1 Kings 13:1-10

I. DENUNCIATION OF JEROBOAM 13:1-32

Chapter 13 narrates a thought-provoking episode from the early history of the Northern Kingdom. The historical message of the chapter is clear. Because Jeroboam had initiated his apostate religion in Israel, he lost the support of the prophetic community. But while this basic thrust of the chapter is simple, the ethical and doctrinal implications are profound.

The historian first describes the mission of an unnamed man of God who publicly and fearlessly denounced Jeroboam for his religious innovations (1 Kings 13:1-10). He then relates how this devout man of God was deceived and consequently violated the specific commandment of God (1 Kings 13:11-19). Then the account moves on to relate how the man of God received divine condemnation and judgment for his disobedience (1 Kings 13:20-26). Finally, the section closes with the sad burial of this man of God and attendant lamentation for him (1 Kings 13:27-32).

A. THE MISSION OF THE MAN OF GOD 13:1-10

TRANSLATION

(1) And behold a man of God came from Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel, while Jeroboam was standing upon the altar to make sacrifice. (2) And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, Thus says the LORD: Behold a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah will be his name; and he shall sacrifice upon you the priests of the high places who make sacrifice upon you; and the bones of men shall be burned upon you. (3) Then he gave a sign in that day, saying, This is the sign that the LORD has spoken: Behold the altar shall be rent and the ashes which are upon it shall be poured out. (4) And it came to pass when the king heard the word of the man of God which he cried against the altar in Bethel, that Jeroboam put forth his hand from upon the altar, saying, Seize him! And his hand which he put forth upon him withered, so that he was not able to pull it back to himself. (5) And as for the altar, it was rent and the ashes spilled from upon the altar according to the sign which the man of God had given in the word of the LORD. (6) And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Entreat the face of the LORD your God, and pray on my behalf, that my hand may be restored unto me. So the man of God entreated the face of the LORD, and the hand of the king was restored unto him, and became as it was before. And the king said unto the man of God. Come with me to the house and refresh yourself, and I will give you a gift. And the man of God said unto the king, If you were to give me half of your house I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water in this place. (9) For thus it was commanded me in the word of the LORD, saying, Do not eat bread, nor drink water, nor return by the way you went. (10) So he went another way, and did not return by the way which he had come unto Bethel.

COMMENTS

The God of Israel did not permit the inauguration of Jeroboam's first great feast at Bethel to proceed without prophetic protest. An unidentified man of God[336] or prophet from Judah received divine revelation to go to Bethel to deliver the word of the Lord. Bethel, modern Beitin, was located about twelve miles north of Jerusalem, in Benjaminite territory just a short distance beyond the border between Judah and Benjamin.[337] When the youthful man of God entered the illegitimate Bethel temple, Jeroboam was standing on the ramp or steps that led to the altar and was preparing to make sacrifices there (1 Kings 13:1). Pushing his way through the throngs, the man of God stood beside the abominable altar and delivered a dramatic oracle against that symbol of apostate worship. The man of God predicted that a future scion of David's house would utterly desecrate that altar at Bethel by burning the bones of apostate priests upon it. With precision rare but not unique[338] in Bible prophecy, the very name of the son of David who would accomplish this desecration is given. Josiah,[339] who would not be born for some three hundred years, is named as the instrument who would bring the wrath of God upon Bethel and its altar. The fulfillment of this prediction is recorded in 2 Kings 23:20.

[336] Josephus (Ant. VIII, 9.1) gives the name of this prophet as Yodon. The Iddo of 2 Chronicles 13:22 has also been nominated.

[337] In 931 B.C. the northern part of Benjamin had seceded with the other tribes; the southern part nearer Jerusalem remained with Judah.

[338] In Isaiah 44:28; Isaiah 45:1 Cyrus, the Persian king who would deliver the Jews from Babylonian exile, is named about a hundred fifty years before his birth.

[339] No valid reason can be advanced for eliminating the name Josiah from this text (as proposed by Hammond), or for regarding Josiah as merely an appellation (he whom Yahweh sustains) rather than a proper name (as Keil proposes).

