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The Giver of Gifts
It is a spectacular miracle. Jeroboam’s hand, which had “dried up, so that he could not pull it in again” (1 Kings 13:4), is immediately restored. After such convincing evidence, we would expect at least a public confession from Jeroboam, the king. But miracles cannot change our will. Even after a dramatic intervention by God, it is surprisingly easy to find a “natural” explanation or just simply to go back to our old habits.
What did Jesus say about the connection between miracles and belief? Luke 16:31, John 10:25–28, 15:24. Why do you think this is so true of us?
Instead of abandoning his worship activities and wholeheartedly beginning a reformation, Jeroboam simply changes tactics (see 1 Kings 13:7–10). He invites the man of God home with him and offers him a reward. This was a political move aimed at neutralizing the effect of the message on the people who witnessed the miracle. King Jeroboam is offering to take the man of God into his employ. Only the one who is in charge or who is soliciting a service is in a position to offer a reward, but God’s man is never to be on sale. He owes his allegiance to God and cannot let his messages from God be modified by whoever might be sponsoring him.
Read 2 Kings 5:14–16 and Daniel 5:13–17. How did the prophets respond to the offers of gifts?
Giving a gift places the giver in a position of power and the receiver “owes” the giver. The man of God refuses the king’s gift and goes on to state that he will not eat or drink in the territory of Israel. By not accepting Jeroboam’s hospitality, the man of God says “No” to mixing true worship with idolatry. God’s people should not be for sale. They should walk a different route. The man of God did not have too far to walk, because the inauguration of the shrine at Bethel took place about 2 kilometers (1.4 miles) from the border with Judah. The next town in Judah’s territory was Mizpah, a 10 kilometers (7 miles) walk from Bethel. The man of God was to show how revolting the idolatrous system was to God through a dramatic object lesson of not eating and drinking and even by taking a different route home.
How is the giving of gifts or favors viewed in your culture? Are you indebted to anyone by gifts that you receive? Pray for God’s wisdom in helping you disentangle yourself from any compromising situations that you might find yourself in because of gifts given you.
| TUESDAY | November 30 |
It is a spectacular miracle. Jeroboam’s hand, which had “dried up, so that he could not pull it in again” (1 Kings 13:4), is immediately restored. After such convincing evidence, we would expect at least a public confession from Jeroboam, the king. But miracles cannot change our will. Even after a dramatic intervention by God, it is surprisingly easy to find a “natural” explanation or just simply to go back to our old habits.
What did Jesus say about the connection between miracles and belief? Luke 16:31, John 10:25–28, 15:24. Why do you think this is so true of us?
Instead of abandoning his worship activities and wholeheartedly beginning a reformation, Jeroboam simply changes tactics (see 1 Kings 13:7–10). He invites the man of God home with him and offers him a reward. This was a political move aimed at neutralizing the effect of the message on the people who witnessed the miracle. King Jeroboam is offering to take the man of God into his employ. Only the one who is in charge or who is soliciting a service is in a position to offer a reward, but God’s man is never to be on sale. He owes his allegiance to God and cannot let his messages from God be modified by whoever might be sponsoring him.
Read 2 Kings 5:14–16 and Daniel 5:13–17. How did the prophets respond to the offers of gifts?
Giving a gift places the giver in a position of power and the receiver “owes” the giver. The man of God refuses the king’s gift and goes on to state that he will not eat or drink in the territory of Israel. By not accepting Jeroboam’s hospitality, the man of God says “No” to mixing true worship with idolatry. God’s people should not be for sale. They should walk a different route. The man of God did not have too far to walk, because the inauguration of the shrine at Bethel took place about 2 kilometers (1.4 miles) from the border with Judah. The next town in Judah’s territory was Mizpah, a 10 kilometers (7 miles) walk from Bethel. The man of God was to show how revolting the idolatrous system was to God through a dramatic object lesson of not eating and drinking and even by taking a different route home.
How is the giving of gifts or favors viewed in your culture? Are you indebted to anyone by gifts that you receive? Pray for God’s wisdom in helping you disentangle yourself from any compromising situations that you might find yourself in because of gifts given you.
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