Stand Strong In Your Moral Convictions

Jeroboam built shrines on high places and appointed priests from all sorts of people, even though they were not Levites. He instituted a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the festival held in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. This he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves he had made. And at Bethel he also installed priests at the high places he had made. On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month of his own choosing, he offered sacrifices on the altar he had built at Bethel. So he instituted the festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to make offerings. 1 Kings 12:31-33 NIV

Jeroboam feared that if the people went to Jerusalem to sacrifice, as God instituted, they would be swayed to reunite the nation under Rehoboam and he would lose their allegiance, so he disregarded God’s law and provided an alternate way to worship. We live in a world that glorifies “tolerance,” but there are certain standards God has set in place that should never be compromised. The story of Jeroboam is a perfect example of the disaster that occurs when we take liberties with rules that God has set in stone. Jeroboam did things his way instead of God’s way and believed that any worship was good enough. When I look at the church of our generation and see all the compromise that has been accepted “in the name of Jesus,” I believe God finds it as offensive as the high places Jeroboam built.

By the word of the Lord a man of God came from Judah to Bethel, as Jeroboam was standing by the altar to make an offering. By the word of the Lord he cried out against the altar: “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 make offerings here, and human bones will be burned on you.’” That same day the man of God gave a sign: “This is the sign the Lord has declared: The altar will be split apart and the ashes on it will be poured out.”

When King Jeroboam heard what the man of God cried out against the altar at Bethel, he stretched out his hand from the altar and said, “Seize him!” But the hand he stretched out toward the man shriveled up, so that he could not pull it back. Also, the altar was split apart and its ashes poured out according to the sign given by the man of God by the word of the Lord. Then the king said to the man of God, “Intercede with the Lord your God and pray for me that my hand may be restored.” So the man of God interceded with the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored and became as it was before. 1 Kings 13:1-6 NIV

Jeroboam was so confused, he didn’t recognize that this man’s words were truly from God. He didn’t want anyone telling him he was wrong, so he ordered that the man be seized. I love this part of the story: The very hand he reached out toward the man of God shriveled up! Yet even with such a visible sign, there is no sign of repentance, he simply wanted the man to pray for his healing.

The king said to the man of God, “Come home with me for a meal, and I will give you a gift.” But the man of God answered the king, “Even if you were to give me half your possessions, I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water here. For I was commanded by the word of the Lord: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came.’” So he took another road and did not return by the way he had come to Bethel. 1 Kings 13:7-10 NIV

Let’s focus our attention on the man of God for a minute. He clearly heard the voice of God and understood completely God’s instructions, “You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came.” 

Now there was a certain old prophet living in Bethel, whose sons came and told him all that the man of God had done there that day. They also told their father what he had said to the king. Their father asked them, “Which way did he go?” And his sons showed him which road the man of God from Judah had taken. So he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” And when they had saddled the donkey for him, he mounted it and rode after the man of God.

He found him sitting under an oak tree and asked, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” “I am,” he replied. So the prophet said to him, “Come home with me and eat.” The man of God said, “I cannot turn back and go with you, nor can I eat bread or drink water with you in this place. I have been told by the word of the Lord: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water there or return by the way you came.’” The old prophet answered, “I too am a prophet, as you are. And an angel said to me by the word of the Lord: ‘Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.’” (But he was lying to him.) So the man of God returned with him and ate and drank in his house. 1 Kings 13:11-19 NIV

Seriously? That’s all it took for this man of God, who had clearly heard and understood the Lord’s word, to be swayed in a different direction, just one person claiming to have heard from God??? There is an important lesson here for all of us! Not everyone who claims to hear from God is on the right track. There are many religious people, even clergymen, who talk about “tolerance,” and water down the truth, compromising moral standards that God has set in stone.

God’s word teaches us to love another, but that doesn’t mean we should join in their sin and confusion. Tolerate and love the person but do not tolerate compromise of God’s laws for anyone. If God has given you a clear understanding of right and wrong, don’t change your mind just because someone else sees it differently.

So what happened to the man of God?

“This is what the Lord says: ‘You have defied the word of the Lord and have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. You came back and ate bread and drank water in the place where he told you not to eat or drink. Therefore your body will not be buried in the tomb of your ancestors.’” When the man of God had finished eating and drinking, the prophet who had brought him back saddled his donkey for him. As he went on his way, a lion met him on the road and killed him, and his body was left lying on the road, with both the donkey and the lion standing beside it. 1 Kings 13:21b-24 NIV

This punishment may seem harsh, but as the Bible teaches, to whom much is given, much is required. This man knew the truth and had heard the voice of God! He should not have been so easily swayed. If you have a good knowledge of God’s word and strong moral convictions, do not get sucked into all the moral compromise that is invading the church today.