Because his prophecy pertained to the distant future, the prophet felt compelled to offer to King Jeroboam and the astonished audience a miraculous sign to attest the divine origin of his oracle. The long-range prediction was to be validated by a short-range prediction that the altar would be rent and the ashes (lit., fatness, i.e., the fat of the sacrificial victim mixed with the ashes that consumed it) poured out (1 Kings 13:3). This residue of fat was that part of the sacrifice reserved for the Lord, and so had to be very carefully disposed of in a clean place (Leviticus 1:16; Leviticus 4:12; Leviticus 6:10 ff.). The unceremonious scattering of the fat signified that the fat was common and the sacrifice invalid.[340] This partial destruction and scattering of the sacrifice was admirably suitable to presage the ultimate and ignominious overthrow of that altar.

[340] Gray, OTL, p. 326.

Overcoming his momentary shock, Jeroboam in violent anger whirled about to seize the prophet, at the same time shouting orders that the intruder be arrested. In his unbelief it never occurred to him to wait to see if the promised sign was given. He was determined to punish this brash young man who had dared interrupt .the solemnity of the royal sanctuary and denounce the state religion. But that powerful arm reaching out to punish the prophet of God was itself punished. His hand dried up, i.e., it was stricken with a paralysis so that he could no longer control it (1 Kings 13:4). God protected His messenger from the wrath of the king and at the same time taught the king that he must never lay a hand upon the spokesmen of God.[341] At that same instant the altar was smitten by God and the sign which had been offered by the man of God was fulfilled before the entire congregation (1 Kings 13:5).

[341] Liberal scholars are prone to explain away the miracle of the withered hand. Gray (OTL, p. 322) thinks the factual basis of this account is the stretching forth the hand to command arrest having no effect owing to the popular dread of the word of God in the mouth of the prophet.

In the face of such dramatic manifestations of divine power, the king's countenance changed. He was humbled and alarmed by the judgment which he had experienced in his own person. In desperation he begged the prophet to entreat (lit., smooth or stroke the face of) God on his behalf that the use of his hand might be restored. The phrase the Lord your God perhaps suggests the spiritual estrangement which Jeroboam felt in this awesome moment.[342] The sight of the pompous and presumptuous Jeroboam humbly beseeching this outspoken opponent of calf worship must surely have made a lasting impression on the minds of those who had assembled for worship on that auspicious occasion. The prophet of God, sensing that he was no longer in danger, complied with the request of the king. He entreated the Lord and the king's hand was made whole once again (1 Kings 13:6).[343]

[342] The expression the Lord your God may have been customary usage when a man of God was being addressed. See 1 Kings 17:12; 1 Kings 18:10.

[343] The intercessory role of the prophet is documented throughout the Old Testament, e.g., 1 Samuel 7:8; Amos 7:1-6.

In grateful appreciation for the prophet's intercessory prayer, Jeroboam invited the young man to the palace for refreshment and reward. Whether or not Jeroboam had any ulterior motives in this invitation is uncertain. Was he trying to win this man of God to his side by friendliness? Did he hope by this means to somehow neutralize the threat which the prophet had made against his religion? Possibly. But oriental courtesy alone would require him to offer hospitality to his benefactor. In the mention of the reward nothing sinister or seductive is necessarily intended. Petitioners frequently gave presents to seers or prophets either before or after personal services were rendered.[344]

[344] 1 Kings 14:3; 1 Samuel 9:7-8; 2 Kings 5:5; 2 Kings 5:15; 2 Kings 8:8-9.

The man of God was firm in his refusal to accept the hospitality of the apostate king. Even if the king were to promise him half of the wealth of his house, the young man could not accept the hospitality of Bethel (1 Kings 13:8). To share a meal in the ancient East was a token of close communion, and God had forbidden him to have such fellowship with the apostates. The refusal of the prophet was a forcible disclaimer of all fellowship with, and a public repudiation of, the Northern calf-worshipers.[345] God had even commanded His messenger that he should not return to Judah by the way which he had gone to Bethel (1 Kings 13:9). The precise reason for this last command is not clear. Possibly the object of it was to avoid as far as possible his being traced and followed.[346] In any case, the man of God faithfully carried out these instructions (1 Kings 13:10).

[345] The traditional Jewish explanation of the refusal to eat in Bethel: To eat there involved the danger of eating meat of the sacrificial animals which would be tantamount to participation in the rites he was denouncing. Honor, JCBR, p. 191.
[346] Other explanations of this prohibition offered by commentators: (1) to test the obedience of the man of God (Hammond; Rawlinson); (2) to prevent delay (Keil); (3) to prevent his being waylaid and molested (Gray; Slotki).