1 Kings 13: The Man of God and the Altar
A prophet from Judah condemns Jeroboam's altar and is told not to eat or turn back, but an old prophet's lie leads him to fatal disobedience.
1 Kings 13 (WEB)
1 Behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by Yahweh’s word to Beth El: and Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense.
2 He cried against the altar by Yahweh’s word, and said, “Altar, altar, thus says Yahweh: ‘Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name. On you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and they will burn men’s bones on you.’”
3 He gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign which Yahweh has spoken: Behold, the altar will be split apart, and the ashes that are on it will be poured out.”
4 When the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam put out his hand from the altar, saying, “Seize him!” His hand, which he put out against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it back again to himself.
5 The altar also was split apart, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by Yahweh’s word.
6 The king answered the man of God, “Now entreat the favor of Yahweh your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again.” The man of God entreated Yahweh, and the king’s hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.
7 The king said to the man of God, “Come home with me, and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.”
8 The man of God said to the king, “Even if you gave me half of your house, I would not go in with you, neither would I eat bread nor drink water in this place;
9 for so was it commanded me by Yahweh’s word, saying, ‘You shall eat no bread, nor drink water, neither return by the way that you came.’”
10 So he went another way, and didn’t return by the way that he came to Bethel.
11 Now there lived an old prophet in Bethel; and one of his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. They also told their father the words which he had spoken to the king.
12 Their 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.
13 He said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him; and he rode on it.
14 He 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.”
15 Then he said to him, “Come home with me, and eat bread.”
16 He said, “I may not return with you, nor 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 Yahweh’s word, ‘You shall eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that you came.’”
18 He said to him, “I also am a prophet as you are; and an angel spoke to me by Yahweh’s word, saying, ‘Bring him back with you into your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’” He lied to him.
19 So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house, and drank water.
20 As they sat at the table, Yahweh’s word came to the prophet who brought him back;
21 and he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Because you have been disobedient to the mouth of Yahweh, and have not kept the commandment which Yahweh your God commanded you,
22 but came back, and have eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which he said to you, “Eat no bread, and drink no water”; your body shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.’”
23 After he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, he saddled the donkey for the prophet whom he had brought back.
24 When he had gone, a lion met him by the way and killed him. His body was cast on the path, and the donkey stood by it. The lion also stood by the body.
25 Behold, men passed by, and saw the body thrown on the path, and the lion standing by the body; and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet lived.
26 When the prophet who brought him back from the way heard of it, he said, “It is the man of God who was disobedient to the mouth of Yahweh. Therefore Yahweh has delivered him to the lion, which has mauled him and slain him, according to the word of Yahweh, which he spoke to him.”
27 He spoke to his sons, saying, “Saddle the donkey for me.” They saddled it.
28 He went and found his body thrown on the path, and the donkey and the lion standing by the body. The lion had not eaten the body, nor mauled the donkey.
29 The prophet took up the body of the man of God, and laid it on the donkey, and brought it back. He came to the city of the old prophet to mourn, and to bury him.
30 He laid his body in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, “Alas, my brother!”
31 After he had buried him, he spoke to his sons, saying, “When I am dead, then bury me in the tomb in which the man of God is buried. Lay my bones beside his bones.
32 For the saying which he cried by Yahweh’s word against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, will surely happen.”
33 After this thing Jeroboam didn’t return from his evil way, but again made priests of the high places from among all the people. Whoever wanted to, he consecrated him, that there might be priests of the high places.
34 This thing became sin to the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the surface of the earth.
1 Kings 13 (KJV)
1 And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the Lord unto Beth–el: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.
2 And he cried against the altar in the word of the Lord, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the Lord; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men’s bones shall be burnt upon thee.
3 And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the Lord hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.
4 And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Beth–el, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him.
5 The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord.
6 And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the face of the Lord thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.
7 And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward.
8 And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place:
9 For so was it charged me by the word of the Lord, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest.
10 So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Beth–el.
11 Now there dwelt an old prophet in Beth–el; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Beth–el: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father.
12 And their father said unto them, What way went he? For his sons had seen what way the man of God went, which came from Judah.
13 And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon,
14 And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak: and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am.
15 Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread.
16 And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place:
17 For it was said to me by the word of the Lord, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest.
18 He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him.
19 So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.
20 And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the Lord came unto the prophet that brought him back:
21 And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the Lord, and hast not kept the commandment which the Lord thy God commanded thee,
22 But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the Lord did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers.
23 And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back.
24 And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcase.
25 And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcase cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcase: and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.
26 And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the Lord: therefore the Lord hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake unto him.
27 And he spake to his sons, saying, Saddle me the ass. And they saddled him.
28 And he went and found his carcase cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcase: the lion had not eaten the carcase, nor torn the ass.
29 And the prophet took up the carcase of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass, and brought it back: and the old prophet came to the city, to mourn and to bury him.
30 And he laid his carcase in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother!
31 And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones:
32 For the saying which he cried by the word of the Lord against the altar in Beth–el, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass.
33 After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places.
34 And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth.
1 Kings 13 (ASV)
1 And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of Jehovah unto Beth-el: and Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense.
2 And he cried against the altar by the word of Jehovah, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith Jehovah: Behold, a son shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he sacrifice the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men’s bones shall they burn upon thee.
3 And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which Jehovah hath spoken: Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.
4 And it came to pass, when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Beth-el, that Jeroboam put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it back again to him.
5 The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of Jehovah.
6 And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Entreat now the favor of Jehovah thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God entreated Jehovah, and the king’s hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.
7 And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward.
8 And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thy house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place;
9 for so was it charged me by the word of Jehovah, saying, Thou shalt eat no bread, nor drink water, neither return by the way that thou camest.
