I remember when I learned that a transgression is like seeing a “No Trespassing” sign and willfully walking in opposition to God’s will.
I also remember a definition I found for “apostasy.” When we walk right up to the truth, look it in the eye, and turn away to pursue our personal interests, we have committed apostasy.
Unfortunately, I am guilty of both transgression and to a certain degree apostasy. Only God’s grace enables me to have a personal relationship with the Lord and live as one of His friends.
Jeroboam grossly transgressed God’s will, and his worship of pagan gods was a clear example of apostasy. God sent the king a prophet from the southern kingdom to declare His disapproval of Jeroboam’s actions.
A man of God came out of Judah by the word of the Lord to Bethel, while Jeroboam was standing by the altar to offer incense.
And he cried out against the altar by the word of the Lord and said, “O altar, altar, thus says the Lord: A son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name, and he shall sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who offer incense on you, and human bones shall be burned on you.” (1 Kings 13:1-2).
In today’s video, Rudy Ross reminds us that people in that day could have easily forgotten the prophecy about Josiah, because he came many years later than the man of God or Jeroboam.
A Catholic priest, who is a counselor to many priests, was asked what he believed was the greatest temptation for a modern-day priest. He responded by saying, “hardness of heart.”
I’ve never considered hardness of heart as a significant temptation, but the priest caused me to think more about it.
- Clergy can assume a professional role and end up distant from God and hardened to God’s will.
- Compassion fatigue can occur to anyone who pays attention to world events. Emotional self-preservation in the face of a multitude of issues can result in a heart that is hard toward the world’s suffering.
- When we become “comfortable” with our sin and outright rebellion toward God’s revealed will, it will result in a hard heart.
- The loss of hope that takes place while we wait on God’s deliverance can produce a heart that is hard.
No Waiting
The people had to wait years for Josiah to come on the scene, but they didn’t have to wait to see the hand of God.
He gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign that the Lord has spoken: The altar shall be torn down, and the ashes that are on it shall be poured out.”
When the king heard what the man of God cried out against the altar at Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, “Seize him!” But the hand that he stretched out against him withered so that he could not draw it back to himself.
The altar also was torn down, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign that the man of God had given by the word of the Lord (1 Kings 13:3-5)
The people watching the interaction between the man of God and Jeroboam observed two events that they would never forget.
First, they saw the immediate judgment of God on their king who crossed God’s “No Trespassing” sign.
Second, before their eyes, the altar that Jeroboam had constructed was rendered useless at the word of the man of God.
I am very grateful that I haven’t experienced the immediate punishment of God when I willfully turned away from His will. That doesn’t mean that there are no consequences to sin.
Who knows what we miss, when we turn away from God? What would our relationship with God be if we consistently surrendered our will to His loving guidance? What spiritual power would be ours?
Jeroboam was distressed when his hand withered and became useless. He knew he was under God’s judgment and asked the man of God to pray for God to heal him.
After he prayed for the king and God healed his withered arm, Jeroboam attempted to pay God’s servant. The man refused, because he knew that he was not to receive payment in any form for his work on behalf of God.
Not Home Free
The remainder of chapter 13 tells the story of a prophet who ran after the man of God and asked him to come to his house. When the man of God refused his hospitality, the prophet lied and told him an angel instructed him to bring the man to his home.
The man of God listened to the deceptive prophet instead of consulting with God. While he was eating with the prophet, God revealed to him that judgment would come to him in the form of death.
On the way back to Judah, the man of God was killed by a lion.
What if the man of God had told the prophet, “Please wait here while I pray and get direction from God.”? I am certain God would have given him perfect guidance.
If you are like me and have willfully crossed one of God’s “No Trespassing” signs, you can join me in thanking God that our disobedience didn’t result in death.
This passage emphasizes to me what we can do when confronted with difficult decisions. We can stop and ask God for guidance. If God’s clear directions don’t immediately come, we can wait until God reveals His will.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 