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Ärende: LESSON 10 - The Man of God: Obedience Is Not Optional
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LESSON 10
November 27 - December 3
The Man of God: Obedience Is Not Optional

SABBATH AFTERNOON

Read for This Week's Study:

Exodus 32, 1 Kings 13:1-34, Dan. 5:13-17, Luke 16:31, John 15:24, 2 Tim. 4:3.

Memory Text:

"Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the
prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of
man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2
Peter 1:20, 21, NIV).
 This week we will look at one of the strangest stories in the Old Testament.
On first glance we discover a renegade king, a prophet who makes specific food
prohibitions, an altar that splits open like a cracked egg, and then, more
disturbing, a lying old prophet and a selectively dangerous lion.

The story takes place in the first years of the divided monarchy, a time of
political and religious tension. Under the leadership of Jeroboam (and with the
express blessing of the Lord, 1 Kings 11:29-39), the ten tribes of Israel have
separated themselves from Rehoboam, the son of Solomon and heir to the Davidic
kingdom. War hangs in the air, and it is during this time of instability and
change that God sends his prophet with a specific message to King Jeroboam
about the idolatrous worship in the Northern kingdom, which would prove
ultimately to be its ruin.

Below the surface of this story about a nameless prophet lies the important
issue of obedience and how seriously God takes our obedience. Whatever the
unanswered questions, this story shows that any expression of the gospel
without resulting obedience is, of necessity, a false gospel.

*Study this week's lesson to prepare for Sabbath, December 4.
SUNDAY
November 28

The Politics of Religion

After the death of Solomon, the poor judgment of Rehoboam, his son, led to the
division of the nation, with King Jeroboam ruling in Israel, the northern
kingdom, and Rehoboam in Judah, the southern kingdom (see 1 Kings 12).

Not long after the break, Jeroboam set the northern kingdom on a very dangerous
path. He did not deliberately set out to lead Israel from a worship of God to
idolatry; instead, he was acting from political expediency. He created two
centers of worship, one at Bethel and one at Dan. He claimed to be trying to
make things easier for the Israelites, so that they would not have to travel
all the way to Jerusalem in order to worship. The golden calves were simply to
be a visual reminder of God (not a representation) and were to make worship
more credible for the common Israelite. What started as a political move,
however, led to the breaking of the Ten Commandments (Exod. 20:4, 5).

What similarities can be noted between the golden calf episode in Exodus 32 and
Jeroboam's golden calves? See 1 Kings 12:25-33.

It is necessary to be innovative in worship and adapt worship to our specific
cultural contexts, but we must be so careful. Even a small deviation from a
clear command of God has far-reaching effects. In the case of Israel, the
golden calves led the nation on a path toward blatant sin. But things did not
stop there. Jeroboam was obliged to make other changes, as well. He wanted to
persuade some of the Levites, living within his borders, to serve as priests at
his newly established shrines. However, they saw the dangers and were not
prepared to contradict God's commands; thus, Jeroboam was compelled to make
priests of common people (1 Kings 12:31, 32), which in turn degraded the sacred
office.

The story of Jeroboam's religious-political changes should have served as a
warning to the early Christian church; however, the same thing happened. Divine
commandments were changed due to political or social influences. Sunday instead
of Sabbath was now the new "holy" day, in order to distinguish the church from
the Jews. The veneration of saints was introduced in order to make the worship
of God more visual for heathen believers. The pressures that led to these
changes are by no means limited to the time of Jeroboam or early Christianity.
Today, as a church, we face many similar challenges.
What kinds of cultural pressure is your own church facing? How susceptible are
you to cultural pressures around you? How willingly do you compromise on
"little" things? 
MONDAY
November 29

God's Move

In the middle of Jeroboam's political moves, God steps in and makes Himself
heard. He speaks through a prophet from Judah. This unnamed prophet makes his
appearance just as Jeroboam is standing before his altar at the dedication
ceremony for the shrine. Anyone who was anybody in the kingdom of Israel would
have been there. God selected the most opportune moment to act. The result is
dramatic.

Read 1 Kings 13:1-6. What happens here? What immediate lessons come to mind
from this narrative?

The prophet, though not named, is referred to as the man of God. This was a
common title used for a person recognized as a messenger of God. It was used
for Moses (Deut. 33:1) and Elijah (1 Kings 17:18). This title connects our
nameless prophet with some of the great prophets of the Old Testament; thus,
the reader's expectations for him are high. The man of God cries out against
Jeroboam's altar and gives a prophecy. In the prophecy, a specific name,
Josiah, is mentioned (1 Kings 13:2). This is amazing, because Josiah is born
almost three centuries afterward. It reminds us of Cyrus, the Persian, whose
name is mentioned by the prophet Isaiah about two hundred  years before his
birth (see Isa. 44:28, 45:1).

