One of the chapters in the Bible that makes me think and desire help is in 1 Kings 13. Did the man of God sin, or was he simply deceived? If he was deceived, wasn't then his death a little too tragic? What could he have done differently? When he found out that he was deceived, his response (basically, no response) is hard for me to understand or imagine. Can you comment on that? What was the old prophet's motivation or thinking through the whole incident? It does not make sense to me, but I know God teaches us something here--what is it? Or what are they? -- Wei (New York)
The answer to your question inheres in the theological point of the passage. The young prophet went against the explicit word of God--which is never permissible! Just as in Galatians 1:6-9, no one has the right to supersede the commands of God. Sincerity was not the issue, and neither is sincerity the issue today. There are many sincere religious persons today, religious, but lost because they are not following God's will. (See Matthew 7:21-23.) As for the old prophet's motivation, the text does not say. It is interesting, though, that the old prophet is from Bethel--site of idolatry among the Northern Israelites. God was testing the young prophet, and unfortunately he failed. A sober lesson for all who read it.
This article is copyrighted and is for private use and study only.
