EGW Writings1 Kings 13

Christ Triumphant

Beware of Those Who Contradict God’s Commands, June 3

CTr 161.1

Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.... The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord. 1 Kings 13:1-5.

Conflict and Courage

A Paralyzed Arm, July 15

CC 202.1

And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him. 1 Kings 13:4.

CC 202.2

Jeroboam was filled with a spirit of defiance against God and attempted to restrain the one who had delivered the message. In wrath “he put forth his hand from the altar” and cried out, “Lay hold on him.” His impetuous act met with swift rebuke. The hand outstretched against the messenger of Jehovah suddenly became powerless and withered, and could not be withdrawn.

CC 202.3

Terror-stricken, the king appealed to the prophet to intercede with God in his behalf.... “And the man of God besought the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.”

CC 202.4

Vain had been Jeroboam’s effort to invest with solemnity the dedication of a strange altar, respect for which would have led to disrespect for the worship of Jehovah in the temple at Jerusalem. By the message of the prophet, the king of Israel should have been led to repent and to renounce his wicked purposes, which were turning the people away from the true worship of God. But he hardened his heart and determined to follow a way of his own choosing....

CC 202.5

The Lord seeks to save, not to destroy. He delights in the rescue of sinners. “As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked” (Ezekiel 33:11). By warnings and entreaties He calls the wayward to cease from their evil-doing and to turn to Him and live. He gives His chosen messengers a holy boldness, that those who hear may fear and be brought to repentance. How firmly the man of God rebuked the king! And this firmness was essential; in no other way could the existing evils have been rebuked. The Lord gave His servant boldness, that an abiding impression might be made on those who heard. The messengers of the Lord are never to fear the face of man, but are to stand unflinchingly for the right. So long as they put their trust in God, they need not fear; for He who gives them their commission gives them also the assurance of His protecting care.30Ibid., 102-105.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 21 (1906)

Ms 153, 1906

Circa 1906

Previously unpublished.

21LtMs, Ms 153, 1906, par. 1

The Lord sent His messenger, His prophet, to Jeroboam. He was to bear a message to the king, but this prophet saw the king stand by the altar to burn incense. The prophet, beholding his sacrifice, cried out, against the altar, “O altar, altar, thus saith the Lord, Behold, a child shall be born into the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men’s bones shall be burnt upon thee. And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the Lord hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.” [1 Kings 13:2, 3.] Read the whole including verse 10. The heart is hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. God delights not in the death of sinners. He bears long with them rather than destroy them in their sinful, idolatrous course of action. He will seek to arouse them. It was a very bold message that was given the king by this stranger messenger, but the Spirit of the Lord was moving the messenger to interrupt the profane solemnity of the offering upon the altar. In the place of the king being at all humbled by the interruption of his purpose of sacrificing to his god, “he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him.” [Verse 4.]

21LtMs, Ms 153, 1906, par. 2

“And the king said unto the man, Entreat now the face of the Lord thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me again. And the man of God besought the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.” [Verse 6.]

21LtMs, Ms 153, 1906, par. 3

[Read] verses 7-17.

21LtMs, Ms 153, 1906, par. 4

“He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art: and an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. ... And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the Lord came unto the prophet that brought him back: and he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the Lord, and hast not kept the commandment which the Lord thy God commanded thee, but camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the Lord did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers. And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back. And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcase. And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcase cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcase: and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt. And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the Lord” [Verses 18, 20-26] for he had given the reason to the old prophet why he could not do the thing he asked him to do. [Verses 16, 17.]

21LtMs, Ms 153, 1906, par. 5

The man had his directions from the Lord, and he repeated his authority: “I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place: for it was said to me by the word of the Lord, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest.” [Verses 16, 17.] Thus far he was correct, but the [old] prophet said unto him, “I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him.” [Verse 18.] So he went back, believing the word of the one who claimed to be a prophet, for he was a false prophet on this occasion certainly, as he had his word from the Lord positively, and disobeyed the word of the Lord, for Satan had put that lie into the prophet’s mouth. “So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water. And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the Lord came unto the prophet that brought him back: and he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the Lord, and hast not kept the commandment which the Lord thy God commanded thee, but camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the Lord did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers.” [Verses 19-22.]

21LtMs, Ms 153, 1906, par. 6

The man of God had honestly and bravely refused the king’s invitation, though he promised him a reward; yet, [he was] over-persuaded by the framing of a lie. The scheming method of Satan is after this character—to claim to speak the words he did as a prophet of the Lord to come back with him and dine with him in Bethel contrary to the commandment given him of the Lord. He found that to be to him an expensive dinner. He was a false prophet, and the act cost him his life.

21LtMs, Ms 153, 1906, par. 7

It may seem strange that such a supposed good man should make such a deliberate lie. When God gave His orders to not tarry in that place He meant it, but corrupt trust in falsehood cost the one to whom God had given a message of very decided character. The action of bearing the words to the altar was to make an impression on hearts that they should turn to the Lord. The impression of the most sacred character was to create awe and bring the people to repentance. It was something that was permitted of God to [show] God’s displeasure against idolatrous sacrifices. How could any gift be acceptable when the whole process was an abomination to the Lord?

