What is the meaning of 1 Kings 13:20? While they were sitting at the table • The scene is domestic and seemingly harmless, yet it is happening in direct violation of God’s earlier command that the man of God was not to eat bread or drink water in Bethel (1 Kings 13:9, 16–17). • Disobedience can feel comfortable—like sharing a meal—until God exposes it. Compare Judges 16:19, where Samson relaxes in Delilah’s lap just before judgment falls. • Fellowship that ignores God’s clear word invites discipline (1 Corinthians 10:21–22). the word of the LORD • Scripture consistently shows that God’s word intrudes with authority, whether welcomed or not (Jeremiah 20:9; Hebrews 4:12). • What is spoken next is not human opinion but divine revelation, underscoring that God has the final say even when His servants falter (1 Kings 17:24). • Isaiah 55:11 reminds us that God’s word “will not return to Me empty”; it will accomplish its purpose of correction here. came to the prophet • The same older prophet who had lied (1 Kings 13:18) now becomes God’s mouthpiece. • God may use flawed instruments—Balaam in Numbers 22:28–35; Caiaphas in John 11:49–52—to declare truth, yet the message remains pure. • This highlights Romans 11:29: “the gifts and callings of God are irrevocable”. Prophetic office carries weight regardless of the vessel’s past failure. who had brought him back • The phrase pinpoints responsibility. God identifies the prophet by his compromising act, stressing accountability for leading another into sin (Luke 17:1–2; James 3:1). • It warns that influencing others to disobey invites personal reckoning (Ezekiel 3:18–19). • The linkage also sets up the judgment that will follow in verses 21–24, proving Galatians 6:7: “God is not mocked”. summary 1 Kings 13:20 shows God interrupting a scene of disobedience with His authoritative word. Even a deceptive prophet must now speak God’s judgment, and the verse underscores three truths: sin cannot be concealed by comfortable settings, God’s word overrides human failure, and those who lead others astray become answerable to the very Lord they misrepresented. |
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