1 Kings 13:18 18 The old prophet answered, “I too am a prophet, as you are. And an angel said to me by the word of the Lord: ‘Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.’ ” (But he was lying to him.)
I find it amazing when I read history and learn of the types of leaders that have ruled down through the millennia. There have been some good ones, but there have also been some very evil ones. Some seem good on the outside, but then their true nature comes to the forefront.
I have heard it said that people get the leaders they deserve! Yikes, that doesn’t say too much about the people. But I disagree with that. There are times when evil men have seized power and severely oppressed their people. The people didn’t deserve it. The leaders were evil.
This happens in the people of God sometimes. We get leaders who might seem like godly leaders, but then their character comes out. We have one such prophet in our text. He was regarded as someone who spoke for the LORD. The people around him trusted him. But then his character came out.
The story goes like this. The LORD raised up a man of God to speak a difficult word to the king. He spoke the word and the king seems to have repented in word only. So the man of God obeys the LORD by not staying and eating with the king, and by not returning home by the same road. (These two things were specific instructions the LORD had given the man of God.)
But there was that other leader, the prophet, who had other hidden intentions. We don’t know the reasons, only the outcome. He meets the man of God and deceives him. He lies right to his face. A prophet lying! Not them best example of godly leadership. And the man of God falls for the lie!
We don’t know the reason the man of God gave in to the prophet’s lie. He sounded convincing. He had the proper label of prophet. He claimed to have heard from the LORD. We just don’t know. Was he tired after the confrontation with the king? Had he let down his guard?
Unfortunately, the man of God comes to a tragic end. If only he had…. That is right! If only!
It is such a shame when we don’t finish the race well. When we give up before completion we run the real chance of ultimate failure.
Even when someone claims to be a leader, we are responsible for our actions. Obedience to the LORD supersedes every other instruction. We can never say, “They told me to do it,” and be excused. We are responsible for our actions, even if the leader claims to be a Jesus-follower. We must do what the LORD has instructed us to do. No excuses.
The Arnold Journey 