THE LORD REBUKES JEROBOAM
1 Kings 13:1-10
By the word of the LORD he cried out against the altar: “Altar, altar! This is what the LORD says: ‘A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who make offerings here, and human bones will be burned on you.’ ” (2)
chapter 13
1. By the word of the LORD a man of God came from Judah to Bethel, as Jeroboam was standing by the altar to make an offering.
2. By the word of the LORD he cried out against the altar: "Altar, altar! This is what the LORD says: ’A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who make offerings here, and human bones will be burned on you.’"
3. That same day the man of God gave a sign: "This is the sign the LORD has declared: The altar will be split apart and the ashes on it will be poured out."
4. When King Jeroboam heard what the man of God cried out against the altar at Bethel, he stretched out his hand from the altar and said, "Seize him!" But the hand he stretched out toward the man shriveled up, so that he could not pull it back.
5. Also, the altar was split apart and its ashes poured out according to the sign given by the man of God by the word of the LORD.
6. Then the king said 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 and became as it was before.
7. The king said to the man of God, "Come home with me for a meal, and I will give you a gift."
8. But the man of God answered the king, "Even if you were to give me half your possessions, I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water here.
9. For I was commanded by the word of the LORD: ’You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came.’"
10. So he took another road and did not return by the way he had come to Bethel.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
1. Just as quickly as Jeroboam fell into the sin of forming a new religion, God sent his servant to rebuke him. As Jeroboam was standing beside the altar of one of his places of worship, a man of God came and warned him of the terrible consequences of his sin. A man named Josiah would be born in the house of David, and the nation of Israel would be punished severely by God. “On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who make offerings here, and human bones will be burned on you.” (2) The man of God gave Jeroboam a sign, in case he didn’t believe him. The sign was that the altar would be split apart, and ashes would fall out of it. Jeroboam was furious and tried to have the man of God seized, but when he stretched out his hand it was shriveled. Just then, the sign the man of God spoke came true.
2. King Jeroboam didn’t repent. He didn’t ask for the restoration of God’s mercy on Israel. Instead, he asked for his hand to be healed, which the man of God graciously did. The king then invited the man of God for a meal, but he refused, saying the Lord had commanded him not to eat or drink anything and must not return the way he came. The man of God was absolute with God’s word. Jeroboam was careless. His nation would pay the price.
Prayer: Father, thank you for your servants who remind us of your word. Help us to listen to them and repent before it is too late.
One Word: Sin has terrible consequences