Why this story matters

(commentary on 1 Kings 13)

(Page 1 of 3)

Introduction

Few people know this little gem of a story. It is woven into the narrative of Israel’s first king, following Israel's split from Judah. There are three main characters in the story but only one of them is identified by name. That's King Jeroboam. Jeroboam is the least virtuous of the three, while the man from Judah is obviously the most pious. virtuous. As for the old prophet, his virtue is a little harder to determine. If we look more closely at the three characters, and the consequences that follow their actions, we'll see why this story is a problem, and why it leaves Bible moralists scratching their heads.

The man of God

The central character is introduced in chapter 13 of the first book of Kings. He is referred to simply as a “man of God.” He has not been heard of prior to this in the Bible, and he will not be heard from again. We only know that he is a devout man and a prophet. He is clearly favored by Yahweh and has been sent by his god to deliver a prophecy to the king. He confronts Jeroboam but speaks directly to the alter: “O altar, altar! This is what the LORD says: 'A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who now make offerings here, and human bones will be burned on you " (13:2). As the illustrated story relates, the king tells his guards to seize him, then his hand withers, and is only restored by the prayers of the young man (13:4-6). At the same time, the alter splits and ashes spew out just at the man of God predicted. The king realizes this man has a close relationship with Yahweh, so he offers him a gift and invites him to the palace for a banquet. But the man demonstrates his devotion to Yahweh by refusing the offer. In the process he reveals the rule he was given to follow during his sojourn: “You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came” (13:9). So, having delivered the prophecy, he immediately heads back to Judah. So far, so good.

The Old Prophet

At this point, the second unnamed character enters the picture, and the story takes a strange twist. The Bible calls this character a “prophet”, but no one is sure if this means he is a prophet of Yahweh, or some other god, or if he was at one time a prophet of Yahweh who has since fallen from grace. As soon as he hears about the exploits of the man of God, he heads off to find him. There is no indication of any malicious intent here. As Adam Clarke puts it in his commentary,  “I can hardly think that this was with any evil design.” 

The old prophet catches up to the man of God and invites him back for a meal. When he refuses, the old prophet explains that he is a prophet too, and that an angel of the Lord told him to bring the man back for a meal (13:18). The Bible does tell us that the old prophet was lying, but it's still not clear if his intent was evil. He may have lied because he badly wanted to have the company of such a powerful prophet. Or, as Adam Clarke deduced, it may have been done out of pity:  “As he found the man of God sitting under an oak, probably faint with fatigue and fasting, for he had had no refreshment, his humanity might have led him to practice this deception, in order to persuade him to take some refreshment.” Whatever the real motivation of the old prophet was, the man of God certainly thinks he's telling the truth. After all, he was offered a banquet at the palace with a gift to follow and he refused. Why would he then accept a meager meal at an old man’s house?

 

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