Obedience to the End is Necessary - 1 Kings 10-13

Obedience to the End is Necessary

1 Kings 13:11-21 (ESV)
The Prophet's Disobedience
11 Now an old prophet lived in Bethel. And his sons came and told him all that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. They also told to their father the words that he had spoken to the king. 12 And their father said to them, “Which way did he go?” And his sons showed him the way that the man of God who came from Judah had gone. 13 And he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him and he mounted it. 14 And he went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak. And 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 may not return with you, or go in with you, neither will I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place, 17 for it was said to me by the word of the LORD, ‘You shall neither eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by the way that you came.’” 18 And he said to him, “I also am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘Bring him back with you into your house that he may eat bread and drink water.’” But he lied to him. 19 So he went back with him and ate bread in his house and drank water.
20 And as they sat at the table, the word of the LORD came to the prophet who had brought him back. 21 And he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Because you have disobeyed the word of the LORD and have not kept the command that the LORD your God commanded you,

The above story is about a prophet who came from Judah who is sent by God to King Jeroboam, warning the king that because of his disobedience to God, his kingdom was going to be taken from him.   This prophet than leaves and heads for home.  The above passage is the “rest of the story.”   This “old prophet” who lived in Bethel had heard about the prophet that came from Judah realized that his own welfare was in jeopardy because of the prophecy spoken against Jeroboam.   He goes after the prophet from Judah and compels him to come back and dine with him.  He does so by giving him a false prophecy.  The prophecy from Judah gives in and, as a result, disobeys God.   The old prophet from Bethel “thought” that this disobedience would annual the prophecy that was spoken over Jeroboam (and, hence, his own estate).   However, this was not the case.  This disobedience did cost the prophet from Judah his life.   But, note what happens after the prophet dies at the jaws of a lion:

1 Kings 13:33-34 (ESV)
33 After this thing Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way, but made priests for the high places again from among all the people. Any who would, he ordained to be priests of the high places. 34 And this thing became sin to the house of Jeroboam, so as to cut it off and to destroy it from the face of the earth.

Just like the betrayal of Judas did not diminish the power of Christ’s ministry, so, neither did the disobedience of this prophet from Judah diminish the words he spoke against Jeroboam.   It only costs him his life.   The lesson to learn here is that God does not delight in disobedience, but He will STILL complete and fulfill His plans ... despite the obedience or disobedience of those He chooses to do His work.   God wants complete obedience from those He calls.