Be Careful Who You Trust!
Today’s Reading – 1 Kings 13 – 15
My attention this morning is drawn to chapter thirteen and the account of the prophet that was sent from the southern kingdom of Judah with a message for Jeroboam, the king of the northern kingdom, Israel. He was sent with a message of judgment to Jeroboam:
And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, 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. 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. (1 Kings 13:2 & 3)
At the end of this unpleasant meeting with Jeroboam, this un-named prophet is asked to go back with Jeroboam to get something to eat and to receive a reward. The prophet flatly refuses to go with Jeroboam because he was given strict instructions by God not to eat in Israel. On the way home, however, another man claiming to be a prophet asks him to go with him and get something to eat. This man lies to him and tells him that God told him that it was OK. As a result, the prophet from Judah goes with him; but soon discovers that he was tricked into disobeying the clear commandment of God; and it cost him his life.
Christian, you and I need to be careful who we listen to. Sometimes people pretending to represent God will come to us and try to get us to do things that are clearly against the plain teaching of the Word of God. We are to trust the Bible; and we can trust the men and women that preach and teach the Bible correctly; but the Bible itself is always the final authority. Be careful who you trust.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 7 comments.
This has been so true too many times in my life. It’s easy to have your decisions swayed in one direction or another by someone who talks a good game. Most of the time when I let that happen, I got burned. That’s why it’s SO important to make sure the decision you’re making is actually what God wants. I did have some questions about this passage though… Was this man really a prophet? If he was, why didn’t God judge him for lying about what God said? And was he trying to be hurtful to the other prophet? Or was he just trying to get him to come back so he could talk to him? And if he was in fact trying to be malicous, why was he upset about the prophet’s death, and why did he have him buried in his own grave? Any thoughts….?
Thanks Pastor for your daily wisdom. My family and I have been so blessed since we came to this church. Thanks for showing us by your example to keep our eyes on Christ and to live for eternity! press toward the mark…
You need to know who you can trust when it comes to making an important decision such as when buying a house or applying for credit. I can relate to this because I have a family who was in trouble a few years back and didn’t seek assistance from family members or clergy. She did an act that was so out of character which took me a long to forgive and to assist so she does not go back to her old habits. It is paramount when it comes to making a decision, is it a decision you can live with as well as G-d.
I wonder if we would really just trusted God with our problems, we wouldnt ever have to get tricked into something. I feel like people know what to say to make you feel better. They trick you into believing them, and somtimes it isnt even bible. They are very good at it, and try to make it sound so right, when it is so wrong. Everytime I am faced with a decision, I always try to listen to the still small voice inside telling me what I should do, instead of being tricked into something thats not God.
Hey pastor,
When I was reading this i felt that its about how we do things Gods way and not the World.If you trust Gods way no matter what he will guide you through life obstacles. But if you take the Worlds way thats the first step for Satan to attack you. In basic terms we just need to trust God cause if you trust God no matter what just about anything wont go wrong
Allowing yourself to simply trust anybody can be a vital mistake. Although it supposedly “takes time” to build a trusting relationship, the oldest of relationships can still be flawed. The only way to truly make sure advice is worth taking is if it come directly from the Bible. Why trust man to help make decisions for yourself when you are fortunate enough to have God in your life? Since other’s opnions will not always be Biblically correct, not taking someone’s word for everything is important. Having faith that trusting God will ultimately lead you to the right decision is beyond important and will get you through the toughest times and decisions in your life with ease.
Going away from these “friends” and simply trusting God is something that I am currently and will always go through. Although it can be difficult and tempting at times, being able to know that I am doing the right thing in God’s eyes allows me to become a better individual. I will never regret making a decision that I have taken from the Bible.
That’s good stuff Sam!