spirits rather than believe every claim to speak for God.
- Deuteronomy 13:1-3 (BSB)“If a prophet or dreamer of dreams arises among you and proclaims a sign or wonder to you, and if the sign or wonder he has spoken to you comes about, but he says, “Let us follow other gods (which you have not known) and let us worship them,” you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. For the LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”The law warned that a prophet who leads people away from the LORD must not be heeded, even if his sign comes to pass.
General
True or False: As a sign, the man of God announced that Jeroboam’s Bethel altar would split apart and its ashes would spill out, and this happened that same day.
Answer: True
This is true. The man of God announced a sign from the LORD that the altar would crack in two and the ashes on it would be poured out (13:3), and it happened just as he said (13:5). The prophecy about Josiah lay far in the future, but this sign confirmed on the spot that the message truly came from God. The law taught that a prophet whose words come true speaks for the LORD, while one whose words fail does not (Deuteronomy 18:22), and Micaiah later appeals to the same test (1 Kings 22:28).
- 1 Kings 13:3 (BSB)“That day the man of God gave a sign, saying, “The LORD has spoken this sign: ‘Surely the altar will be split apart, and the ashes upon it will be poured out.’””The man of God gives a sign that the altar will split and its ashes pour out.
- 1 Kings 13:5 (BSB)“And the altar was split apart, and the ashes poured out, according to the sign that the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.”The sign happens just as the man of God had said.
- Deuteronomy 18:22 (BSB)“When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD and the message does not come to pass or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.”The law taught that a true prophet’s word comes to pass, which the immediate sign confirmed.
- 1 Kings 22:28 (BSB)“But Micaiah replied, “If you ever return safely, the LORD has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Take heed, all you people!””Micaiah later appeals to the same test: if his word fails, the LORD has not spoken through him.
Theological
True or False: The confirming sign at Bethel was the altar splitting and its ashes spilling, and it occurred that same day.
Answer: True
This is true. The man of God attached an immediate sign to his long-range prophecy: the altar would break apart and its ashes spill out (13:3). The sign occurred at once, just as announced (13:5). The near fulfillment authenticated the distant one, in keeping with the Mosaic test of a true prophet (Deuteronomy 18:22), a test Micaiah later invokes for himself (1 Kings 22:28).
- 1 Kings 13:3 (BSB)“That day the man of God gave a sign, saying, “The LORD has spoken this sign: ‘Surely the altar will be split apart, and the ashes upon it will be poured out.’””The man of God gives a sign that the altar will split and its ashes pour out.
- 1 Kings 13:5 (BSB)“And the altar was split apart, and the ashes poured out, according to the sign that the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.”The sign happens just as the man of God had said.
- Deuteronomy 18:22 (BSB)“When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD and the message does not come to pass or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.”The law taught that a true prophet’s word comes to pass, which the immediate sign confirmed.
- 1 Kings 22:28 (BSB)“But Micaiah replied, “If you ever return safely, the LORD has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Take heed, all you people!””Micaiah later appeals to the same test: if his word fails, the LORD has not spoken through him.
General
True or False: The narrator says that Jeroboam’s practice of installing priests at the high-place shrines became the sin that led to the destruction of his house.
Answer: True
This is true. The narrator states that this persistent sin brought about the downfall of Jeroboam’s family, which was wiped out completely (13:34). That came to pass when Baasha killed all of Jeroboam’s household, just as God had foretold by Ahijah, on account of Jeroboam’s own sins and the sins into which he led Israel (1 Kings 15:29-30). Jeroboam’s sin also became the pattern the northern kingdom followed for generations (2 Kings 17:21-22).
- 1 Kings 13:34 (BSB)“And this was the sin of the house of Jeroboam that led to its extermination and destruction from the face of the earth.”The narrator says Jeroboam’s practice became the sin that led to his house being wiped out.
