\ BE CAREFUL WHO YOU LISTEN TO
By W. G. Guy
There is an account recorded in the Bible that illustrates a warning to beware of who you listen to. It occurred at the time in ancient Israel when it was divided into two kingdoms; Judah which was ruled over by Rehoboam, and the rest of Israel under the reign of Jeroboam. (This account is recorded in 1 Kings 13.)
King Jeroboam took upon himself the function of a priest by making sacrifices and burning incense on an altar that he set up in Bethel; which was contrary to what God had ordained. A man of God, a prophet from Judah, was sent by God to Jeroboam to rebuke what Jeroboam was doing in false worship.
1 Kings 13:1 – And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the Lord unto Beth-el: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.
This man’s name was never given as he is only referred to as “the man of God”. He spoke a judgment against Jeroboam’s altar of sacrifice that it will be destroyed. He spoke the word in front of Jeroboam as he was offering up incense on the altar. Jeroboam was angered at the words of the prophet and tried to lay hold of the man of God, but as he did, Jeroboam’s hand withered and shriveled up so that he could no longer use it.
1 Kings 13:4-5 – And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Beth-el, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him. The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord
At that time the altar broke in half just as the man of God said it would.
1 Kings 13:6 – And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the face of the Lord thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.
King Jeroboam begged the man of God to pray for him and ask God to restore his hand, which he did, and Jeroboam’s hand was immediately fully restored. As a result of seeing that the prophet was truly of God, he wanted to give him a reward by offering a feast for him in his palace. However, the man of God refused because he was instructed by God not to eat or drink in Bethel; so he left without accepting and was obedient to what God told him.
1 Kings 13:9 – for so was it charged me by the word of the Lord, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest.
At this point the story takes a strange turn that brings about the moral of this account. There was an old prophet living in Bethel that heard what had happened to the altar and Jeroboam, and he went out to fetch the younger prophet to bring him back to his home to eat before his journey back to Judah. The man of God declined the offer again quoting God’s command to him. At this point the old prophet lied to the man of God and deceived him.
1 Kings 13:18-19 – He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him. So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.
Now the story gets even more bizarre because as they were eating the old prophet began to prophesy against the man of God because he disobeyed God’s command to not eat in Bethel, saying:
1 Kings 13:21-22 – Thus saith the Lord, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the Lord, and hast not kept the commandment which the Lord thy God commanded thee, but camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the Lord did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers.
When the man of God left to go home, tragedy occurred.
1 Kings 13:24 – And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcass.
The report of the tragedy came to the old prophet who then went out to find the body of the man of God. He found the body of the man of God but noticed something very unusual.
1 Kings 13:28 – And he went and found his carcass cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcass: the lion had not eaten the carcass, nor torn the ass.
This was clearly a divine event as the lion did not consume the flesh of the man of God, nor did the lion harm the donkey he was riding, but stood next to them and waited. So what is it that we can learn from this unusual story?
Beware who you listen to! Why did the man of God yield to the words spoken by the old prophet, even though they went contrary to what God had told him? Could it be because that he had respect for the older prophet once he identified himself as a prophet? Did he think that the older prophet, being more experienced, may have been able to hear better from God than he could? Whatever the reason for listening to the old prophet, it cost him his life for disobeying God’s instructions to him.
This is a warning that tells us that we should not heed the words of any person, regardless of their credentials or reputation, if their words go contrary to what God says in His Word, or what God has spoken directly to you as an individual.
The old prophet turned out to be a liar! Who is the father and source of lies? Satan!
John 8:44 – Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Prophets or other ministers can mislead you, especially if their motivation is wrong or selfish. They may not do so nefariously or for ill intent, but if wrongly motivated they can be used by the devil to mislead you or to corrupt your way. Consider the apostle Peter who did this twice; once at the mount of transfiguration, and second when Jesus said that he was to be crucified.
Matthew 17:4-5 – Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
Peter may have had good intentions, but it went contrary to what God wanted, who then instructed Peter “hear ye Him”, referring to Jesus, and to heed His words. Peter again spoke words contrary to the Will of God, which he though was of good intent but yet was contrary, and actually of the devil.
Matthew 16:21-23 – From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan:
Here is another warning to consider: there are false prophets who never speak the word of God; but there are also true prophets who, at times, can speak falsely because of their own fleshly motives.
Matthew 7:15-16 – Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits.
The conclusion of this article is to beware of who you listen to so that you will not be deceived or misled, because the consequences could be harmful, even deadly. The way to avoid being misled is to read and know the Word of God (the Bible), and maintain a vigilant prayer life so that you can know the voice of God and obey His commands.
