Title: Temptation under an Oak
Text: 1 Kings 13: 1-34
Date: March 21, 2013
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
Our
text is 1 Kings 13: 1-34. The man of God in our text was a prophet, entrusted
by his heavenly Master with carrying forth the word of God. He represents every
God-sent preacher, as well as every believer who is indeed a witness for Christ
Jesus our Master.
I. THE FAITHFULNESS OF THE PROPHET IN
DELIVERING THE MESSAGE--1 Kings 13: 1: And, behold, there came a man of God out
of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar
to burn incense.
The man
of God wasted no time. He went right to the place where Jeroboam worshipped. When
he arrived, Jeroboam was engaged in the very idolatry the man of God was sent
to preach against.
He Cried Against the Altar
Verse
two says, he “cried against the altar.” The stone of the altar was probably
softer than the hard-heart in Jeroboam? By addressing the altar, he discredits
Jeroboam’s false gods and shames Jeroboam.
Application: Those sent to preach in Christ’s name have a divine
commission to preach AGAINST all false religion and corruption of this
world.
Any
doctrine which gives man room to glory is false. All sinned in Adam, all were conceived in
sin, all come forth dead in trespasses and in sins, all sin because sin is what
we are. Not one sinner saved by the
grace of God has any room to boast for we contribute nothing to our salvation
at any point in our salvation. The gospel gives no sinner room to glory in his
presence.
Salvation
is of the Lord. Election is of God the
Father. Redemption is of the GodMan, Christ the Son of God. Regeneration is of
the God the Holy Spirit. We are kept by the power of God. Whatever good works
the believer does were before ordained by God that we should walk in them—they
are but our reasonable service.
The wrath
of God is surely against all free-will, works religion which gives a sinner
room to boast. It is idolatry the same as Jeroboam’s idolatry.
Jeremiah 9: 23: Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man
glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the
rich man glory in his riches: 24: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that
he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise
lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things
I delight, saith the LORD.
He Cried In the Word of the LORD
Secondly,
notice his faithfulness in that he cried, verse two says, “IN the word of the
LORD.” It does not say he cried “the word of the LORD,” but that he cried “IN
the word of the LORD.”
God’s
true messengers along with every true believer not only bear witness of the
word of God, but we live—IN the Word of God. For believers, the gospel of
Christ and him crucified is not merely a system of doctrine but Christ’s words
are the words of eternal life. He is our Life, our Righteousness, our Redeemer
and our redemption who justified us by his own blood, reconciled us to God when
we were yet enemies in our minds by wicked works. Christ is the very heartbeat IN our inner man
and the very Power and Strength IN whom we live.
Romans 8: 9: But ye are not in the flesh, but IN the
Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.
Colossians 3: 3: For ye are dead, and your life is hid
with Christ in God. 4: When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then
shall ye also appear with him in glory.
He Preached Christ and him Crucified
Thirdly,
we see his faithfulness in the message itself. In type, the message delivered
was the gospel of the conquering Son of David, Christ Jesus the Lord, in verse
two, “O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto
the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of
the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men’s bones shall be burnt
upon thee. 3: And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign
which the LORD hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that
are upon it shall be poured out.”
Josiah
is a type of Christ. His name is a compound of—“foundation” and
“JAH-Jehovah.”—Jehovah Jesus is our Foundation. Josiah was a Son of David like
our Savior is the Offspring of David. Like Josiah was prophesied to come years
before and named by name, so was Christ our Savior, even a sign was given like
it was here.
Isaiah 7: 14: Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a
sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name
Immanuel.
The man
of God declared that Josiah would burn the bones of the false priests upon that
very altar. This prophecy was not fulfilled for 360 years; yet, when the time
fixed by the counsel of God arrived, not one thing failed to be accomplished of
all the prophet declared should come to pass. Josiah not only did exactly as God said he
would, Josiah also gave himself to destroy all idolatry out of the land, then
after that he set his hand to rebuild the house of the LORD.
Likewise,
at the time set from eternity, Christ our Redeemer came forth and fulfilled all
that was written in the law and the prophets concerning him. After fulfilling the law for his people, purging
all the sins of all the elect of God on the cross, and bruising Satan’s head—Christ
arose the victorious Head of his church. He is now breaking down idolatry in
the hearts of his redeemed through the gospel, giving life through the Holy Spirit,
calling each one to faith in Christ. Our Masterbuilder is building up the house
of God with his living stones gathered from the four corners of the earth.