- 1 Kings 15:29-30 (BSB)“As soon as Baasha became king, he struck down the entire household of Jeroboam. He did not leave to Jeroboam anyone who breathed, but destroyed them all according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servant Ahijah the Shilonite, because of the sins Jeroboam had committed and had caused Israel to commit, and because he had provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger.”Baasha later destroys Jeroboam’s entire household, in keeping with God’s word through Ahijah, because of Jeroboam’s sins.
- 2 Kings 17:21-22 (BSB)“When the LORD had torn Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat king, and Jeroboam led Israel away from following the LORD and caused them to commit a great sin. The Israelites persisted in all the sins that Jeroboam had committed and did not turn away from them.”Jeroboam led Israel into a great sin, and the Israelites persisted in his sins and did not turn from them.
Theological
True or False: The narrator identifies Jeroboam’s high-place priesthood as the sin that brought about his dynasty’s destruction.
Answer: True
This is true. The narrator presents Jeroboam’s unrepentant cultic program as the sin that brought his dynasty to annihilation (13:34). The verdict was executed when Baasha exterminated Jeroboam’s house as Ahijah had foretold (1 Kings 15:29-30), and Jeroboam’s sin became the template of the northern kingdom’s persistent apostasy (2 Kings 17:21-22).
- 1 Kings 13:34 (BSB)“And this was the sin of the house of Jeroboam that led to its extermination and destruction from the face of the earth.”The narrator says Jeroboam’s practice became the sin that led to his house being wiped out.
- 1 Kings 15:29-30 (BSB)“As soon as Baasha became king, he struck down the entire household of Jeroboam. He did not leave to Jeroboam anyone who breathed, but destroyed them all according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servant Ahijah the Shilonite, because of the sins Jeroboam had committed and had caused Israel to commit, and because he had provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger.”Baasha later destroys Jeroboam’s entire household, in keeping with God’s word through Ahijah, because of Jeroboam’s sins.
- 2 Kings 17:21-22 (BSB)“When the LORD had torn Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat king, and Jeroboam led Israel away from following the LORD and caused them to commit a great sin. The Israelites persisted in all the sins that Jeroboam had committed and did not turn away from them.”Jeroboam led Israel into a great sin, and the Israelites persisted in his sins and did not turn from them.
General
What does the man of God’s failure in 1 Kings 13 show about receiving a message that claims to come from God?
Answer: A claim that contradicts God’s clear prior word must not be followed
The man of God knew exactly what God had told him; he repeated it himself to the old prophet (13:17). Yet when another prophet claimed a newer message through an angel, he returned with him and shared his meal (13:19). The command had come to him directly from God, while the supposed new word simply contradicted it. Paul teaches the same principle for the gospel: even a heavenly messenger must not be believed if his message differs from what God has already revealed (Galatians 1:8). God’s words are flawless, and no one may add to them (Proverbs 30:5-6).
- 1 Kings 13:17 (BSB)“For I have been told by the word of the LORD: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water there or return by the way you came.’””The man of God himself repeats the LORD’s command not to eat or drink there or go back the same way.
- 1 Kings 13:19 (BSB)“but the man of God went back with him, ate bread in his house, and drank water.”Despite knowing the command, he goes back with the old prophet and eats and drinks.
- Galatians 1:8 (BSB)“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a curse!”Paul says that even an angel from heaven must not be believed if he preaches a gospel contrary to the one already proclaimed.
- Proverbs 30:5-6 (BSB)“Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you and prove you a liar.”God’s words are flawless, and no one may add to them.
Theological
What principle does the man of God’s failure in 1 Kings 13 illustrate concerning purported new revelation?
Answer: A claim that contradicts God’s clear prior word must not be followed
The man of God knew the LORD’s command firsthand and recited it to the old prophet (13:17), yet he abandoned it on the strength of a contrary claim of angelic revelation (13:19). A later claim cannot overturn God’s clear prior word. Paul applies the same principle to the gospel, refusing even an angel’s contrary message (Galatians 1:8), and Proverbs warns against adding to God’s flawless words (Proverbs 30:5-6).
