Topical Bible: Temptation: Yielding to The Prophet of Judah

◄ Temptation: Yielding to The Prophet of Judah ►

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Topical Encyclopedia

The account of the Prophet of Judah, found in 1 Kings 13, serves as a poignant illustration of the dangers of yielding to temptation, even for those who are called by God. This narrative underscores the importance of obedience to God's commands and the peril of succumbing to external influences that contradict divine instructions.

Context and Background

The account unfolds during the reign of King Jeroboam in the northern kingdom of Israel. Jeroboam, having established a new religious system to prevent his subjects from returning to Jerusalem, erected altars and golden calves at Bethel and Dan. In response to this idolatry, God sends a prophet from Judah to Bethel to deliver a message of judgment against the altar.

The Divine Command

The Prophet of Judah is given explicit instructions by God: "You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came" (1 Kings 13:9). This command underscores the seriousness of his mission and the need for complete separation from the idolatrous practices of the northern kingdom.

The Temptation and Yielding

After delivering the message and witnessing the miraculous sign of the altar splitting apart, the Prophet of Judah begins his journey home. However, an old prophet living in Bethel hears of the events and seeks out the man of God. The old prophet invites him to his home, but the Prophet of Judah initially refuses, citing God's command.

The old prophet, however, deceives him by claiming, "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'" (1 Kings 13:18). The Prophet of Judah, swayed by this false claim, yields to the temptation and returns with the old prophet, thereby disobeying God's direct command.

Consequences of Disobedience

The consequences of yielding to temptation are immediate and severe. As they sit at the table, the word of the LORD comes to the old prophet, declaring that the Prophet of Judah will not be buried in the tomb of his fathers because he disobeyed the LORD's command. Upon leaving Bethel, the Prophet of Judah is killed by a lion, a tragic end that serves as a divine judgment for his disobedience.

Lessons and Reflections

The account of the Prophet of Judah highlights several key themes relevant to the understanding of temptation:

1. The Importance of Obedience: The narrative emphasizes the necessity of adhering strictly to God's commands, regardless of external pressures or seemingly authoritative voices that contradict divine instructions.

2. Discernment in Spiritual Matters: The Prophet of Judah's failure to discern the truth of the old prophet's claim serves as a cautionary tale about the need for spiritual discernment and the dangers of deception.

3. The Cost of Yielding to Temptation: The severe consequences faced by the Prophet of Judah illustrate the potential cost of yielding to temptation, even for those who are otherwise faithful servants of God.

4. The Role of False Prophets: The old prophet's deception underscores the reality of false prophets and the importance of testing all claims against the revealed word of God.

This account serves as a sobering reminder of the vigilance required in the Christian walk, the necessity of unwavering obedience to God's word, and the ever-present danger of temptation.

Nave's Topical Index

1 Kings 13:11-19
Now there dwelled an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken to the king, them they told also to their father.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

A Night on the Lake
... They blamed themselves for yielding so readily to His ... always to be accounted followers
of a false prophet? ... things, they would not have entered into temptation. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the desire of ages/chapter 40 a night on.htm

The Poet.
... The temptation to this"which has overcome some recent ... of drought, He fails not in
yielding his fruit. ... of verse.(74) The Deity is addressing the prophet:". ...
//christianbookshelf.org/smith/jeremiah/lecture ii the poet.htm

The Fall of Solomon
... it teaches the destructive effect of yielding to sensual ... be more impregnable to the
assaults of temptation. ... Solomon was threatened before the prophet spoke to ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/the fall of solomon.htm

Notes
... this story the general history shows him as yielding at last ... (1) At the opening,
the prophet sets his ... the argument to give a picture of temptation, changes to ...
/.../various/select masterpieces of biblical literature/notes.htm

Obadiah; Or, Early Piety Eminent Piety
... in his sudden fury attempt to kill the prophet, and so ... gracious during a long life
of temptation is to ... continued; but he felt that without yielding to idolatry ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 30 1884/obadiah or early piety eminent.htm

Jehovah
... but trust the Lord; and the temptation to take the ... to yield; and then we conquer
by this very yielding. ... Himself through the mouth of the prophet Jeremiah, when ...
//christianbookshelf.org/smith/the god of all comfort/chapter 6 jehovah.htm

The Resurrection of the Dead, and Eternal Judgment:
... The prophet of Judah could tell ... The Christian, is in this world, so candid a creature,
that take him when he is not under some great temptation, and he will ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the resurrection of the dead.htm

The Holy City; Or, the New Jerusalem:
... and the vast territories of Australia, are yielding their increase ... of God.' As he
saith by the prophet, 'I am ... and duration of distress and temptation (Isaiah 27 ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the holy city or the.htm

Tit. 2:06 Thoughts for Young Men
... Well says the prophet, " Can the Ethiopian change his skin ... weak point,"he was too
easy and yielding in his ... rise up in your hearts in the moment of temptation. ...
/.../chapter xix tit 2 6 thoughts.htm

According to which principle or hypothesis all the objections ...
... That God did inevitably decree the temptation and fall ... is correspondent to that of
the prophet Ezekiel, xxxiii ... yea and the capacity of yielding thereunto, and ...
/.../proposition vi according to which.htm