Scripture Daily

Context No. 4284 of 4322 · 1 Kings

Context · Reflection

1 Kings 13:12-17: in context

12Their father said to them, “Which way did he go?” Now his sons had seen which way the man of God went, who came from Judah. 13He said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him; and he rode on it. 14He went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak. He said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” He said, “I am.” 15Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.” 16He said, “I may not return with you, nor go in with you. I will not eat bread or drink water with you in this place. 17For it was said to me by the LORD’s word, ‘You shall eat no bread or drink water there, and don’t turn again to go by the way that you came.’”

A man of God from Judah had been given clear instructions by the LORD: deliver his message, eat no bread and drink no water there, and return by a different road. When an old prophet catches up with him and invites him home to eat, the man of God firmly refuses: I may not return with you or eat bread or drink water in this place, for the LORD commanded me. He holds fast to exactly what God had told him.

What stands out, at least in this moment, is his clear resolve to obey God's specific word. He does not treat God's instruction as a suggestion to be relaxed when convenient or when someone offers a friendly invitation. The word of the LORD had set the terms, and he means to keep them, even declining hospitality that might seem harmless. His obedience is anchored in what God actually said.

Others may invite us, with the best of intentions, to relax a conviction God has given us, to make an exception, to treat his word as negotiable. The man of God's firm reply, the LORD commanded me, shows the way: to hold fast to God's word rather than letting the invitations and persuasions of others erode our obedience. What God has clearly said is not ours to renegotiate.

When others invite me, however kindly, to relax a conviction or make an exception to what God has clearly said, do I hold firmly to his word as the man of God first did, replying in effect, the LORD commanded me, rather than treating his word as negotiable?

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