131 Now behold , there came a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of the Lord , while Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense . 2 He cried against the altar by the word of the Lord , and said , "O altar , altar , thus says the Lord , 'Behold , a son shall be born to the house of David , Josiah by name ; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and human bones shall be burned on you.' " 3 Then he gave a sign the same day , saying , " This is the sign which the Lord has spoken , 'Behold , the altar shall be split apart and the ashes which are on it shall be poured out.' " 4 Now when the king heard the saying of the man of God , which he cried against the altar in Bethel , Jeroboam stretched out his hand from the altar , saying , "Seize him." But his hand which he stretched out against him dried up, so that he could not draw it back to himself. 5 The altar also was split apart and the ashes were poured out from the altar , according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord . 6 The king said to the man of God , "Please entreat the Lord your God , and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me." So the man of God entreated the Lord , and the king's hand was restored to him, and it became as it was before . 7 Then the king said to the man of God , "Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward ." 8 But the man of God said to the king , " If you were to give me half your house I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water in this place . 9 "For so it was commanded me by the word of the Lord , saying , 'You shall eat no bread , nor drink water , nor return by the way which you came .' " 10 So he went another way and did not return by the way which he came to Bethel .
11 Now an old prophet was living in Bethel ; and his sons came and told him all the deeds which the man of God had done that day in Bethel ; the words which he had spoken to the king , these also they related to their father . 12 Their father said to them, "Which e way did he go ?" Now his sons had seen the way which the man of God who came from Judah had gone . 13 Then he said to his sons , "Saddle the donkey for me." So they saddled the donkey for him and he rode away on it. 14 So he went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak ; and he said to him, "Are you the man of God who came from Judah ?" And he said , "I am." 15 Then he said to him, "Come home with me and eat bread ." 16 He said , " I cannot e return with you, nor go with you, nor will I eat bread or drink water with you in this place . 17 "For a command came to me by the word of the Lord , 'You shall eat no bread , nor drink water there ; do not return by going the way which you came .' " 18 He said to him, " I also am a prophet like you, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord , saying , 'Bring him back with you to your house , that he may eat bread and drink water .' " But he lied to him. 19 So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house and drank water . 20 Now it came about, as they were sitting down at the table , that the word of the Lord came to the prophet who had brought him back ; 21 and he cried to the man of God who came from Judah , saying , "Thus says the Lord , 'Because e you have disobeyed the command of the Lord , and have not observed the commandment which the Lord your God commanded you, 22 but have returned and eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which He said to you, "Eat no bread and drink no water "; your body shall not come to the grave of your fathers .' "
Matthew Henry's Commentary on 1 Kings 13:1-22
Commentary on 1 Kings 13:1-10
(Read 1 Kings 13:1-10)
In threatening the altar, the prophet threatens the founder and worshippers. Idolatrous worship will not continue, but the word of the Lord will endure for ever. The prediction plainly declared that the family of David would continue, and support true religion, when the ten tribes would not be able to resist them. If God, in justice, harden the hearts of sinners, so that the hand they have stretched out in sin they cannot pull in again by repentance, that is a spiritual judgment, represented by this, and much more dreadful. Jeroboam looked for help, not from his calves, but from God only, from his power, and his favour. The time may come when those that hate the preaching, would be glad of the prayers of faithful ministers. Jeroboam does not desire the prophet to pray that his sin might be pardoned, and his heart changed, but only that his hand might be restored. He seemed affected for the present with both the judgment and the mercy, but the impression wore off. God forbade his messenger to eat or drink in Bethel, to show his detestation of their idolatry and apostacy from God, and to teach us not to have fellowship with the works of darkness. Those have not learned self-denial, who cannot forbear one forbidden meal.
Commentary on 1 Kings 13:11-22
(Read 1 Kings 13:11-22)
The old prophet's conduct proves that he was not really a godly man. When the change took place under Jeroboam, he preferred his ease and interest to his religion. He took a very bad method to bring the good prophet back. It was all a lie. Believers are most in danger of being drawn from their duty by plausible pretences of holiness. We may wonder that the wicked prophet went unpunished, while the holy man of God was suddenly and severely punished. What shall we make of this? The judgments of God are beyond our power to fathom; and there is a judgment to come. Nothing can excuse any act of wilful disobedience. This shows what they must expect who hearken to the great deceiver. They that yield to him as a tempter, will be terrified by him as a tormentor. Those whom he now fawns upon, he will afterwards fly upon; and whom he draws into sin, he will try to drive to despair.