(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) В¶ 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.
I do not detain the Reader through the whole of this relation, because general observations upon the whole should seem to be most suited to our present conception of things, and the gracious design of the Holy Ghost in causing such events to be recorded. There can be no question, I think, from what is here said of this old prophet but that he was not a prophet of the Lord. And yet some difficulty will still occur to reconcile this conviction with what is said of him in 1 Kings 13:20; that the word of the Lord came to him. But in answer to this difficulty I would observe; is it not possible for the Lord to make use even of his enemies sometimes, as suits the blessed purposes of his holy will, to reprove or punish, to nourish or strengthen his servants. Hence the Magicians in Egypt were permitted, to a certain extent, to imitate God's faithful servant Moses. And now in the present hour may not unawakened men, who unsent of God minister in holy things, sometimes be made instrumental for good to the Lord's people? See Exodus 8:7; Matthew 7:22. With respect to the fall and punishment of the man of God that came out of Judah to Beth-el, the subject holds forth a lesson of great usefulness in the church, and no doubt it was one intention of the Holy Ghost, for which it was recorded. It should be remembered that the Lord had made suitable provision in the church, to guard his servants against false teachers by a positive law; in which the Lord expressly caused it to be stated that it was possible for even the sign which a false prophet might give to come to pass; but yet this was to be considered as no authority for departing from a positive law of God. See Deuteronomy 13:1-4. I beg the Reader to remark with me the nature of the punishment; that his carcass should not come to the sepulchre of his fathers. But there is nothing in this more than a temporal judgment. And an apostle under the gospel state had it in commission, to tell the church of believers, that when we are judged we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. 1 Corinthians 11:32. After all, how sweet is it to wait upon the Lord, and to watch his grace and providence in all events. Surely the very wrath of man shall praise him. God exercises an holy jealousy over his people; and the sins of his servants shall be chastised, though he shows favor to their persons for Jesus's sake. The psalmist makes a beautiful observation on this subject. Moses, and Aaron, and Samuel, called upon the Lord and he answered them. But though he answered them as the Lord God in covenant, and was a God that forgave them, it is said that he took vengeance of their inventions. Psalms 99:6-8. Reader! do you not eye Jesus in all this? The covenant of redemption holds forever good; and the blood and righteousness of Jesus never lose their efficacy. Oh! to grace in Jesus what mercies are owing!