For it was said to me by the word of the Lord ,.... By the angel that was sent to him, who gave him his message and instructions; which he was persuaded came from the Lord himself, and therefore looked upon himself under obligation to regard them as such: thou shall eat no bread , &c.; the same that he observed to the king, 1 Kings 13:9 . read more
The Old Serpent again. As the ways of the serpent are tortuous so are those of Satan. If he cannot effect his purposes by moving in one direction he will move in another, and thus by crooked ways he advances ( Isaiah 27:1 ; Psalms 125:5 ). He had already tempted the man of God by means of the schismatic king, and failed; his next work is to see what influence an old prophet may have upon him. So versatile are his devices that it is our wisdom to be ever on the alert. Observe the... read more
For it was said to me [Heb. a word to me ] by [Heb. in ] the word of the Lord, Thou shalt eat no bread, nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest. read more
Jeroboam’s punishment (13:1-14:20)God soon showed that this new form of religion was totally unacceptable to him. A prophet from Judah came to Bethel and, by bold words and dramatic actions, condemned both the people and the king (13:1-10).However, there was another prophet, a much older man, who lived in Bethel and had apparently not spoken out against Jeroboam’s wrongdoing. The old prophet seems to have been jealous of the prophet from Judah, and decided to tempt him to disobey God’s command.... read more
eat no bread. To avoid what might have been offered to idols. read more
The prophecy of judgment on Jeroboam’s religious system 13:1-32God sent a young Judahite prophet to Bethel to announce a prophecy that God would judge Jeroboam for his apostasy. When he arrived, the king was exercising his priestly function at the Bethel altar (1 Kings 13:1)."Though kings could function as priests in certain circumstances (2 Samuel 6:12-15), it was strictly forbidden for them to offer incense for this was limited to the Aaronic priests alone (Numbers 16:39-40; 2 Chronicles... read more
The Disobedient Prophet2. Josiah] for the fulfilment see 2 Kings 23:15-20. Some 300 years separated the prediction from the event, and the mention by name of the king destined to accomplish it is unlike the methods of Hebrew prophecy in general. It is possible that the records upon which the present account is based were less precise, and that Josiah’s name was introduced by the compiler of the book of Kings, who lived after Josiah’s time and was familiar with what he had done. Offer] better,... read more
The Disobedient Prophet 1 Kings 13:26 I. Jeroboam had just successfully completed his idolatrous stroke of policy. He had set up a form of religion which, however much it might offend against God's truth, had at least this merit in his eyes, that it would strike a great blow against the established Church at Jerusalem, and be a serious injury to the State religion whose influence he abhorred and whose prestige more than anything else he dreaded as a dangerous political menace to his separatist... read more
JEROBOAM AND THE MAN OF GOD1 Kings 13:1-34 "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God."- 1 John 4:1WE are told that Jeroboam, whose position probably made him restless and insecure, first built or fortified Shechem, and then went across the Jordan and established another palace and stronghold at Penuel. After this he shifted his residence once more to the beautiful town of Tirzah, where he built for himself the palace which Zimri afterwards burnt over his... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Kings 13:11-22
The man of God had honestly and resolutely refused the king's invitation, though he promised him a reward; yet he was over-persuaded by an old prophet to come back with him, and dine in Beth-el, contrary to the command given him. Here we find how dearly his dinner cost him. Observe with wonder, I. The old prophet's wickedness. I cannot but call him a false prophet and a bad man, it being much easier to believe that from one of such a bad character should be extorted a confirmation of what the... read more