God wants us to think for ourselves, but He wants us to think about what He has revealed.
As the man of God made his way back to Judah, his message having been delivered to Jeroboam, a local prophet heard about the confrontation from his sons. Perhaps guilt-ridden that he had failed to speak for God, he had his sons saddle his donkey and “went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak” (1 Ki 13:14). After introductions, “he said to him, ‘Come home with me and eat bread’” (v 15). No, sir! “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’” (v 17). Any fine print there? Any exceptions? Any escape clause? Yet the local prophet bold-facedly says, “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’” (v 18). And just in case we aren’t paying enough attention, the Spirit adds, “(He was lying to him.)” The man accepted the invite and ate and drank at the old prophet’s house. As they sat at the table, the host had an unusual experience: God spoke to him! How do we know it was out of the ordinary? Because “he cried out” in utter surprise (v 21). It was now his responsibility to deliver a regrettable message: Stop the meal. Head for home, but your body won’t make it far enough to be placed in the family tomb. And sure enough, a lion lying in wait killed him. It was no accident because, when the tragedy was discovered, the lion and donkey were standing together, looking at the corpse. Donkey is a favorite menu item for lions, but not this time. When the old prophet heard, rather belatedly he mourned for the man of God and had him buried in his own grave. The lesson? God is never inconsistent with His word; it can be deadly to assume so.