#480 I Listened

And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the Lord unto Bethel: 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 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.

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 Bethel.

11 Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: 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 Bethel, 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 KJV

While Jeroboam attends his altar, as he burns incense for the dedication of this abomination, a prophet stops in to interrupt this ceremony. What wonderful timing, if we would listen, before our end and as we prepare ourselves to fly full in the face of God. He is about to jump out of this plane with no chute, and the words of the Lord are brought against this altar, the name of the man who will burn the false priests upon it, some 300 years later, will be Josiah. Men think themselves the OGs but how sovereign is that to give the name of the man that will fulfill this? Certainly it is prophetic, but it is bound to bring out so much animosity of the free will, that now I can discover you, God, all I have to do is watch for a Josiah. Like that is going to happen now, we will see about that. He speaks to the rocks, the altar, but Jeroboam takes offense to this, this is his way of worshiping God, his established religion. He is the king, and this man is disrespecting what Jeroboam is calling sacred, so he stretches out his hand toward God's speaker, and his hand shrivels up. It is left pointing out and cannot be withdrawn of his own power, a physical manifestation of a hardened heart. The prophet also spoke to the rocks and now the rocks cry out, they bear witness to him, being rent with their contents poured out, like rotten meat taken into the stomach, like poison producing vomit. We have no right to use the things that God has made to serve another, and some think His patience condones it, their fervor establishes it, but if the word of the Lord comes to you, listen. He is a bit concerned over his hand, and he ask the man to beseech, not God, but thy God, so why does Jeroboam refer to God this way? Did he spend so much time in Egypt that he adopted the bulls, or has the God of Jacob so offended him now that he, like Pharaoh he only wants Him to take away the inconvenience, make the sign stop, remove the locust, heal my hand. This is a stiff necked man, and so he ask the prophet to come home with him, he looks upon his travel worn body, and says, let me refresh you, even more so, let me reward you. He is probably really hungry and could use a bath, a reward would be nice too, but God, has on this occasion, explicitly told him, not to eat here. It suggests that he should have no part in them, and that it is a judgment in passing, there is no looking back as Lot's wife did, nor returning the way of Egypt as did Solomon, how is there these two calves after the knowledge of the broken tablets? What part does light have here in this darkness? I cannot stay for God has told me, and I may not go back the way I came, and not for half of all your possessions would it be worth it to me. 

So he obeys, he says what God says, he is kind and prays for the kings hand, not putting anything above his communion with God. Now it gets really messed up, almost cryptic are the events that unfold next. The sons of a local prophet are at the ceremony for Jeroboam's altar, and they run home to tell their father of the days events, so he finds the man and convinces him to come home with him by a lie. Like Eve, he was deceived, God had said one thing, but now someone claiming to be a prophet like him, says he heard from an angel, the words of the Lord. What did Paul say to the Galatians, even if I or an angel come back to you, preaching another gospel, let us be cursed. But he said he was a prophet you say, he had a fresh word you say, from god even, no, not god, but God, because he said he was a Christian as well. Oh, but God said this, so if there is a change in plan, shouldn't it come from God. Should men twist what God says, put words in God's mouth? No. Will they? Christ said they would and all throughout the Old Testament they do, or as in Balaam's case, who God forced to bless Israel, God makes him say opposite of the curse he would like to say. He was a wicked man though, and even after all he had been shown, he still went back to teach Moab how to break Israel from within, to lead them to idols. 

This prophet is in a weakened state, and now he must hear that he has failed, that he has come all this way, but will not finish the journey. How painful this must be, and he only let down his guard for a moment. What a grand and costly reminder for those of us who would take up the plow. Hath God said? No, get thee behind me, Satan, there is nothing back there for me. I know what God said, and I must move on, like Christian in Pilgrim's Progress, stay the course no matter how unpopular, no matter how lonely at times it may seem. There are those that will demand that you return to the law, but the law was for the lawless, it could not save. What is this New Covenant they will ask you? Why do you eat bacon? Why do you worship on Sunday? You need to speak in tongues, look here, you need a sign, to raise people from the dead, to heal their physical ailments. You need a fresh word every day, don't worry about doctrine, don't worry that my fresh word differs with God's old word. Use God's word like this, like a book of spells to get stuff, to build wealth. Paul deals with all these things from the Super apostles. What does God actually say? Remember, my opinion doesn't matter. So let's look at some of these things, it's important because it's where a lot of us get hung up, myself more than anyone:

What is the New Covenant? It's only new because of the time, that this dispensation has now started because the old covenant has been fulfilled in Christ. Just like the issue here with God's prophet, what God has said, no man can change. Christ Jesus testifies to this saying, that He didn't come to destroy the law or the prophets, but to fulfill them. He alone could do this, bringing about the New Covenant, because 1. He was God, "I and the Father are One,' and 'if you have seen me, you have seen the Father". 