21LtMs, Ms 153, 1906, par. 8

The religious sacrifices were an abomination to God, a reproach to the people. The altar was rent under the pronunciation, and the act would cause much notoriety. That hand that was stretched out to the seizing of the man of God was in vain. He could not fulfil his [purpose]. He insulted the man of God whose hand was sacred, but the cry to the altar had a most decided rebuke. The wrath of man was restrained and judgment [came] upon the man who should attempt to seize the man of God. His arm and hand were helpless. But at his earnest request to pray for him, the hand was healed [even] in his abominations. This was a reproach to all Israel and their hearts were hardened as the stones which composed the altar. Thus was Jeroboam so filled with defiance against God that he assaulted the man who brought him the message.

21LtMs, Ms 153, 1906, par. 9

What kind of a lesson is this to all those who shall live under such misconceived opinions? This was a parable of what should be done to their supposed most sacred altars which were a reproach to all the people. This parable was to have a strong influence in correcting [existing evils.]

21LtMs, Ms 153, 1906, par. 10

“After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again of the lowest of the people priests for the high places: whosoever would he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places. And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of earth.” [Verses 33, 34.]

21LtMs, Ms 153, 1906, par. 11

The prophet’s message against the altar, the refusing of gifts and repeating the words of the Lord, and then human influences—a man pronouncing the lie that God had given him another message directly opposed to the messages God had given—is a parable to us as a people in this our day, for we are witnessing this parable acted in our very midst. We shall see the hardness of hearts that turn away directly from the messages God gives and act decidedly contrary to the words God has spoken in forbiddings that will bring results that men who have worked against God will not covet.

21LtMs, Ms 153, 1906, par. 12

Had this prophet been in consecrated order, God would not have passed him by and chosen a prophet from another section to bear a testimony as witness against idolatry exhibited for a place of worship. I am instructed to say, we are [to] lean not on human voice or human claims of influence, but listen to the word of warning God has given. When men reject a plain “Thus saith the Lord,” let men [who are] shepherds of the flock beware, for Satan is ready to fill the earth with his counterfeits in every place possible. He is doing this now.

21LtMs, Ms 153, 1906, par. 13

This false prophet gave charge to his sons to bury his body in the same grave with the man who was a true prophet of God, to let his bones and ashes commingle with the bones and ashes of the prophet, as though there would be any virtue to him to lessen the offense of his lie.

21LtMs, Ms 153, 1906, par. 14

The Lord has directed me to write these things, for men who have been reproved for their wrongs have come in and taken the man that has been reproved for his course of action and sustained him. The Lord gave me a special message for one he has greatly favored, but he walked and worked directly contrary from the Word of God. He has chosen his own course to glorify himself and has tried by misstatements to undermine confidence in the work of the Testimonies God has given. But when the time of the Lord comes after long forbearance, there will be false prophets who lead astray from God’s directions, after sufficient evidence that they will choose the falsehoods and not the truth. The Lord will not spare those who have deliberately worked against a “Thus saith the Lord” and they will be left in their choice to follow their own devising under condemnation and the rebuke of God, as agencies of Satan to carry out his devisings. In no case is my message to contradict the Word of the Lord, but the Lord will continue to give the straight, close-cutting messages that are yet to come. And no power can hinder the work God will do to rescue His people from their deception. The falsehood of the one who claimed to be a prophet was directly opposite to the Word of the Lord, a framed lie. If this prophet was one God had accepted, he could have received the word given to one the Lord did choose, but the Lord passed him by and took a stranger from another place.

NP

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 25 (1910 - 1915)

Ms 1, 1912

25LtMs, Ms 1, 1912, par. 10

And the altar “was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord.” [1 Kings 13:1-5.]

25LtMs, Ms 1, 1912, par. 11

When Jeroboam saw the altar rent and the ashes from it poured out on the ground, he cried out in wrath, “Lay hold upon him.” “And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him.” In alarm he said to the prophet, “Entreat now the face of the Lord thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the Lord, and the king’s hand ... became as it was before.” [Verses 4, 6.]

25LtMs, Ms 1, 1912, par. 12

“And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward. And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place; for so it was charged me by the word of the Lord, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest.” [Verses 7-9.]

25LtMs, Ms 1, 1912, par. 13

The prophet refused to receive anything from Jeroboam, but he fell under the temptation of an aged prophet living at Bethel, who when he heard of what had happened, had his ass saddled, and “went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak.” To him he said, “Come home with me, and eat bread.” [Verses 14, 15.] But the man of God answered him as he had answered Jeroboam, “I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee; neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place.” The old prophet then lied to him, saying, “I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water.” [Verses 16-18.] He declared that the Lord had spoken through him, when He had not. This will surely be repeated again and again.

25LtMs, Ms 1, 1912, par. 16

“And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back. And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcass was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcass. And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcass cast in the way, ... and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.” [Verses 20-25.]

