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1 Kings 13:1 Yahweh's Condemnation of Jeroboam and the Story of the Two Prophets
1 Kings 13:1-10 ~ Yahweh condemns the altar at Bethel
Notice that the word "altar" is used nine times in this passage (13:1, 2 three times, 3, 4 twice, 5 twice). In the symbolic use of numbers in Scripture, nine is the number of judgment.
God sent a prophet from Judah, referred to in this passage as "a man of God," to condemn the false altar at Bethel. He is only called "a man of God" in this chapter to differentiate him from another prophet who enters the story in verse 11, but he is a prophet (see verse 18). The "man of God" from Judah gives Jeroboam a prophecy that concerns a future Davidic heir named Josiah and a "sign" that what he has prophesied will come to pass.
The destruction of the altar is a sign that God has withdrawn His protection from Jeroboam. The withering of Jeroboam's hand that was stretched out toward the prophet indicating that the guards should arrest him and the bursting apart of the altar happened dramatically as the king was still standing at the altar. God was protecting his prophet and delivering the promised "sign" that was intended to serve as a warning and to have a spiritual impact on the king.
1 Kings 13:11-19 ~ The lying prophet and the man of God
That the old prophet from Bethel had not attended the ceremony at the false altar is an indication that he opposed Jeroboam's religious reforms that promoted idol worship, unlike his two sons who had attended the religious ceremony. The old prophet from Bethel was excited to hear about the prophecy and the ot (prophetic sign) the man of God from Judah performed in God's name at the Bethel altar. He rushed after the prophet from Judah and found him sitting under a terebinth tree.
1 Kings 13:20-32 ~ The fate of the man of God from Judah
As the men were sitting at the table in the house of the man from Bethel, the Spirit of God spoke through the prophet from Bethel.
Question: What words of prophecy did the old prophet from Bethel speak concerning the prophet from Judah?
Answer: The prophet from Judah had failed in his obedience to Yahweh's command to leave immediately and to observe a fast by not accepting food or drink in apostate territory. Yahweh's judgment was that the man was to die and not be buried with his ancestors.
1 Kings 13:33-35 ~ Summary statement of Jeroboam's reign
The prophet from Judah cured Jeroboam's withered hand, and gave the sign of the destruction of the false altar of worship to bring Jeroboam to repentance. But Jeroboam did not repent his sins—he compounded them by continuing to appoint an apostate priesthood and to promote idol worship. His judgment was the extinction of his family line and the loss of the kingdom (1 Kng 15:29-30). St. John Chrysostom wrote: "... what angers and offends God, more than sin itself, is that sinners show no sorrow for their sins" (Homilai in Matthaeum,14.4).
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A Daily Defense
DAY 163 Religion and Control
CHALLENGE: “Religion was invented to give some people control over others.”
DEFENSE: This is an easy claim to make if you don’t look at the evidence.
Religions propose moral values and rules of conduct (don’t lie, don’t steal, don’t murder), but so do other institutions—like philosophy and government. Yet no one would say that philosophy or government were invented merely to control people. Like religion, philosophy seeks to answer profound questions (where did we come from, where are we going, what is ultimately real). Also like religion, government seeks to promote human well-being.
Leaders in every field can be manipulative and self-serving, but it would be false to claim that controlling others is their exclusive motivation.
This is particularly the case with philosophers and religious leaders. Whatever flaws they may have, any realistic appraisal of these individuals shows that most are not power-hungry psychopaths but sincere believers in what they proclaim. This means religion is not just a manipulative game. It is something its leaders believe.
The same is true historically. Most religions do not have specific founders but grew organically. Their leaders, whether village priests or tribal shamans, have always shared the beliefs of those around them. They didn’t invent those beliefs to suit themselves but inherited them from previous generations.
When we look at religions that do have founders, we see a mixed picture. Although some religions had founders who benefited materially (e.g., Muhammad, Joseph Smith), other religions had founders who renounced wealth and power (e.g., Gautama Buddha) or who refused political power and suffered greatly, up to and including martyrdom (e.g., Jesus Christ; cf. John 6:15, Matt. 27–28).
Whatever the motives of some founders may have been, we do not have a basis for saying religion is a phenomenon invented to give some people control of others. This is particularly the case when we consider that religion is a human universal. It appears in every society, both today and in history. This indicates religion corresponds to a fundamental part of human nature; it is not something simply invented by a select group of people.
Finally, the behavior-affecting aspects of religion aren’t its primary characteristic. Otherwise religions would just be codes of behavior, and they aren’t. They are systems of belief about the divine and the afterlife.
Jimmy Akin, A Daily Defense: 365 Days (Plus One) to Becoming a Better Apologist
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