Brethren, you are…
Ephesians 2: 19:…of the household of God; 20: And are
built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself
being the chief corner stone; 21: In whom all the building fitly framed
together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22: In whom ye also are
builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
So we
see the man of God stood courageously before this powerful king Jeroboam and
preached faithfully against all the idolatrous works of men’s hands, declaring
Christ and him crucified.
II. SECONDLY, WE SEE THE MAN OF GOD’S
FAITHFULNESS AT THE VIOLENT REACTION OF THE KING—1 Kings 13: 4 And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard
the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Bethel, 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. 5:
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.
The Outstretched Hand
The
kings outstretched hand shows us natural man’s opposition to the gospel of
Jesus Christ. When the unregenerate man hears the gospel that “Christ is the
end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes,” that there is “none
other name under heaven whereby we must be saved,” he hears God speak against
his idols, against his false refuge, against him. (Rom 10: 1-4; Acts 4: 12) The response of the hard-heart of rebellion
is violence as seen in verse four, “he put forth his hand from the altar,
saying, Lay hold on him.” Instead of
removing his hand from his idol to lay hold of Christ by faith he reached forth
to destroy the messenger—and would do the same to God if he could reach him. The fool says in his heart, “No, God!”
The Prayer of the Rebellious
We see
the necessity of the new birth. The kings hand withered, the altar rent, the
ashes were poured out, “according to the sign which the man of God had given by
the word of the LORD.” Surely this will bring about repentance in the king!
Nope! Verse six gives this sad request of Jeroboam, “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.”
Application: Until God gives a new heart, not only will a man not
repent, but a man doesn’t even know what to pray for as he ought. The king only
wanted his hand healed, not his heart. But
God made his hand to wither to show the believer, “No weapon formed against
thee shall prosper.” (Isaiah 54: 17)
Faithfulness in the Face of Violence
Still, the
man of God stood firm and faithful against this violent reaction, verse six, “And
the man of God besought the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored him again,
and became as it was before.” Faithfulness is shown here in not rendering evil
for evil; but being of a forgiving spirit. How often Satan attempts to overcome
us in this way! Though the king had
stretched out HIS hand against him, the man of God lifted up HIS hand to heaven
for him. And God healed him.
In
healing the withered hand of his enemy, at the intercession of the man of God,
we see a picture of the mercy of God who for the sake of Christ, forgives the
sin of his people, though enemies in our minds, at the ever-prevailing
intercession of Christ Jesus.
Application: Our Savior instructs us to “Bless them that curse you,
and pray for them which despitefully use you.” (Lk 6: 28)
1 Peter 2: 19: For this is thankworthy, if a man for
conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. 20: For what glory is
it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but
if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is
acceptable with God. 21: For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also
suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: 22: Who
did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: 23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again;
when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth
righteously: 24: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree,
that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes
ye were healed….
III. THIRDLY, WE SEE HIS FAITHFULNESS IN
RESISTING THE TEMPTING OF THE KING—I Kings 13: 7: And the king said unto the
man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a
reward.
Faithfulness against Craftiness
Satan
has many weapons in his arsenal. The king failed in the use of violence; now he
attempts to overcome the man of God by craftiness. How often this is the case! A man whose heart is raging against Christ, first
speaks ill or does some harm rejecting our gospel in some way. Then he seeks to
draw you to his side. Why?
Application: This is very important. If the man who rejects our gospel
can get God’s preacher or deacons to appear as his friend then the truth we
stand for is discredited before the people while him and his false gospel has
gained credibility in the eyes of the people.
The man
of God remained faithful—how so? 1 Kings 13: 8: And the man of God said unto
the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee,
neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place: 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. 10: So he went another way, and
returned not by the way that he came to Bethel.
Remember,
Christ ate with publicans and sinners, he even went into the house of
Pharisee’s. But once a man rejected the gospel, he charged us, “Let them alone!”
2 Corinthians 6: 14: Be ye not unequally yoked together
with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?...17:
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and
touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18: And will be a Father
unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
IV. LASTLY, WE SEE THE MAN OF GOD ERR.—I Kings 13: 11:
Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had
done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they
told also to their father…14: And went after the man of God, and found him
sitting under an oak: and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest
from Judah? And he said, I am. 15: Then he said unto him, Come home with me,
and eat bread. 16: And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with
thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place: 17: For
it was said to me by 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. 18 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.
The Tempter was an Old Prophet
Notice,
the tempter was not a ferocious king, but an old prophet. Let’s see what lessons
we can learn from the tempter.
First, this
man may be a false prophet or he may be true; it is hard to say. All
indications point to him being false: he was living in a land of idolatry, he allowed
his sons to attend idolatrous worship. But the question mark over this man is
the very point. A questionable character is better left alone. Judge righteous
judgment.