10 So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Beth-el.
11 Now there dwelt an old prophet in Beth-el; and one of his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Beth-el: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them also they told unto their father.
12 And their father said unto them, What way went he? Now his sons had seen what way the man of God went, that came from Judah.
13 And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass; and he rode thereon.
14 And he went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak; and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am.
15 Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread.
16 And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee; neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place:
17 for it was said to me by the word of Jehovah, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest.
18 And he said unto him, I also am a prophet as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of Jehovah, saying, Bring him back with thee into thy house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him.
19 So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.
20 And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of Jehovah came unto the prophet that brought him back;
21 and he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, Forasmuch as thou hast been disobedient unto the mouth of Jehovah, and hast not kept the commandment which Jehovah thy God commanded thee,
22 but camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which he said to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy body shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers.
23 And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back.
24 And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his body was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it; the lion also stood by the body.
25 And, behold, men passed by, and saw the body cast in the way, and the lion standing by the body; and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.
26 And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the mouth of Jehovah: therefore Jehovah hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of Jehovah, which he spake unto him.
27 And he spake to his sons, saying, Saddle me the ass. And they saddled it.
28 And he went and found his body cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the body: the lion had not eaten the body, nor torn the ass.
29 And the prophet took up the body of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass, and brought it back; and he came to the city of the old prophet, to mourn, and to bury him.
30 And he laid his body in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother!
31 And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones.
32 For the saying which he cried by the word of Jehovah against the altar in Beth-el, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass.
33 After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again from among all the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him, that there might be priests of the high places.
34 And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth.
Summary
As Jeroboam stands by the altar at Bethel to burn incense, a man of God comes from Judah by the word of the LORD and cries out against the altar, foretelling that a king named Josiah will one day sacrifice its idolatrous priests upon it. He gives a sign: the altar will split apart and its ashes pour out. When Jeroboam stretches out his hand and orders the prophet seized, his hand withers, and the altar splits exactly as foretold. The king begs the man of God to entreat the LORD, and his hand is restored, but when Jeroboam invites him home, the prophet refuses, for God had commanded him to eat no bread, drink no water, and not return by the way he came. On the road an old prophet of Bethel overtakes him and, claiming an angel's message, lies to bring him back to eat and drink. The man of God obeys the lie, and at the table the word of the LORD comes through the very prophet who deceived him, declaring that for his disobedience his body will not rest in his fathers' tomb. On his way home a lion kills him, yet stands by the body without devouring it or the donkey, and the old prophet buries him, mourning and asking to be laid beside him. Still Jeroboam does not turn from his evil way.
Main Characters
- The man of God from Judah — A prophet who faithfully condemns the altar and works a sign, yet is lured into disobedience and loses his life for heeding a false word.
- Jeroboam — The king at the altar whose hand withers and is restored, who witnesses God's power yet refuses to repent of his idolatry.
- The old prophet of Bethel — An aged prophet who lies to bring the man of God back, then receives a true word of judgment and mourns the death he helped cause.
Key Verse
1 Kings 13:21 (WEB)
and he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Because you have been disobedient to the mouth of Yahweh, and have not kept the commandment which Yahweh your God commanded you,
Lessons Learned
- God confirms his word with power, splitting the altar and withering the hand that defied him.
- Partial obedience that bends to a persuasive lie is still disobedience.
- We must test every message against God's clear command, even when it comes from a religious authority.
- Witnessing God's power, like Jeroboam, is no substitute for a heart that turns and repents.
- God's word always proves true. The altar split and the ashes poured out "according to the sign which the man of God had given by Yahweh's word" (1 Kings 13:5, WEB). What God speaks, he performs.
- Faithfulness refuses the king's reward. Though offered half the king's house, the prophet would not eat or turn aside, "for so was it commanded me by Yahweh's word" (1 Kings 13:9, WEB). Obedience does not bargain.
- A new message cannot overturn God's clear command. The old prophet claimed an angel sent him, but "he lied to him" (1 Kings 13:18, WEB). We weigh every word by what God has plainly said.
- Disobedience carries real consequences. Because he turned back against the LORD's mouth, his body would not reach his fathers' tomb (1 Kings 13:21-22, WEB), and a lion met him on the way. God takes his word seriously, even with his servants.
- What did the man of God prophesy against the altar, and how was his word immediately confirmed?
- Why did the prophet refuse Jeroboam's invitation, yet later accept the old prophet's?
- How should the man of God have responded to the old prophet's claim of an angelic message?
- What does it say about Jeroboam that he saw the withering and healing of his hand yet did not repent?
- When have you been tempted to set aside something you knew God had said because a trusted voice told you otherwise?
- He cried out that a son named Josiah would be born to David's house who would sacrifice the high-place priests on that altar, and gave a sign that the altar would split and its ashes spill (13:2-3). Both came true at once, and Jeroboam's hand withered when he tried to seize him.
- God had expressly commanded him to eat no bread, drink no water, and not return the way he came (13:9), so he rightly refused the king. Yet when the old prophet falsely claimed an angel's word, he abandoned the clear command he already had for a new claim that contradicted it.
- He should have held fast to the command God had spoken directly to him; no later claim, however authoritative-sounding, could overturn it. Invite the group to see that genuine words from God never contradict his revealed word, and that we test the spirits.
- Jeroboam experienced both judgment and mercy in his own body yet "didn't return from his evil way" (13:33). Signs and wonders do not change a hardened heart; only repentance does. His story warns that proximity to God's power is not the same as surrender to him.
- This is a personal-application question. Encourage members to name, gently, times a persuasive or trusted voice led them to soften a clear conviction. As leader, affirm the value of weighing all counsel against Scripture and the courage to obey what God has plainly said.