1 Kings 13 – The crazy old prophet

1 Kings 13 is a curious story about a man of God coming to denounce the altars that Jeroboam set up at the borders of Israel (1 Kings 12). After the oracle, the man of God is enticed by an old prophet to eat and drink in Israel, and thus violating the command given to the man of God. A lion kills the man of God; the old prophet collects his bones so they can be buried together. While there are hard parts to this story (like what is going on with that old prophet), the Lord’s message is clear: obey what I say. We can be used by God to proclaim His message vocally, or we can become an object lesson that shows that very same message. Lord help us choose the former.