But the old prophet answered, “I am a prophet, too, just as you are. And an angel gave me this command from the Lord: ‘Bring him home with you so he can have something to eat and drink.’” But the old man was lying to him. So they went back together, and the man of God ate and drank at the prophet’s home. (18-19)
This story of a young and old prophet is one of the most perplexing in Scripture. The young man of God travels all the way to Bethel to pronounce judgment on King Jeroboam. He is faithful in all of his ways and even performs a miracle by the power of God as a witness that his prophecy is true. The King tries to make him stay and disobey the Lord, but true to God’s command he refuses to stay and eat with the King. In that culture, it would have been a sign of friendship and approval of all the terrible things the King was doing. Then, the older “retired” prophet comes on the scene and hears about the young man of God. He tracks him down and tries to convince him to also stay and eat (against the command of God). When the young man insists, the old prophet tells him that “an angel gave him this command from the Lord” that he should go to his house and stay with him. The young prophet naively follows the old man home and by the end of the day a lion kills him because of his disobedience.
It is hard not to sympathize with this young prophet. He was living in a culture that revered the aged as well as hospitality; it was considered rude in those days to refuse hospitality when offered. Additionally, this old man claimed to be a prophet and supposedly had a message from God that superseded everything. Who can blame him for trusting this old prophet? This is a sobering reminder to each of us as we serve the Lord and as we listen to the supposed “prophets” of our day. Not everyone who claims to know the Lord really knows Him, and not everyone has our best interests at heart. Just because someone claims to be God’s messenger, it does not mean they can be trusted. I am not sure why the old prophet wanted the young one to come to his house. Perhaps he was lonely and wanted fellowship or perhaps he was jealous that another prophet had been sent by God to “his” territory. Either way, the prophet’s deception shows he was not a man of integrity. Just because someone has a title or a position this doesn’t mean they are truly “God’s man” or acting with integrity. We have to weigh everything people say and not go against the word of God. We have to be careful and obey the words of God more than the words of men. We will not be able to point a finger at someone else and say “they tricked me!” We are accountable for our choices, so we must be faithful in our actions and discerning in our spirits when people of influence encourage us to do the wrong things.