What are the main points of the message the man of God brings? First, the altar
is illegal, and the man of God predicts that a descendent of David named Josiah
will defile it. This is exactly what Jeroboam most fears. He is establishing
these worship centers especially to avoid losing his kingdom to someone who
sits on David's throne. The second part of the message provides an immediate
demonstration of God's power, thus guaranteeing the prophecy's future
fulfillment. Before the eyes of everyone, the altar splits apart. Perhaps this
is meant to remind the onlookers of the tablets of the Ten Commandments that
Moses broke at the worship of the first golden calf.

It seems as if Jeroboam has learned nothing from history. He has two golden
calves instead of one. And now instead of being repentant, Jeroboam points at
the man of God. Pointing the hand, stick, or scepter has always been a sign of
judgment in biblical times. Jeroboam wants to have him arrested. So much for
surrendering to the will of God.
How, in this story, do we see the mercy of God presented, even to someone as
stubborn as Jeroboam? How often do you find yourself expressing a similar
attitude toward the clear leading of God? What have been the personal
consequences of that attitude? 
TUESDAY
November 30

The Giver of Gifts

It is a spectacular miracle. Jeroboam's hand, which had "dried up, so that he
could not pull it in again" (1 Kings 13:4), is immediately restored. After such
convincing evidence, we would expect at least a public confession from
Jeroboam, the king. But miracles cannot change our will. Even after a dramatic
intervention by God, it is surprisingly easy to find a "natural" explanation or
just simply to go back to our old habits.

What did Jesus say about the connection between miracles and belief? Luke
16:31, John 10:25-28, 15:24. Why do you think this is so true of us? 
Instead of abandoning his worship activities and wholeheartedly beginning a
reformation, Jeroboam simply changes tactics (see 1 Kings 13:7-10). He invites
the man of God home with him and offers him a reward. This was a political move
aimed at neutralizing the effect of the message on the people who witnessed the
miracle. King Jeroboam is offering to take the man of God into his employ. Only
the one who is in charge or who is soliciting a service is in a position to
offer a reward, but God's man is never to be on sale. He owes his allegiance to
God and cannot let his messages from God be modified by whoever might be
sponsoring him.

Read 2 Kings 5:14-16 and Daniel 5:13-17. How did the prophets respond to the
offers of gifts? 
Giving a gift places the giver in a position of power and the receiver "owes"
the giver. The man of God refuses the king's gift and goes on to state that he
will not eat or drink in the territory of Israel. By not accepting Jeroboam's
hospitality, the man of God says "No" to mixing true worship with idolatry.
God's people should not be for sale. They should walk a different route. The
man of God did not have too far to walk, because the inauguration of the shrine
at Bethel took place about 2 kilometers (1.4 miles) from the border with Judah.
The next town in Judah's territory was Mizpah, a 10 kilometers (7 miles) walk
from Bethel. The man of God was to show how revolting the idolatrous system was
to God through a dramatic object lesson of not eating and drinking and even by
taking a different route home.
How is the giving of gifts or favors viewed in your culture? Are you indebted
to anyone by gifts that you receive? Pray for God's wisdom in helping you
disentangle yourself from any compromising situations that you might find
yourself in because of gifts given you. 
WEDNESDAY
December 1

Tempting Lies

God's dramatic intervention at the inauguration ceremony gives the ordinary
people plenty to talk about. Some young men go home and tell their father all
about the man of God. The father's name is not given, but we learn that he is
old and that he is actually a prophet himself. This old prophet decides to go
after the man of God and finds him sitting under a tree.

Read 1 Kings 13:11-19. Compare this passage with the first temptation and lie
in Genesis 3:1-5. What similarities are there, and what can we learn from these
episodes?


The man of God must have understood something of the urgency of his mission. He
was told to give his message to the king and then not to take any time for
eating or drinking but to return straight back. However, here he is, sitting
under a tree in Israel, taking it easy. He could have walked the 2 kilometers
(1.4 miles) and then could have sat under a tree in Judah. By losing his sense
of urgency, the man of God was opening himself to temptation.

The old prophet deceives the man of God. We do not know what motivates the old
prophet to deceive him. Whatever his motivation, the Bible tells us that "he
lied" (1 Kings 13:18, NKJV). In this moment the old prophet becomes an agent of
Satan, the father of lies (John 8:44). Perhaps an even more disturbing part of
the story is that the man of God seems so easily taken in. After so obviously
being led of God, after so obviously doing the Lord's will, he just falls for
the trick and goes directly against what God has told him to do.

