So he compromised and went back

So He Went Back | Obey God Unwaveringly | Discern Deception Remain Steadfast

Posted on by Harvest Church

In a world filled with mixed voices and spiritual deception, God calls us to unwavering obedience and Holy Spirit discernment—don’t let anyone pull you away from the last thing God told you to do.

VFS

1. Deception Often Comes Through Familiar or Religious Voices

  • The man of God wasn’t deceived by an enemy, but by an older prophet.

  • Not every spiritual voice is a God-sent voice.

  • Discernment requires testing every message against God’s Word.

2. Partial Obedience Is Still Disobedience

  • One compromise changed the man of God’s destiny.

  • Good intentions cannot outweigh God’s instructions.

  • Obedience must be exact, not adjusted.

3. God’s Instructions Must Override Human Influence

  • Even respected people can mislead us.

  • Your assignment is between you and God, not you and people.

  • Stay anchored to what the Lord originally said.

4. Consequences Are Real, but God’s Purpose Still Stands

  • The man of God died, yet his prophecy remained true.

  • Failure does not cancel God’s Word—only our participation in it.

  • Protect your purpose by protecting your obedience.

Summary of 1 Kings 13:19

The Command of God

God gave a clear and strict command to the man of God: do not eat, drink, or return by the same way. His mission was prophetic, precise, and time-sensitive. The instruction wasn’t optional; it was vital to the integrity of his calling.

The Voice of Deception

In 1 Kings 13:19, the older prophet persuades the man of God to return with him. This moment is the turning point of the entire chapter. The man of God steps outside God’s command because he trusted a voice that claimed divine authority but wasn’t speaking truth. This reveals that deception often appears spiritual, friendly, and familiar.

The Cost of Disobedience

When the man of God disobeyed, judgment followed swiftly. The lion that killed him testified to the seriousness of altering God’s Word. While the consequences were severe, the prophecy he delivered remained fully accurate—reminding us that God’s truth stands even when people fall.

Believers should guard their obedience, test every voice, and stay committed to God’s original instruction. The enemy’s strategy is not always attack; sometimes it’s distraction. Stay anchored to what God spoke.

Scripture References

1 Kings 13:1–3 — The Man of God Prophesies Against the Altar at Bethel

1 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.

1 Kings 13:4–6 — Jeroboam’s Hand Withers and Is Restored

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.

1 Kings 13:7–10 — The Man of God Refuses the King’s Reward

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.

1 Kings 13:11–19 — The Old Prophet Deceives the Man of God

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…
12 And their father said unto them, What way went he? …
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…
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.

1 Kings 13:20–25 — Judgment Comes Upon the Man of God

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…

1 Kings 13:26–32 — The Old Prophet Retrieves the Body

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…
27 And he spake to his sons, saying, Saddle me the ass…
28 And he went and found his carcase cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcase…
29 And the prophet took up the carcase of the man of God…
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…
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.

1 Kings 13:33–34 — Jeroboam Still Does Not Repent

33 After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way…
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.