Once upon a time, there was a young prophet who came from a faraway place called Judah. Now, this prophet was given a very important message by the Lord, and he went to Bethel to deliver it. Bethel, you see, was a place where people often didn’t listen to the word of God, and that’s why the young prophet had a tough job ahead of him. He was to deliver a warning to King Jeroboam, who had made the altar at Bethel a place for idols.
Now, when King Jeroboam heard the prophet speaking out against the altar, he got real mad. He stretched out his hand toward the prophet and said, “Seize him!” But wouldn’t you know it, just as he did, his hand froze up! He couldn’t pull it back no matter how hard he tried. It was like God had shown him who was really in charge.
When the king saw this, he begged the prophet to pray for him. The young prophet, being a good man, prayed, and the king’s hand was restored. The king, being grateful, asked the prophet to stay and eat, but the prophet refused. He was on a mission and couldn’t stay for food or drink. God had told him not to eat or drink while he was in that place. So, the prophet left Bethel, continuing on his way back home.
But here’s where things took a turn. Along the way, the prophet met an old prophet from Bethel who lived nearby. This old prophet, hearing about the young prophet’s journey, went out to meet him. The old prophet told the young prophet that God had said he should come back to his house and eat, even though that wasn’t what God had told him before. Now, the young prophet was a bit confused. He didn’t know whether to believe this old man, but he went with him.
Now, they sat down to eat and drink, but while they were eating, the word of the Lord came to the old prophet. The Lord told him to speak a harsh message to the young prophet. He said that because the young prophet had disobeyed God’s command, he would not be buried with his ancestors. The young prophet would die because he had listened to the old prophet instead of following the clear command of God.
After they finished their meal, the young prophet got up to leave, and that’s when something dreadful happened. As he was traveling along the road, a lion came out of nowhere and attacked him. The lion killed him, and his body lay there on the road. Strangely, the lion didn’t eat the body, and neither did it harm the donkey that was with him. It just stood there, waiting. Passersby saw the strange sight of the body lying there, and they spread the word about what had happened.
When the old prophet heard about it, he knew right away that the young prophet had been punished for not obeying God. The old prophet went to the place, took the body of the young prophet, and buried him. He mourned for him and said, “Alas, the man of God who didn’t listen to the word of the Lord.” It was a sad ending to a story of disobedience and the consequences of not following God’s commands.
Now, you might wonder why this happened. Well, the lesson here is clear. If you’re given a message from God, no matter what, you must stick to it. If you stray or listen to someone else who tells you different, you might end up paying a heavy price. That young prophet thought he could trust the old prophet, but in the end, it cost him his life.
We should all remember that when God speaks, we need to listen carefully and follow His commands. We may not always understand why, but in the end, we’ll be better off if we do. That’s the lesson the young prophet learned, though it was too late for him.
Key Takeaways:
- Listen to God’s commands and don’t let others lead you astray.
- Disobedience to God can have serious consequences.
- Even when people appear to be trustworthy, always check if their words align with God’s will.
- The story of the young prophet reminds us to stay true to God’s word, no matter what.
Tags：[prophet, lion, Bethel, Jeroboam, disobedience, God’s command, Bible story]