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NASB | 1 Kings 13:1 Now behold, there came a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD, while Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 Kings 13:1 Now behold, there came a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word (command) of the LORD, while Jeroboam was standing by the altar [which he had built] to burn incense. |
Bible Question:
1/ Verse 1 : ...a man of God..., Verse 11: ... a certain old prophet. Is this "certain old prophet" not from God? What is the difference between 'a man of God' and 'prophet' since I see the two are used interchangably in the OT? Is the term 'prophet' used generally as a spokesman of God or gods in the OT, but 'a man of God' refers specifically to the true prophet from God? 2/ Why did that old prophet lied to the man of God? 3/ What is the teaching here? Was it teaching us that God does not contradict himself? 4/ Why was the punishment so severe? Thanks for helping. Shalom Azure |
Bible Answer: Dear Sister Azure, Answers keyed to your questions. It is hoped they will be found helpful. 1. I am uncertain that one can come up with a rule of thumb to distinguish the titles "man of God" and "prophet" in the OT. You've already observed that there are situations in which they can be used interchangeably. However, in any language, interchangeability does not necessarily imply equivalence. (Take, for example, the terms: Mammal, horse, and Clydesdale. In this case, each term is more specific, but all horses are mammals, and all Clydesdales are horses. However, the inverse is not necessarily true.) In the passage you've mentioned, it is clear that the writer intended to convey the recognition of the source of this man's authority. Note that in verse 18 he is also called a prophet. Nevertheless, one can see that although there are at least two prophets mentioned in this passage, only one is called "the man of God." Throughout the OT there appear to be prophets who are recognized as having greater authority than other prophets. We even see this same idea reflected in the Gospels. 2. The old prophet made use of his office to obtain his own objective, apparently to have his company with him. There were probably prior instances of the poor moral character of the old prophet before this event. We often see in the OT that a prophetic gift can be upon people who have a wide range of character flaws. (See, for example, Balaam!) 3. This kind of question is often difficult, especially when we are talking about narrative. Clearly we may know that God wanted this event to be known. From it we can see the authority of God, the holiness of God, the power of God, the dependability of God's word, the providence of God, the righteousness of God, the justice of God, the patience of God, etc. In addition we see a lot of contrasting things about humanity: his depravity, his rebelliousness, his unholiness, his self-centeredness, his weakness, his inability, etc. Even in the face of all this, Jeroboam continued to disobey the clear command of God. The contrast between the nature of God and the nature of man shows us the hopeless condition of man. God would have to initiate man's redemption by a coming Savior even as He had promised! 4. Punishment only seems severe if the nature of the crime or the honor of the victim is poorly understood. Ask yourself this question again after looking again at the nature of man and the nature of God revealed in the passage -- remembering that God is the only truly just judge in all creation! Jonathan Edwards wrote, "Any sin is more or less heinous depending upon the honor and majesty of the one whom we had offended. Since God is of infinite honor, infinite majesty, and infinite holiness, the slightest sin is of infinite consequence. The slightest sin is nothing less than cosmic treason when we realize against Whom we have sinned." Note: In post #157733 I give some general guidelines for the interpretation of Biblical narrative. Some of them might be useful to you in your study. In Him, Doc |