ODJ: Source of Truth

May 20, 2016 

READ: 1 Kings 13:4-24  

The Lord [commanded me]: “You must not eat or drink anything while you are there” (v.9).

Often, when I search for something on the internet, I’m not sure I can trust the information I find. If I type a topic into a well-known search engine, I may end up on a website that features unverified information. Disclaimers warn that experts haven’t reviewed the content and so there’s no way to guarantee that it’s accurate, complete or unbiased. No matter how authentic the material might seem, I know it’s unwise to trust it.

Trusting the wrong source of information was a key part of the downfall of the “man of God from Judah” (1 Kings 13:1). He set out to deliver a message from God with specific instructions: don’t eat or drink anything, and don’t go back the same way you came (vv.9-10). He prophesied and followed God’s rules until he met an old man who invited him to a meal (v.15). The younger man refused, but the old man said, “I am a prophet, too. . . . An angel gave me this command from the Lord: ‘Bring him home with you so he can have something to eat and drink’ ” (v.18).

That evident lie led the young man to go and satisfy his desires against God’s commands. The old man’s status as a prophet carried weight, but he wasn’t trustworthy. Sadly, however, the young prophet followed him and died soon afterward (v.24).

Like this young prophet, we can get into trouble if we turn away from God’s wisdom in favour of what other people tell us. Paul reminds us in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 to “test everything” by what God has revealed to us. As we seek the instruction found in Scripture, the advice of godly counsellors and the counsel of the Holy Spirit, we can make decisions that will honour Him. God is the Source of Truth—may we choose His wisdom today!

—Jennifer Benson Schuldt

365-day plan: Proverbs 5:1-23