Read 1 Kings 13 – 14
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. 1 Kings 13:18 KJV
A man of God had been sent to speak against the sins of the city of Bethel and Jeroboam, the king of Israel. God warned him not to eat bread or drink while he was there. Upon the completion of his task, as he returned home, he was met by an old prophet of Bethel who persuaded him to turn aside and be refreshed saying it was the Word of God, but it was a lie. Because the man of God did so, God punished him with death. That seems severe to us, but consider the following: (1) by turning aside, as God’s representative, it gave the impression of sympathy with the sins of Bethel. (2) He had God’s Word, which clearly told him what to do and not do, but he disobeyed it. (3) He chose to believe a lie over the revealed Word of God. Doing such things will always endanger our lives. Interestingly, he did not compromise his message, but he did compromise his conduct and suffered the consequence. Today many think if they believe the right things then it will excuse their behavior. They are wrong. God holds us accountable for both our beliefs and behavior.
Lord, help me never turn aside from Your Word. I understand even while carrying out Your Will there are temptations to deviate in slight ways, but while they seem insignificant, they endanger myself and the ministry You have called me to accomplish.