It's really hard to understand, isn't it? We would like to excuse him for
disobeying God, since he was led astray. But God never excuses belief in a lie
when the lie is directly opposed to a clear command that He has given.

Temptation revolves around the choice to disobey God's revealed will.
Temptations don't change as much as the forms of the temptations do. Hebrews
4:15 tells us that Jesus was tempted as we are. The same basic temptations we
face (albeit in modern disguise) were faced and conquered by Jesus. Jesus
promises us insight and a "way of escape" so that we would not be taken in by
Satan's lies (1 Cor. 10:13).
How easily do you allow temptations to lead you into direct conflict with God's
revealed will? What can you do, what choices can you make, to protect yourself
from the temptations that so easily trap you? 
THURSDAY
December 2

Twin Temptations

The man of God faced two temptations. The first, which he powerfully resisted,
came from the king; the second, which he succumbed to, came from the old
prophet. What important lesson can we take from this for ourselves? See 2 Tim.
4:3, 2 Pet. 2:1, Jude 4-16.

The greatest threat to our faith is not persecution from the outside by
political powers but rather false prophets and teachers who come from within us
or who claim to speak in God's name.

It is important to have a clear word from the Lord. In other words, we need to
study God's Word, the Bible, for ourselves. A true prophet or teacher will not
contradict other inspired revelation. Because God never contradicts Himself,
any new prophecy or teaching from God will add to established truth and not
subtract from it. It also will encourage obedience and never disobedience.
Finally, we can judge prophets and teachers by the results of their teaching
for their audience and in their own lives.

Read 1 Kings 13:20-34. What happens next, and what lessons are there for us?

What is hard to understand in all this is why the old prophet lies to the man
of God to begin with. He starts out in the role of Satan, the deceiver, and
then, before the chapter is over, he is the one delivering the "Thus saith the
Lord" (vs. 21) to him. Although much is hard to understand, one thing in this
story shouldn't be: the man of God should not have so directly and blatantly
disregarded the clear command of the Lord.

The death of the man of God is not without effect. Unlike the king, who
witnessed a miracle and continued in his sin (see 1 Kings 13:33, 34), the old
prophet believes that God's Word will be fulfilled. He tells his sons that when
he dies they are to lay his bones beside the bones of the man of God. The
prophecy made by the man of God from Judah is literally fulfilled by Josiah
three centuries later (2 Kings 23:15, 16). As prophesied, Josiah burns bones on
the altar; however, he spares the bones of the man of God and also,
consequentially, the bones of the old prophet who was buried with him (2 Kings
23:17, 18).

Look at this verse: "It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of
the Lord" (1 Kings 13:26). What ironic but important message can we take from
this for ourselves? 
FRIDAY
December 3

Further Study:


"The Saviour overcame to show man how he may overcome. All the temptations of
Satan, Christ met with the word of God. By trusting in God's promises, He
received power to obey God's commandments, and the tempter could gain no
advantage. To every temptation His answer was, 'It is written.' So God has
given us His word wherewith to resist evil. Exceeding great and precious
promises are ours, that by these we 'might be partakers of the divine nature,
having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.' 2 Peter 1:4.

"Bid the tempted one look not to circumstances, to the weakness of self, or to
the power of temptation, but to the power of God's word. All its strength is
ours. 'Thy word,' says the psalmist, 'have I hid in mine heart, that I might
not sin against Thee.' 'By the word of Thy lips I have kept me from the paths
of the destroyer.' Psalms 119:11; 17:4."--Ellen G. White, The Ministry of
Healing, p. 181. 
Discussion Questions:


  Truth is progressive. As we better understand God's truth we may have to make
changes in our lives, beliefs, organization, outreach, etcetera. Keeping the
status quo is not an option. Discuss in your class how we can know whether our
proposed actions arise from God's leading or society's influence? 
 Discuss Jesus' model of socializing with sinners as opposed to the duty of the
man of God not to socialize and thus condone sin. How do we meet people where
they are? Give practical examples in your Sabbath School class to show how you
have come close to people and shown acceptance without encouraging sinful
practices.

  In many societies, the paying of bribes or giving of special gifts is part
and parcel of almost all business, legal, and political deals. How can we, as
Seventh-day Adventists, individually and as a church, survive in such
societies? Based on this week's lesson, as a class write some guidelines for
dealing with this problem.

 Imagine that someone in your church stands up and claims to have a message
from the Lord or that your head elder claims to have new biblical light on
last-day events. What would you do? How would you evaluate the claims?

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