The lie that brought death

(Read  1 Kings 13)

Following the death of Solomon a wicked young king Rehoboam was cruel to Israel resulting in dividing Israel from Judah. Israel brought Jeroboam to be their king. He set up two places for the false worship of golden calves. He placed these calf idols at the southern and northern ends of Israel -- in Bethel and in Dan, to keep the people from going to Judah where the temple was, in Jerusalem. The LORD sent a man of God to Israel to prophesy against the false places of worship. He was told to not stay, to not eat or drink and to return home a different way. An old prophet in Israel rode on his donkey to talk to the Man of God from Judah.

1 Kings 13:14 he rode after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak tree.The old prophet asked him, "Are you the man of God who came from Judah?""Yes," he replied, "I am."

15 Then he said to the man of God, "Come home with me and eat some food."

16 "No, I cannot," he replied. "I am not allowed to eat any food or drink any water here in this place.

17 For the LORD gave me this command: 'You must not eat any food or drink any water while you are there, and do not return to Judah by the same way you came.'"

18 But the old prophet answered, "I am a prophet, too, just as you are. And an angel gave me this message from the LORD: 'Bring him home with you, and give him food to eat and water to drink.'" But the old man was lying to him.

19 So they went back together, and the man of God ate some food and drank some water at the prophet's home.

20 Then while they were sitting at the table, a message from the LORD came to the old prophet.

21 He cried out to the man of God from Judah, "This is what the LORD says: You have defied the LORD's message and have disobeyed the command the LORD your God gave you.

22 You came back to this place and ate food and drank water where he told you not to eat or drink. Because of this, your body will not be buried in the grave of your ancestors."

23 Now after the man of God had finished eating and drinking, the prophet saddled his own donkey for him,

24 and the man of God started off again. But as he was traveling along, a lion came out and killed him. His body lay there on the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it.

25 People came by and saw the body lying in the road and the lion standing beside it, and they went and reported it in Bethel, where the old prophet lived.

26 When the old prophet heard the report, he said, "It is the man of God who disobeyed the LORD's command. The LORD has fulfilled his word by causing the lion to attack and kill him." (NLT)

Satan may use even a prophet to get to you so be careful who you listen to. If you know that God has given you something to do, then do not allow anyone to hinder you, you are accountable to God. The old prophet was sorry that he had lied and he was used in the man of God's place to deliver a message to Israel. The man of God from Judah was buried in the old prophets grave.

30 He laid the body in his own grave, crying out in grief, "Oh, my brother!"

31 Afterward the prophet said to his sons, "When I die, bury me in the grave where the man of God is buried. Lay my bones beside his bones.

We may say things to change a person's plans, but  we must be careful that we are not interfering with God's purpose for the one we speak too. Another person's calling may not sound right to us, but it is not for us, so be still.

Another example of interfering was Peter who tried to keep the Lord from going to the cross. Jesus replied to him:

Mat 16:23  ... Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

Just before this Peter had been commended because he heard from God. We may hear from God, but not everything we say and do is from God. Walk carefully in these last days. Be a blessing and not a hindrance to someone. Do not interfere with God's purpose for them.