THE PROPHET FROM JUDAH- TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY

In 1Kings 13, an interesting story is told of a young prophet from Judah who was sent to King Jeroboam with clear instructions from God. He was told to condemn the altar at Bethel which was set up against the will of God by the king. He was also told by God not to eat or drink at Israel and to return to Judah by another route.

The young man starts well. He proclaims condemnation against the altar. King Jeroboam and the spiritual forces controlling him would not give up without a fight. He stretches out his hand against the young prophet and orders he be seized, but astonishingly finds the hand that stretched out shriveled up. Such was the power of God present at the altar of Satan, that no force that opposed ended up not being punished. Jeroboam recognizes his folly and remembers the exalted Almighty God who in the first place raised him up from the street and made him a king. He has a semblance of repentance and pleads with the prophet to intercede to God on his behalf for healing. The young prophet prays for him and the shriveled hand heals up. Again, a remarkable demonstration of the power of God being manifested through one man.

Through the ages, it has been true and still is true that God awaits men and women fully committed to him to use them for his grand purposes. The power of God makes an impact and it does so through people who are willing to tread where others don’t dare to. It would have required courage and a willingness to die on the part of prophet to go to the hostile altar at Israel and proclaim God’s condemnation. It also required a sacrificial mindset and we see the young man refusing any gift offered by the king and setting out back to Judah as per the instructions he received. In this case Jeroboam would have given him a substantial gift for his efforts but his mind was stayed on the will of God.

But what started off well quickly morphed into tragedy. The young man on his journey back forgot the urgency and the seriousness of his mission. Instead of continuing to journey till he reached his destination, he takes a break and rests under the oak tree. Perhaps the thought of the gift Jeroboam offered weighed on his mind. Perhaps he allowed exhaustion to overwhelm him. No matter what the reason, he put himself in a vulnerable position to attack. A false older prophet from Israel found him, lied to him and convinced him to go back to Israel with him and eat and drink with him in disobedience to God. God’s judgment was swift and the young prophet was killed by a lion on his way back. To demonstrate this was no accident, the lion stood beside the dead body and neither ate him nor the donkey he traveled on. 

The journey through life is not easy for God’s children. Living amidst a materialistic world that is only too glad to deform God’s word, pilgrims have to constantly wrestle with forces that threaten to derail them from the path of salvation. As disciples, being bearers of God’s word is no easy task either. There is urgency, seriousness and holiness associated with declaring God’s word. God’s message comes through regardless as in this story. However, the young man went from triumph to tragedy as he lost his way.

• ← SOLOMON’S FALL
• DEFERENCE AND DEFIANCE →