- 1 Kings 13:17 (BSB)“For I have been told by the word of the LORD: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water there or return by the way you came.’””The man of God himself repeats the LORD’s command not to eat or drink there or go back the same way.
- 1 Kings 13:19 (BSB)“but the man of God went back with him, ate bread in his house, and drank water.”Despite knowing the command, he goes back with the old prophet and eats and drinks.
- Galatians 1:8 (BSB)“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a curse!”Paul says that even an angel from heaven must not be believed if he preaches a gospel contrary to the one already proclaimed.
- Proverbs 30:5-6 (BSB)“Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you and prove you a liar.”God’s words are flawless, and no one may add to them.
General
What does the narrator report about the scene on the road after the lion killed the man of God (1 Kings 13:24-28)?
Answer: The lion stood by the body without eating it or harming the donkey
On his way home the man of God was met and killed by a lion, and passersby saw the body on the road, with both the animal he rode and the lion waiting next to it (13:24-25). When the old prophet went out, he found the scene unchanged, and the narrator adds that the lion had neither eaten the body nor attacked the donkey (13:28). A lion that kills but then leaves both the body and the donkey alone is acting in no ordinary way. The death matched the word the LORD gave at the table, that the man would not be buried with his ancestors (13:22), and the old prophet, on hearing the report, said the LORD had handed the man over to the lion just as He had said (13:26). God does not fail to do what He says (Numbers 23:19).
- 1 Kings 13:24 (BSB)“As he went on his way, a lion met him on the road and killed him, and his body was left lying in the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it.”On his way home the man of God is killed by a lion, which stays beside the body with the donkey.
- 1 Kings 13:28 (BSB)“and he went and found the body lying in the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it. The lion had not eaten the body or mauled the donkey.”The old prophet finds the body untouched and the donkey unharmed, with the lion still standing there.
- 1 Kings 13:26 (BSB)“When the prophet who had brought him back from his journey heard this, he said, “It is the man of God who disobeyed the command of the LORD. Therefore the LORD has delivered him to the lion, and it has mauled him and killed him, according to the word that the LORD had spoken to him.””The old prophet recognizes that the LORD had handed the man over in keeping with His word.
- Numbers 23:19 (BSB)“God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?”God does not lie or fail to do what He has said.
Theological
What detail does the narrator record about the scene on the road after the lion killed the man of God (1 Kings 13:24-28)?
Answer: The lion stood by the body without eating it or harming the donkey
A lion met and killed the man of God, and travelers reported seeing the corpse lying there, the lion and the donkey beside it (13:24-25). The old prophet found the same scene, and the narrator specifies that the beast had neither devoured the body nor attacked the donkey (13:28). These details depict a predator held in check, a death under the LORD’s hand rather than chance, matching the sentence pronounced at the table (13:22). The old prophet drew the same conclusion on hearing the report, saying the LORD had handed the man over to the lion according to His word (13:26). God’s sentence fell precisely as spoken (Numbers 23:19).
- 1 Kings 13:24 (BSB)“As he went on his way, a lion met him on the road and killed him, and his body was left lying in the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it.”On his way home the man of God is killed by a lion, which stays beside the body with the donkey.
- 1 Kings 13:28 (BSB)“and he went and found the body lying in the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it. The lion had not eaten the body or mauled the donkey.”The old prophet finds the body untouched and the donkey unharmed, with the lion still standing there.
- 1 Kings 13:26 (BSB)“When the prophet who had brought him back from his journey heard this, he said, “It is the man of God who disobeyed the command of the LORD. Therefore the LORD has delivered him to the lion, and it has mauled him and killed him, according to the word that the LORD had spoken to him.””The old prophet recognizes that the LORD had handed the man over in keeping with His word.
- Numbers 23:19 (BSB)“God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?”God does not lie or fail to do what He has said.