25LtMs, Ms 1, 1912, par. 18

But we read, “After this thing, Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places. And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth.” [Verses 33, 34.]

Prophets and Kings

Chapter 33—The Book of the Law

PK 402.1

“O altar, altar, thus saith the Lord; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men’s bones shall be burnt upon thee.” 1 Kings 13:2. This announcement had been accompanied by a sign that the word spoken was of the Lord.

The Review and Herald

July 29, 1915

RH July 29, 1915, par. 8

“O altar, altar, thus saith the Lord: Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men’s bones shall be burned upon thee.” 1 Kings 13:2. This announcement had been accompanied by a sign that the word spoken was of the Lord.

From Splendor to Shadow

Three-Hundred-Year-Old Prophecy Fulfilled

SS 210.3

Centuries before, Jeroboam in bold defiance of God had set up an unconsecrated altar at Bethel. During the dedication of this altar, there had suddenly appeared a man of God from Judea who “cried against the altar,” declaring: “O altar, altar, thus saith the Lord; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men’s bones shall be burnt upon thee.” 1 Kings 13:2.

From Splendor to Shadow

The King’s Defiance Rebuked

SS 53.3

“And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the Lord hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.” Immediately the altar “was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord.” 1 Kings 13:2, 3, 5.

SS 53.4

On seeing this, Jeroboam attempted to restrain the one who had delivered the message. In wrath he cried out, “Lay hold on him.” His impetuous act met with swift rebuke. The hand outstretched against the messenger of Jehovah suddenly became withered and could not be withdrawn. Terror-stricken, the king appealed to the prophet: “Entreat now the face of the Lord thy God,” he pleaded, “and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.” Verses 4, 6. The king of Israel should have been led to renounce his wicked purposes, which were turning people away from the true worship of God. But he hardened his heart and determined to follow a way of his own choosing.

Prophets and Kings

Chapter 7—Jeroboam

PK 101.4

“And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the Lord hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.” Immediately the altar “was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord.” 1 Kings 13:2, 3, 5.

PK 102.2

Terror-stricken, the king appealed to the prophet to intercede with God in his behalf. “Entreat now the face of the Lord thy God,” he pleaded, “and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.” Verses 4, 6.

PK 105.2

Having delivered his message, the prophet was about to return, when Jeroboam said to him, “Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward.” “If thou wilt give me half thine house,” the prophet replied, “I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place: for so was it charged me by the word of the Lord, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest.” 1 Kings 13:7-9.

PK 106.2

Because the true prophet allowed himself to take a course contrary to the line of duty, God permitted him to suffer the penalty of transgression. While he and the one who had invited him to return to Bethel were sitting together at the table, the inspiration of the Almighty came upon the false prophet, “and he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the Lord, and hast not kept the commandment which the Lord thy God commanded thee, ... thy carcass shall not come unto the sepulcher of thy fathers.” Verses 18-22.

PK 106.3

This prophecy of doom was soon literally fulfilled. “It came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass.... And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcass was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcass. And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcass cast in the way, ... and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt. And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the Lord.” Verses 23-26.

PK 107.1

The penalty that overtook the unfaithful messenger was a still further evidence of the truth of the prophecy uttered over the altar. If, after disobeying the word of the Lord, the prophet had been permitted to go on in safety, the king would have used this fact in an attempt to vindicate his own disobedience. In the rent altar, in the palsied arm, and in the terrible fate of the one who dared disobey an express command of Jehovah, Jeroboam should have discerned the swift displeasure of an offended God, and these judgments should have warned him not to persist in wrongdoing. But, far from repenting, Jeroboam “made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places.” Thus he not only sinned greatly himself, but “made Israel to sin;” and “this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth.” Verses 33, 34; 14:16.

From Splendor to Shadow

How a Prophet Was Tricked Into Disobeying

SS 54.3

“If thou wilt give me half thine house,” the prophet replied, “I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place: for so was it charged me by the word of the Lord, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest.” 1 Kings 13:7-9.

SS 54.5

God permitted the prophet to suffer the penalty of transgression. While he and the one who had invited him were sitting together at the table, the false prophet “cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the Lord, and hast not kept the commandment which the Lord thy God commanded thee, ... thy carcass shall not come unto the sepulcher of thy fathers.” Verses 18, 21, 22.

SS 55.1

This prophecy of doom was soon fulfilled. “After he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass ... . And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcass was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcass. And behold, men passed by, and saw the carcass cast in the way, ... and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt. And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the Lord.” Verses 23-26.

SS 55.2

If, after disobeying, the prophet had been permitted to go on in safety, the king would have used this to vindicate his own disobedience. The rent altar, the palsied arm, and the terrible fate of the one who dared disobey an express command of the Lord—these judgments should have warned Jeroboam not to persist in wrongdoing. But, far from repenting, Jeroboam not only sinned greatly himself, but “made Israel to sin”; and “this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it.” 1 Kings 14:16; 13:34.