It’s hard to resist. “Let me treat you to dinner at the restaurant of your choice.” Would you accept the invitation? Where would you choose to go? Let’s look at the price that a once-faithful spokesman, (called a prophet) used mightily of God, paid for his free dinner.
A WITHERED HAND
A summary of the biblical account of giving in to fortune telling gives us a glimpse of a prophet only identified in the Scriptures as “the man of God.” We are never given his name–only the tragic details of someone called to serve God who went astray in much the same manner that many committed Christians do today:
- We get side-tracked with charisma,
- with degrees,
- with stature,
- with what sounds good;
- We listen to words taken out of context;
- We set aside Scripture.
This “man of God” was used by the Lord to restore King Jeroboam’s hand. God had dried up the King’s hand because he used his hand to give an order to “Lay hold on him” (the “man of God”). This was because the “man of God” spoke out against Jeroboam’s promotion of the worship of idols and statues, as well as the burning of incense. “The man of God” foretold (prophesied) the destruction that would come to those participating in the worship of other gods. Those encouraging the aforementioned forbidden practices even included priests (religious leaders). This prophet (“the man of God”) also warned (prophesied) that there would be a king born by the name of Josiah who would burn the bones of those who promoted these abhorrent practices. (It was 300 years later that these prophetic words of “the man of God” took place.)
WHEN GOD GIVES A MESSAGE TO SOMEONE, IT ISN’T FORTUNE TELLING.
The messages spoken by the “man of God” weren’t fortune telling. Fortune telling is a biblically forbidden practice engaged in by many in biblical times and today. In religious circles, it is often called prophesying. “And mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD … Likewise, thou son of man, set thy face against the daughters of thy people, which prophesy out of their own heart; and prophesy thou against them.” (Ezekiel 13:9,17)
The prophesying of “the man of God,” however, was different. It was the Word of God being preached/proclaimed as given by God to him. Each person must beware of those who are today prophesying in and out of the churches, especially if it’s any kind of “foretelling” that is outside what has been written in the Word of God. The canon (writings) of Scripture is closed. We are not to add to or subtract from God’s Word–the Bible.
“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” (Revelation 22:18,19) This warning of eternal death (damnation) also applies to those today who practice fortune telling.
SATAN HAS MANY COUNTERFEITS WHICH LOOK LIKE GOD’S MIRACLES/WORKS.
The “man of God” also warned Jeroboam: “… This is the sign which the LORD hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent [torn down], and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out. And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Bethel, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him [“the man of God”]. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him.” (I Kings 13:3-4) Verse five shows the power of God working through this prophet: “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.” 
We must be careful in the discerning of false spirits/false prophets and miracles. Remember, when God was dealing with wicked Pharaoh through Moses and Aaron that Pharaoh’s magicians performed MANY of the same marvels that Moses and Aaron did. However, after several “magical feats” by Pharaoh’s magicians, God showed His supernatural control of all things through the rod of Aaron and the swallowing up of the works of the heathen performers. (See Exodus 7:12)
GOD COMMANDS US TO NOT BE AFRAID OF PEOPLES’ RESPONSES TO WHAT THE WORD SAYS.
Many Christians today are afraid to share messages from the written Word of God. That’s often from the fear of lost relationships with friends, family, or those in the work place. However, great prophets like Jeremiah felt the same way; yet, they went forward and paid the cost of rejection in exchange for eternal benefits. “Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.” (Jeremiah 1:8) “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
- Who forgiveth all thine iniquities;
- Who healeth all thy diseases;
- Who redeemeth thy life from destruction;
- Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
- Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things;
- So that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Psalm 103:2-5)
This “man of God” surely knew the possibility of being murdered when he went to wicked King Jeroboam and warned him to stop the burning of incense and the promotion of idol worship. Thus, as mentioned above, “And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Bethel, 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.” (I Kings 13:4)
RESTORE MY HAND.
Losing a hand (or the use of a hand) would get anyone’s attention, as it did this king’s. He immediately asked the “man of God” to plead with God to restore his hand: “And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Entreat 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.” (I Kings 13:6) Notice that “the man of God” didn’t hesitate to pray for the king, even though King Jeroboam has just threatened to kill him. How many of us would have responded as did this “man of God”!
WHAT A MIRACLE
What a miracle! Think of it. What if your hand were destroyed by some type of accident? You have no hope of it ever being restored, but someone prays and your hand is regenerated. You’d be quite thankful! Under these circumstances, you would think that the king would have bowed his knee to God and turned from ungodly practices. But he didn’t. Instead, he tried to reward the person/vessel (the “man of God”) through whom God used to deliver HIS miracle.
“And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward.” (I Kings 13:7) The “man of God,” however, had been instructed by God to not “tarry” in this heathen city–Bethel–to neither eat nor drink, but to deliver the message and get out. This was because Bethel had become a very wicked and corrupt city, even though it had once been a sanctuary for holiness and worship of God. One of the important realities of this teaching for us today is to recognize the dangers of having fellowship with “the works of darkness” lest we become infected with the sin.
THE WORKS OF DARKNESS ARE RECOGNIZABLE.
