Saturday, 19 February 2022

Don't Believe Everything They Tell You

 

In   1 Kings  13, a prophet is sent to Bethel to warn Jeroboam about the altar he had set up, against the Laws of the Torah.   That same prophet is also instructed not to eat bread or drink water of the locals, and to return home via a different route.

 

 

Later on, an older prophet meets the prophet sent by God, and invites him to eat and drink at his local house. Initially he (young prophet) refuses. The older prophet says the following.

 

 

v.18

 

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֗וֹ גַּם־אֲנִ֣י נָבִיא֮ כָּמ֒וֹךָ֒ וּמַלְאָ֡ךְ דִּבֶּ֣ר אֵלַי֩ בִּדְבַ֨ר יְהֹוָ֜ה לֵאמֹ֗ר הֲשִׁבֵ֤הוּ אִתְּךָ֙ אֶל־בֵּיתֶ֔ךָ וְיֹ֥אכַל לֶ֖חֶם וְיֵ֣שְׁתְּ מָ֑יִם כִּחֵ֖שׁ לֽוֹ׃ “I am a prophet, too,” said the other, “and an angel said to me by command of the LORD: Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.” He was lying to him.

 

 

 

He fails to maintain his resistance, and accepts the invitation of the older (dishonest) prophet.  For this, he is later on punished, and killed by a lion on his way back home.

 

 

 

There is contained within this story not only a philosophy of prophecy, but also a philosophy of religion.  Here are a number of inferences we can make:

 

 

a)      Even an old prophet can make up lies, if it suits him, eg for prestige, power, or any other personal gain.

 b)      The fact that somebody claims to be a prophet, a mystic, a receiver of visions or traditions, in no way verifies his claims.


 

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