1 Kings 13:11-34
The Prophet Who Disobeyed
11Now a certain old prophet was living in Bethel, and his sons came and told him all the deeds that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. They also told their father the words that the man had spoken to the king.
12“Which way did he go?” their father asked. And his sons showed him the way taken by the man of God, who had come from Judah.
13So the prophet said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” Then they saddled the donkey for him, and he mounted it
14and went after the man of God. He found him sitting under an oak tree and asked, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” “I am,” he replied.
15So the prophet said to the man of God, “Come home with me and eat some bread.”
16But the man replied, “I cannot go home with you, and I will not eat bread or drink water with you in this place.
17For I have been told by the word of the LORD: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water there or return by the way you came.’”
18Then the prophet replied, “I too am a prophet like you, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, so that he may eat bread and drink water.’” The old prophet was lying to him,
19but the man of God went back with him, ate bread in his house, and drank water.
20While they were sitting at the table, the word of the LORD came to the prophet who had brought him back,
21and the prophet cried out to the man of God who had come from Judah, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because you have defied the word of the LORD and have not kept the commandment that the LORD your God gave you,
22but you went back and ate bread and drank water in the place where He told you not to do so, your body shall never reach the tomb of your fathers.’”
23And after the man of God had finished eating and drinking, the old prophet who had brought him back saddled the donkey for him.
24As he went on his way, a lion met him on the road and killed him, and his body was left lying in the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it.
25And there were men passing by who saw the body lying in the road with the lion standing beside it, and they went and reported this in the city where the old prophet lived.
26When the prophet who had brought him back from his journey heard this, he said, “It is the man of God who disobeyed the command of the LORD. Therefore the LORD has delivered him to the lion, and it has mauled him and killed him, according to the word that the LORD had spoken to him.”
27Then the old prophet instructed his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled it,
28and he went and found the body lying in the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it. The lion had not eaten the body or mauled the donkey.
29So the old prophet lifted up the body of the man of God, laid it on the donkey, and brought it back to his own city to mourn for him and bury him.
30Then he laid the body in his own tomb, and they lamented over him, “Oh, my brother!”
31After he had buried him, the prophet said to his sons, “When I die, you must bury me in the tomb where the man of God is buried. Lay my bones beside his bones,
32for the message that he cried out by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel and against all the shrines on the high places in the cities of Samaria will surely come to pass.”
33Even after these events, Jeroboam did not repent of his evil ways, but again he appointed priests for the high places from every class of people. He ordained anyone who desired to be a priest of the high places.
34And this was the sin of the house of Jeroboam that led to its extermination and destruction from the face of the earth.
Berean Standard Bible
An old prophet living in Bethel hears what the man of God has done. He finds him sitting under an oak and asks him to come home for a meal. The man repeats the command he received: he must not eat bread, drink water, or return by the road he came.
The old prophet says an angel told him to bring the man back. The text says he is lying. The man of God goes back with him, and while they eat, the word of the LORD comes through the old prophet announcing judgment because the man has disobeyed the command.
After the meal, the man of God leaves and is killed by a lion on the road. The lion does not eat his body or attack the donkey. The old prophet finds him, mourns him, and buries him in his own tomb, asking his sons to bury him beside the man when he dies.
The old prophet recognizes that the word spoken against Bethel's altar will surely come true. Yet Jeroboam does not turn from his evil way. The chapter is not a puzzle about which voice sounds more religious. It is a warning to hold firmly to what God has actually commanded and not let impressive claims replace obedience.
How We Know
This passage belongs to the historical and prophetic record of Israel's divided kingdom. Its named rulers, places, and prophetic actions are presented as part of that covenant history; Chronicles does not repeat every episode from Kings.
Questions
1 What command does the man of God repeat?
AnswerHe repeats that he must not eat, drink, or return by the same road after delivering the LORD's message.
2 What false claim does the old prophet make?
AnswerHe falsely claims that an angel told him to bring the man of God back for a meal.
3 What happens after the man returns?
AnswerThe word of the LORD announces judgment, and a lion kills him on the road after he leaves.
4 Does Jeroboam abandon his evil way?
AnswerNo. Even after the prophetic sign and judgment, Jeroboam continues making priests and supporting the false worship.
What This Means for Us
Not every religious-sounding claim deserves trust. The man of God had a clear command, yet he allowed another person's claim to overturn it without a trustworthy reason.
This story should not make us suspicious of every counselor. It should make us test advice against Scripture, character, and the actual facts, especially when someone uses spiritual authority to pressure us into a decision.
Prayer
Lord, make us attentive to Your word and careful with every claimed revelation. Give us humility to receive counsel, wisdom to test it, and courage to obey You when pressure sounds religious. Amen.