Of course, it’s important to recognize “works of darkness” which include anything God says is sin. It could be as simple as watching TV shows or attending movies where lying, murder, adultery, etc. are put on a screen and called entertainment. God does not consider it rightful “entertainment” to view men and women who aren’t in a one-flesh marriage kissing and embracing one another; to “play-act” murder; to willfully listen to actors taking God’s name in vain: swearing, etc.
Unfortunately, many teach that we must accept everyone’s lifestyles, their sins: “Don’t say anything to them.” “Don’t upset them.” “Fellowship with them.” “Be a part of their activities.” Or, as a musical performer shared: “I got a job singing in the bar (secular music) so that I could witness to those who are not saved.” That is deception. We are to be witnesses–not to set up camp with the enemy! The “man of God” was not lured into the web of deception by accepting man’s system of rewards. He delivered God’s Word and got out of the city.
BEWARE, EVEN THE ELECT FALL AWAY!
“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: 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. So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel.” (I Kings 13:8-10)
It’s pretty clear that the “man of God” would not compromise the Word of God–even when offered rewards from the king of the land. However, as Christians, no matter how strong we think we stand, we must always be aware that Satan wants to destroy us. He has a package for each person. He knows our weaknesses and will never give up: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (I Peter 5:8)
Satan is more subtle than any beast of the field. Why is he “cast” as a serpent? He is a snake which slithers into our lives; who comes in at our weakest moments, especially just after we have overcome some very heavy tests of crises. Even the elect can be deceived–if they don’t totally rely on what the Word says and reject even ALL appearances of evil. We must be careful to study the Bible for ourselves–not relying upon church leadership, friends, relatives, etc. for our theology: “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” (Matthew 24:24) The “very elect” includes you and me! This is a warning: Beware we CAN fall! If that were not possible, God would not warn against it in so many places throughout the Scriptures.
THE PRICE OF A FREE DINNER; YIELDING TO FORTUNE TELLING BROUGHT DEATH.
How could this be for such a little thing as going to eat with the “false” prophet? Was the “man of God” not innocently deceived? Well, one might say that he was deceived. However, “the man of God” was warned very clearly by God to NOT tarry for any reason in this wicked town. Because he “tread” where he should not have, he opened himself up to the lies of the false prophet. That’s what we do when we neglect even to avoid the appearance of evil. That is how we, too, partake of a “free dinner” (sin). It was Adam and Eve who partook of the first “free dinner” when they were craftily invited by Satan, the serpent to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Genesis 3)
Compare and contrast the disobedience of “the man of God” with that of Adam and Eve. It is basically the same; only the names and specifics differ. “The man of God” was lured into Bethel for a free meal; Adam and Eve were lured into Satan’s playground for a different kind of “meal” but both of these tragic of acts disobedience should warn us to beware when someone tells you a lie about the Word of God. God’s grace doesn’t absolve sin: “… for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” (Genesis 2:17)
God CANNOT lie. What He says, what He warns, WILL ALWAYS come to pass. It may take years, sometimes centuries, but God’s warnings are not like the parent who tells a child if he does not stop a behavior, he will be punished, then doesn’t punish the child. God would be unjust if He would neglect His mercy AND accompanying judgment for disobedience. We, not God, are the ones who bring the judgment upon ourselves when we go against His Word.
Thus, we read of the sad ending of this “man of God.” (Again, could it be that his apostasy was why his name was not recorded?) “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. 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.” (I Kings 13:24, 25) 
HOW CAN WE IDENTIFY FALSE LEADERS, TEACHERS, OR PREACHERS?
Anyone who says something contrary to the printed Word of God is leading people astray–and he is a false prophet from whom we should flee. This might be a pastor approving of an adulterous marriage, or one who teaches that “social” drinking is okay, or even approving of Bibles which include footnotes to God’s Holy Scriptures which question the very words of God preserved for our benefit. Footnotes, for example, which say: “the best manuscripts omit this verse,” “literally day star …” “NU-Text omits holy …” God hasn’t made His Word an exercise in multiple choices wherein the reader is given a choice between the text and a suggested man-created critical footnote. God has promised that He has preserved His words “… from this generation for ever.” (Psalm 12:7) in a pure state “… as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.” (Psalm 12:6) We must either choose to believe–and follow–either man or God’s unchanging Word. “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve …” (Joshua 24:14)
“The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.” “For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” “He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations.” (Psalm 12:6-7, Psalm 100:5, Psalm 105:8)
THE LORD WILL NEVER GIVE HIS PROPHETS/TEACHERS ANY MESSAGE THAT GOES AGAINST THE WRITTEN WORD: THE BIBLE
The key is the Word of God. The LORD will NEVER give His messengers any message that goes against the written Word (the Bible). When anyone has a “revised” version, or says that God didn’t really mean what was written, or has a “vision” from God or a prophetic word which is in opposition to anything recorded in the Holy Scriptures, BEWARE, you could be on your way to Bethel!
“Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.” (Romans 16:17,18)
Christianity is exclusive–NOT inclusive. There is only one way; that is to follow the teachings and lifestyle of Jesus Christ. “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” (II Corinthians 11:13-15)
NONE OF US IS IMMUNE TO THE PULL OF THE WEB OF DECEPTION
None of us is immune to the pull of the web of deception IF we look to any other standard than the written Word of God: “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.” (II Peter 2:1-3)
May we beware of free DINNERS! Satan wants to “sift” you and me from the kingdom of God! (See Luke 22:31)
