1 Kings 13:23 - Meaning and Application

Here we see the death of the prophet who was deceived into disobedience. The old prophet who had misled him gave him an ass for the ride home, perhaps as if to make up for the wrong he had done. But along the way, a lion attacked and killed him (1 Kings 13:23-24). He had only turned back to rest when he was hungry, yet death came to him for it. See also Saul’s rash oath in (1 Samuel 14:43).

His sin was still serious, and being tricked by a lie did not make it right. He could not be as sure of a message passed on by another person as he was of the command God had given him directly. He had no good reason to think the command had been canceled while the reason for it still stood, namely, that he was to show open disgust for the wickedness of that place. He also had strong reason to doubt this old prophet, since the man did not speak up against the idolatry himself, and God had not used him as a witness against it. He should have paused and asked God for guidance instead of giving in so quickly. Did he think the old prophet’s house in Bethel was safer for eating than any other house there, when God had forbidden him to eat anywhere in that city? That would be to twist the command and set himself above God. And could hunger excuse him? Had he forgotten that man does not live by bread alone?

His death also brought glory to God. It showed, first, that nothing provokes God more than disobedience to a clear command, even in what seems like a small matter. That helps explain God’s dealings with Adam and Eve when they ate the forbidden fruit. It also showed that God is displeased with the sins of his own people. No one is protected in disobedience by being holy in office, near to God, or useful in his service.

God may also have used this as a righteous judgment to harden Jeroboam’s heart, since the king had not been changed by the withering of his hand. Jeroboam might have used the prophet’s death badly, saying the prophet got what he deserved for interfering with the altar, or that Providence had punished him for his boldness. Even so, God was warning all whom he sends that they must keep to their orders at their own peril.

We also see the strange protection of the prophet’s body, which showed mercy in the middle of judgment. The lion did not eat the body, and it did not even tear the ass (1 Kings 13:24-25). It did not attack the travelers who passed by and saw it, nor did it harm the old prophet when he came to recover the body. The lion had been sent only to kill the prophet, and no farther. In this way God showed that, though he was angry, his anger went no further than death.

The old prophet also took care over the burial. When he heard of the event, he concluded it was the man of God who had been disobedient to his Master, though the deeper blame still rested with the one who had deceived him. He said, “The Lord has handed him over to the lion” (1 Kings 13:26). It would have been more fitting for him to ask why the lion had not been sent against him and his house instead of against the good man he had cheated. Still, he took up the corpse (1 Kings 13:29). Though he may once have meant to mock him, now his conscience softened, and he wept over him. Like Joab mourning Abner, he was forced to grieve for the man whose death he had helped bring about. They said, “Alas, my brother” (1 Kings 13:30).

The case was deeply sad. Such a faithful, bold prophet died as if he were a criminal, while the lying old prophet lived in comfort and the idolatrous king enjoyed power and honor. God’s ways are often beyond our understanding. We cannot judge a person only by how he suffers, or judge a sin by whether punishment comes right away. In some cases the body is ruined so the soul may be saved. In others the body is spoiled by ease so the soul can ripen for judgment.

The old prophet then told his sons how to bury him. He ordered them to bury him in the same grave as the man of God, laying his bones beside the prophet’s bones, as close as possible (1 Kings 13:31). Though he himself had been a lying prophet, he wanted to die like a true prophet. In effect, he said, “Do not bury me with the sinners of Bethel, but with the man of God.” He gave two reasons.

First, he was confirming the warning the dead prophet had spoken. Since the same prediction had now been spoken by two witnesses, the word would be established, if only Jeroboam might still be persuaded to turn back. Second, he was honoring the dead prophet as a man whose words would stand even though he himself had fallen. Ministers die, sometimes too soon, but the word of the Lord does not die with them.

He was also thinking of his own safety. Since it had been foretold that human bones would be burned on Jeroboam’s altar, he wanted his bones placed next to the prophet’s so they would not be disturbed. In time, that is exactly what protected them (2 Kings 23:18). There is safety in good company, in life and in death.

The inscription on the prophet’s tomb is not mentioned here, but it is noted later (2 Kings 23:17). When Josiah asked what the marker meant, he was told it was the grave of the man of God who had come from Judah and had spoken these very words against the altar. So the epitaph preserved the memory of the prophecy and remained a standing witness against the idol worship at Bethel. It would not have served that purpose so clearly if the prophet had died and been buried somewhere else. The cities of Israel are called the cities of Samaria here, even though that name was not yet known, because the inspired writer used the language of his own time.

Finally, we see Jeroboam’s stubbornness in idolatry. He did not turn away from his evil way (1 Kings 13:33). Someone had repaired the altar God had torn down, and Jeroboam offered sacrifices on it again. He may have felt bolder because the prophet who had troubled him was now in the grave (Revelation 11:10), and because the warning seemed far off.

Many different means had been used to bring Jeroboam back, but nothing worked. Neither threats nor signs, neither punishments nor acts of mercy, moved him at all, so stubbornly was he attached to his calves. He did not even reform his priesthood. Instead, he made priests of anyone who would serve, no matter how untrained, immoral, or what tribe they came from.

This became sin for Jeroboam, meaning it first became a trap and then brought ruin on his house, cutting it off (1 Kings 13:34). The loss, trouble, and destruction of families are the fruit of sin. Jeroboam had hoped the calves would secure the crown for his family, but they ended up costing him the kingdom and bringing his house low. Those deceive themselves who think they can support themselves by any kind of sin.