Secondly,
the old prophet used their common offices to persuade the man of God in verse
eighteen, “I am a prophet also as thou art.” Beware when men attempt to appeal to
any commonalities other than the truth of Christ. Christ is the tie that binds—what think ye of
Christ?
Thirdly,
the old prophet flat out lied in verse eighteen, saying, “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.” Remember, BEFORE
THE FALL SATAN USED A SERPENT, AFTER SIN ENTERED IN, NOW SATAN USES MEN.
2 Corinthians 11: 13: For such are false apostles,
deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14: And
no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15: Therefore
it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of
righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
Fourthly,
here was the main reason that the man of God should not have given ear to this
man, the man of God knew clearly the will of God in this matter. Read verse
seventeen, “For it was said to me by
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.”
Application: If we sit down to meat with freewill, works
religionists—especially in worship, joining ourselves with them—we will return
by the same way we came, like a dog returning to his vomit—and go backward at a
much quicker rate, than we came forward in the race set before us. (2 Peter 2:
20-22) Run the race looking to Christ alone. Turn not back again. (Hebrews 12:
1-2)
The Man of God Sitting Under the Oak
Now,
let’s look at the man of God. He was sitting under an oak, instead of
travelling on home. Let’s see what lessons we can learn from the error the man
of God made.
First,
remember, often the real trial comes after we think the trial is over. He may have
been tired. But most likely, after his
successful resistance of the king, he had become self-complacent and full of self-confidence.
Beware of false security after we have proven faithful in one trial. It is only
by the grace of God that sinful creatures like us prove faithful. We have absolutely no reason to ever think we
have some sufficiency in ourselves. “Wherefore let him that thinketh he
standeth take heed lest he fall.” (1 Cor 10: 12)
Secondly,
remember, it is dangerous to hang around the scene of temptation. If the Lord opens the door to go in and preach
in a place of will-worship, once you have preached, go home. If the man of God
had continued on, instead of stopping, he would not have been overtaken by the
old prophet.
Thirdly,
generally speaking, in our life as believers, we must not eat and drink by the
way; redeem the time, but do not waste time. God has given us a commission to
set forth the gospel. We must not become
entangled with the affairs of this life or we will surely forget the reason we
are here in the first place.
2 Timothy 2: 4: No man that warreth entangleth himself
with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be
a soldier.
Matthew 6:24: No man can serve two masters: for either he
will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and
despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
The Chastening Hand of our Heavenly Father
The
chastening hand of our heavenly Father now comes upon the man of God. God our Father shall chasten his servants.
God often uses the very one who tempted us to also rebuke us as we see in verse
nineteen, “So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank
water. 20: And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the
LORD came unto the prophet that brought him back: 21 And he cried unto the man of God that came
from Judah, saying, 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, 22 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.”
Mercy in Chastening
Also,
we see mercy in his chastening. Before we read this, I remind you, this is only
temporal judgment, like Moses who the Lord chastened. (Deuteronomy 3: 25-27; 34: 4-6; Numbers 20:
12) Christ has born the just judgment
for the iniquities of his people on the cross. Nothing can separate those for
whom Christ died and has brought to faith in Christ from Christ. (Romans 8:
34-39)
Therefore,
understand, that when believers “are judged we are chastened of the LORD, that
we should not be condemned with the world.” (1 Cor 11: 32) We see mercy in the
fact that the LORD did not allow the dead body of his servant to be torn in
verse twenty-four, “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 carcase.” Then again
in verse twenty-eight, “And he went and found his carcase cast in the way, and
the ass and the lion standing by the carcase: the lion had not eaten the
carcase, nor torn the ass.”
The
Lord allowed the lion to go so far but stopped him. Then the Lord used the ravenous lion,
contrary to his instincts, to stand over the body of his prophet as a kind
guardian. God showed mercy in that the man of God had a proper burial. The old
prophet performed the ceremony, and pretended to mourn, saying, “Alas, my
brother!” like those who weep for those they treated so badly in their
lifetime.
One last lesson: We cannot judge of a man’s eternal state
from the way in which he may be taken out of this world. The man of God sinned,
within a few hours a lion slays him. But the lying prophet that seduced him lives
on, and goes to his grave in peace and wicked Jeroboam continues his idolatrous
worship, and treads upon the grave of his reprover. But there is a judgment to
come, when what appears to be inequality, will be made clear with impartial
justice.
Brethren, follow the Lord. Our unfaithfulness is all of us; our
faithfulness is to the praise of God’s grace. Set your affection on things above
where Christ sits, and follow him.
Amen!