By W. G. Guy
There is an account recorded in the Bible that illustrates a warning to beware of who you listen to. It occurred at the time in ancient Israel when it was divided into two kingdoms; Judah which was ruled over by Rehoboam, and the rest of Israel under the reign of Jeroboam. (This account is recorded in 1 Kings 13.)
King Jeroboam took upon himself the function of a priest by making sacrifices and burning incense on an altar that he set up in Bethel; which was contrary to what God had ordained. A man of God, a prophet from Judah, was sent by God to Jeroboam to rebuke what Jeroboam was doing in false worship.
1 Kings 13:1 – And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the Lord unto Beth-el: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.
This man’s name was never given as he is only referred to as “the man of God”. He spoke a judgment against Jeroboam’s altar of sacrifice that it will be destroyed. He spoke the word in front of Jeroboam as he was offering up incense on the altar. Jeroboam was angered at the words of the prophet and tried to lay hold of the man of God, but as he did, Jeroboam’s hand withered and shriveled up so that he could no longer use it.
1 Kings 13:4-5 – And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Beth-el, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him. The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord
At that time the altar broke in half just as the man of God said it would.
1 Kings 13:6 – And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the face of the Lord thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.
King Jeroboam begged the man of God to pray for him and ask God to restore his hand, which he did, and Jeroboam’s hand was immediately fully restored. As a result of seeing that the prophet was truly of God, he wanted to give him a reward by offering a feast for him in his palace. However, the man of God refused because he was instructed by God not to eat or drink in Bethel; so he left without accepting and was obedient to what God told him.
1 Kings 13:9 – for so was it charged me by the word of the Lord, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest.
At this point the story takes a strange turn that brings about the moral of this account. There was an old prophet living in Bethel that heard what had happened to the altar and Jeroboam, and he went out to fetch the younger prophet to bring him back to his home to eat before his journey back to Judah. The man of God declined the offer again quoting God’s command to him. At this point the old prophet lied to the man of God and deceived him.
1 Kings 13:18-19 – He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him. So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.
Now the story gets even more bizarre because as they were eating the old prophet began to prophesy against the man of God because he disobeyed God’s command to not eat in Bethel, saying:
1 Kings 13:21-22 – Thus saith the Lord, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the Lord, and hast not kept the commandment which the Lord thy God commanded thee, but camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the Lord did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers.
When the man of God left to go home, tragedy occurred.
1 Kings 13:24 – And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcass.
The report of the tragedy came to the old prophet who then went out to find the body of the man of God. He found the body of the man of God but noticed something very unusual.
1 Kings 13:28 – And he went and found his carcass cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcass: the lion had not eaten the carcass, nor torn the ass.
This was clearly a divine event as the lion did not consume the flesh of the man of God, nor did the lion harm the donkey he was riding, but stood next to them and waited. So what is it that we can learn from this unusual story?
Beware who you listen to! Why did the man of God yield to the words spoken by the old prophet, even though they went contrary to what God had told him? Could it be because that he had respect for the older prophet once he identified himself as a prophet? Did he think that the older prophet, being more experienced, may have been able to hear better from God than he could? Whatever the reason for listening to the old prophet, it cost him his life for disobeying God’s instructions to him.
This is a warning that tells us that we should not heed the words of any person, regardless of their credentials or reputation, if their words go contrary to what God says in His Word, or what God has spoken directly to you as an individual.
The old prophet turned out to be a liar! Who is the father and source of lies? Satan!
John 8:44 – Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Prophets or other ministers can mislead you, especially if their motivation is wrong or selfish. They may not do so nefariously or for ill intent, but if wrongly motivated they can be used by the devil to mislead you or to corrupt your way. Consider the apostle Peter who did this twice; once at the mount of transfiguration, and second when Jesus said that he was to be crucified.
Matthew 17:4-5 – Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
Peter may have had good intentions, but it went contrary to what God wanted, who then instructed Peter “hear ye Him”, referring to Jesus, and to heed His words. Peter again spoke words contrary to the Will of God, which he though was of good intent but yet was contrary, and actually of the devil.
Matthew 16:21-23 – From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan:
Here is another warning to consider: there are false prophets who never speak the word of God; but there are also true prophets who, at times, can speak falsely because of their own fleshly motives.
Matthew 7:15-16 – Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits.
The conclusion of this article is to beware of who you listen to so that you will not be deceived or misled, because the consequences could be harmful, even deadly. The way to avoid being misled is to read and know the Word of God (the Bible), and maintain a vigilant prayer life so that you can know the voice of God and obey His commands.
