“The Voice of God”
1 Kings 13:1 And behold, a man of God went from Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD, and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. 2 Then he cried out against the altar by the word of the LORD, and said, "O altar, altar! Thus says the LORD: 'Behold, a child, Josiah by name, shall be born to the house of David; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men's bones shall be burned on you.'" 3 And he gave a sign the same day, saying, "This is the sign which the LORD has spoken: Surely the altar shall split apart, and the ashes on it shall be poured out." 4 So it came to pass when King Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, who cried out against the altar in Bethel , that he stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, "Arrest him!" Then his hand, which he stretched out toward him, withered, so that he could not pull it back to himself. 5 The altar also was split apart, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD. 6 Then the king answered and said to the man of God, "Please entreat the favor of 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 became as 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 in with you; nor would I eat bread nor drink water in this place. 9 "For so it was commanded me by the word of the LORD, saying, 'You shall not eat bread, nor drink water, nor return by the same way you came.'" 10 So he went another way and did not return by the way he came to Bethel .
-
Jeroboam was the 1st king of Israel after the kingdom was divided; however I want to focus on the unnamed prophet who clearly heard the voice of God! The man of God heard the voice of God and responded obediently. He preached the judgment of God and God kept him form the anger of the wicked king!
-
It is easy to be obedient to God’s word when we know the enemy of God is trying to get us to walk in disobedience! The prophet rejected the wicked king’s offer of great reward because he was not removed from the word that God had spoken!
-
1 Kings 13:14 and went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak. Then 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 And he said, "I cannot return with you nor go in with you; neither can I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place. 17 "For I have been told by the word of the LORD, 'You shall not eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by going the way you came.'" 18 He said to him, "I too am a prophet as you are, 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.' " (He was lying to him.) 19 So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house, and drank water.
-
The prophet of God had delivered the message of God and was heading out of town being obedient to the words that God had spoken. However another prophet came to him and spoke a word that directly opposed the original word God has spoken. The young unnamed prophet was fooled by the old prophet and was talked out of obeying the voice of God.
-
When God speaks don’t let religion or a supposed man of God talk you out of what you know God has directly spoken to you! A man declaring what “God has spoken” should be a voice of confirmation of what God speaks. The voice of God is greater than the voice of man! Oh that we would hear and obey the voice of God and not be moved from it. There is a great temptation to be lead away from the voice of God by religious spirits. Someone wanting to get in the middle of what God is doing may have a skewed view of what God is actually speaking. Be careful of where you are hearing from!
-
1 Kings 19:11 Then He said, "Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.
-
Elijah found God in a still small voice. It was not in the wind rain or earthquake but it was the still small voice.
-
20 Now it happened, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came to the prophet who had brought him back; 21 and he cried out to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, "Thus says the LORD: 'Because you have disobeyed the word of the LORD, and have not kept the commandment which the LORD your God commanded you, 22 'but you came back, ate bread, and drank water in the place of which the Lord said to you, "Eat no bread and drink no water," your corpse shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.'" 23 So it was, after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for him, the prophet whom he had brought back. 24 When he was gone, a lion met him on the road and killed him. And his corpse was thrown on the road, and the donkey stood by it. The lion also stood by the corpse.
-
The young prophet was truly a prophet but was moved by a strange voice and he was moved from the direct command of God. It cost him his life. Strange enough all that the young prophet had prophesied to the wicked king still came to pass. It was nearly 700 years later a young king by the name of Josiah burned the false alters and the bones of the false priest.
-
It is still time for the children of God to come to the one true alter found in Jesus Christ the Lamb of God! All false alters should be brought down and destroyed. Victory over sin is now exclusively found in the power of the cross and His resurrection power!
-
John 10:1 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 "But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 "To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 "And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 "Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."
-
Jesus is the exclusive voice we are called to hear!
-
John 10:16 "And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. 17 "Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.
-
You are the other sheep that Jesus has laid down His life for! His sheep hear his voice. Some claim to be the sheep of Jesus with out hearing and following His voice. If you hear His voice and obey you are His sheep.
-
John 10:26 "But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. 27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. 30 "I and My Father are one."
-
Those who are truly Jesus’ sheep hear and follow His voice! If you have not been following Jesus it is because you need a true salvation! Jesus said it so well! Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy burdened and I will give you rest! Hear His voice and live!
-
-
No comments:
Post a Comment