This unnamed “man of God” joins an illustrious company of those thus honored in Scripture.
What vital lessons can be learned in our story today! The first is this: God always has the right assessment of every situation. People worshiping and offering sacrifices all over Israel—how lovely! NO! says the Lord. This is blasphemy! He sends “a man of God” from Judah to Bethel (1 Ki 13:1) with His message. “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’” (v 2). Imagine preaching to an inanimate altar, suggesting it would be more receptive than the people would be! The Lord provided two pieces of evidence that He was behind this word. First, He prophesied the name of Josiah 300 years before his birth. Then “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” (v 5). Not enough proof for you, Jeroboam? Here’s something more personal: “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” (v 4). Clearly miracles alone don’t elicit faith (see Jn 12:37). Nonetheless, Jeroboam realizes he is shut up to God for help. Asking for mercy, the Lord restored his hand. But when the king invites the man of God to the palace for a meal and a reward, he replies that the same God who spoke through him had also spoken to him: “You shall not eat bread, nor drink water, nor return by the same way you came” (v 9). He would not walk in the counsel of the ungodly nor sit in the seat of the scornful (see Ps 1:1). His mission was complete, so he headed for home.