1 Kings 13:1-10 “Healing Without Repentance”
“By the word of the LORD a man of God came from Judah to Bethel, as Jeroboam was standing by the altar to make an offering.” (1) Jeroboam developed a worship system rooted in insecurities that was full of compromise but clothed with the false motive of wanting to make it “convenient” for Israel. Really he was trying to secure his position of power he perceived threatened by God defined worship. This was rebuked by a prophetic word from a man of God from Judah who prophesied this would be confirmed by the altar being split resulting in the ashes falling to the ground. Jeroboam responded, “…’Seize him!’ But the hand he stretched out toward the man shriveled up, so that he could not pull it back.” (4c). The altar then spit and its ashes poured out according to the word of God. “Then the king said to the man of God, ‘Intercede with the LORD your God and pray for me that my hand may be restored.’” (4a) He did not seek repentance for what he had done wrong, but only for personal healing. Sadly, we often seek personal healing from God without embracing the repentance from what led to our sad state.
