A man of God came, however, from Judah to Bethel by the word of the Lord while Jeroboam was standing beside the altar to burn incense. The man of God cried out against the altar by the word of the Lord: “Altar, altar, this is what the Lord says, ‘A son will be born to the house of David, named Josiah, and he will sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who are burning incense on you. Human bones will be burned on you.’” He gave a sign that day. He said, “This is the sign that the Lord has spoken: ‘The altar will now be ripped apart, and the ashes that are on it will be poured out.’”
When the king heard the message that the man of God had cried out against the altar at Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his hand from the altar and said, “Arrest him!” But the hand he stretched out against him withered, and he could not pull it back to himself. The altar was ripped apart, and the ashes poured from the altar, according to the sign that the man of God had given by the word of the Lord.
Then the king responded to the man of God, “Plead for the favor of the Lord your God and pray for me so that my hand may be restored to me.” So the man of God pleaded for the favor of the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored to him and became as it had been at first.
Then the king declared to the man of God, “Come home with me, refresh yourself, and I’ll give you a reward.”
But the man of God replied, “If you were to give me half your house, I still wouldn’t go with you, and I wouldn’t eat food or drink water in this place, for this is what I was commanded by the word of the Lord: ‘You must not eat food or drink water or go back the way you came.’” So he went another way; he did not go back by the way he had come to Bethel.
Now a certain old prophet was living in Bethel. His son[a] came and told him all the deeds that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. His sons also told their father the words that he had spoken to the king. Then their father asked them, “Which way did he go?” His sons had seen the way taken by the man of God who had come from Judah. Then he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him, and he got on it. He followed the man of God and found him sitting under an oak tree. He asked him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?”
“I am,” he said.
Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat some food.”
But he answered, “I cannot go back with you or accompany you; I will not eat food or drink water with you in this place. For a message came to me by the word of the Lord: ‘You must not eat food or drink water there or go back by the way you came.’”
He said to him, “I am also a prophet like you. An angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord: ‘Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat food and drink water.’” The old prophet deceived him, and the man of God went back with him, ate food in his house, and drank water.
While they were sitting at the table, the word of the Lord came to the prophet who had brought him back, and the prophet cried out to the man of God who had come from Judah, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because you rebelled against the Lord’s command and did not keep the command that the Lord your God commanded you— but you went back and ate food and drank water in the place that he said to you, “Do not eat food and do not drink water”—your corpse will never reach the grave of your ancestors.’”
So after he had eaten food and after he had drunk, the old prophet saddled the donkey for the prophet he had brought back. When he left, a lion attacked him along the way and killed him. His corpse was thrown on the road, and the donkey was standing beside it; the lion was standing beside the corpse too.
There were men passing by who saw the corpse thrown on the road and the lion standing beside it, and they went and spoke about it in the city where the old prophet lived. When the prophet who had brought him back from his way heard about it, he said, “He is the man of God who disobeyed the Lord’s command. The Lord has given him to the lion, and it has mauled and killed him, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke to him.”
Then the old prophet instructed his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” They saddled it, and he went and found the corpse thrown on the road with the donkey and the lion standing beside the corpse. The lion had not eaten the corpse or mauled the donkey. So the prophet lifted the corpse of the man of God and laid it on the donkey and brought it back. The old prophet came into the city to mourn and to bury him. Then he laid the corpse in his own grave, and they mourned over him, “Oh, my brother!”
After he had buried him, he 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, for the message that he cried out by the word of the Lord against the altar in Bethel and against all the shrines of the high places in the cities of Samaria is certain to happen.” 1 Kings 13:1-32
Faith-Filled Day 5: The Prophet and the Lion – 1 Kings 13:1-32
God sent an unnamed man of God from Judah to deliver a powerful message of judgment to King Jeroboam. The prophet faithfully proclaimed God’s Word, and God confirmed the message with miraculous signs. Before he left, however, the Lord gave him a very specific command: Do not eat bread, do not drink water, and do not return by the same road you came.
As the prophet traveled home, an older prophet caught up with him and claimed that an angel had told him to invite the man of God back for a meal. Sadly, the older prophet was lying. Instead of obeying the clear instruction God had already given him, the man of God believed the false message and returned to eat and drink.
The Word
While they were eating, the true word of the Lord came to the older prophet, declaring judgment upon the man of God:
“Because you have disobeyed the word of the Lord… your body shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.” — 1 Kings 13:21–22
God had spoken clearly the first time. Even though the man of God had been deceived, he was still responsible for obeying what God had already revealed.
The Fulfillment
As the prophet continued his journey home, a lion met him on the road and killed him. Yet this was no ordinary attack. The lion did not eat the body, nor did it harm the donkey standing beside it. Both the lion and the donkey remained near the body, creating an unmistakable sign that this was an act of God’s judgment rather than a natural event.
Just as God had declared, the man of God was buried in a stranger’s tomb instead of in his family burial place. Every detail of God’s warning came to pass exactly as He had spoken.
Reflection Questions
- Am I listening carefully to God’s Word, even when other voices tell me something different?
- Have I ever allowed someone else’s opinion to outweigh what I knew God had already said?
- How can I become more discerning when evaluating advice or spiritual teaching?
- What does this story teach me about the importance of complete obedience?
Action Step
Read a passage of Scripture today and identify one clear truth God is calling you to obey. Write it down and commit to following it, even if others encourage you to compromise. Let God’s Word be your final authority.
Come to the Facebook group @DevoInAction (https://www.facebook.com/devoinaction) and share your thoughts about today’s devotional or post a pic of your journaling under Day 5: The Prophet and the Lion – 1 Kings 13:1-32 or post on Instagram and tag me @devoinaction!
THEN, comment on someone else’s post to encourage and build them up in the Lord! Build a bridge today!
Prayer
Dear God, Thank You for giving me Your unchanging Word to guide my life. Help me to recognize Your voice above every other voice that competes for my attention. Give me wisdom to discern truth from deception and courage to obey You completely, even when it is difficult. Keep my heart humble, teachable, and faithful, and help me never to compromise what You have clearly spoken. May my life reflect wholehearted obedience that honors You in every decision. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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