2. Just like God's prophet here calls out for the one that will put an end to this altar, so the Old Testament constantly calls for the Messiah. It starts in Genesis with the seed of the woman, then we see it in God's provision of the ark for the flood. We see the Abrahamic covenant, and the substitution of the ram for Isaac. We see that even then it was by faith, as the writer of Hebrews testifies. God delivers Lot's family for His servant Abraham's sake, yet his wife is turned to a pillar of salt as her heart is held by Sodom. The Psalmist David speaks clearly to the coming of Messiah and what he will suffer in Psalms 22 and the prophet Isaiah most specifically and clearly in Is. 52 & 53, which also details how the world will receive Him. Then John the Baptist, a voice of one crying in the wilderness, tells people to repent and be saved. When he sees the Christ, he says, "behold the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world." The New covenant is the promise of the old covenant fulfilled. Look at the tabernacle, the Passover, everything in the OT is based on the Grace of God, received by the gift of faith. Christ didn't just die for us, He also lived for us, he kept the law both in Spirit and in Truth. 

Why do I eat bacon and worship on Sunday? I have actually been asked both of these and even seen rants about it by those not too concerned with the question of doctrine either, but nevertheless, it would not be very meek of me not to answer:

1. The dietary laws were still a very hard and real question for the early Christians, especially for those converting from being under the law. These kept them a separate people, peculiar to those around them, making it difficult to assimilate with other cultures, which was God's purpose in selecting out a people to Himself. It also teaches us clean and unclean, those things that are called clean are made that way by God' choice, not our own. Culture and society do not decide what is right or wrong, that belongs to God. There is also, in the OT, promises made to Abraham in his covenant with God, that in his seed all nations of the earth would be blessed. After Christ dies for our sins on the cross, the law is fulfilled, the temple shroud is torn, and the time of the Gentiles approaches - Jn. 10: 15&16

15just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father. And I lay down My life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them in as well, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd.

Acts 10: 9-19 is still debated by people who would refer to themselves as Christians today. This is Peter's vision of a sheet with the animals on it that were to him as a Jew, unclean. The vision also represents that the time of the gentiles has begun, and like circumcision, these outward signs of fidelity  and being separated to the One true God, are no longer necessary. Could the law save you? Did eating certain foods or being circumcised change your heart? If you were honest, the law was your teacher, it showed the condition of your heart. The dietary laws were necessary to separate you from the world, because again, if you're honest, in your fallen nature, your heart was more drawn to the things of the world then the things of God. There was the temptation for Peter, even after this, to return the way he had already come, even though he no longer lived as the Jews when he was with Gentiles. Galatians 2:11-21 is where Paul rebukes him. Don't doubt for a minute that this is a failure in all of us, to strain at gnats but swallow camels, to make the thing of least importance, the most important. The gospel teachers reaffirm the teachings of the moral law, so this is also not the place to run to for comfort in such sins. We are all guilty before God, and we all will try rather to justify our sin then to confess it as sin, and desire to be cleansed from it. It is and was much easier to pass on a BLT then to not have anger, covetousness, deceit, or pride in our hearts. The call of Christ is one of justification by faith, not of works, for He alone can atone for our sins, but it is also a call unto Sanctification, for He alone is faithful, Who began a good work in you, to see it through. 

2. Sunday worship is another one that I have been approached on, it is actually in the moral law, and Jesus also confirms this, to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Now, under the law, this was Saturday, the seventh day of the week. What were supposed to remember? That God created the heavens and the earth in six days, and on the seventh day, He rested from all His work, and said, it is good. There are people who say they are Christians that take a nod to this law on either Saturday because they feel it should be on the seventh day still, by the letter, or Sunday, because that was the first day of the week, the day when the early church came together to hear the disciples teach as in Acts 2, Acts 20:7 and 1Cor. 16:1-2. For the best Scripture doctrinal understanding of both food and Sabbath look at this wonderful passage that helped bring me much clarity:

Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions,[a] puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.

20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21 “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” 22 (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? 23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. Colossians 2: 16-23

See it, they were shadows, and look at the end, they had no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. We will just trade gnats for camels. It comes down again, as it always does, that the substance belongs to Christ, that you must be born again. I am going to stop here and do a 480.5 continuation because there is a lot of really cool stuff to cover with this.