The Man of God: Obedience Is Not Optional

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LESSON 10

November 27 - December 3

The Man of God: Obedience Is Not Optional

SABBATH AFTERNOON

Read for This Week's Study:

Exodus 32, 1 Kings 13:1–34, Dan. 5:13–17, Luke 16:31, John 15:24, 2 Tim. 4:3.

Memory Text:

“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20, 21, NIV).

This week we will look at one of the strangest stories in the Old Testament. On first glance we discover a renegade king, a prophet who makes specific food prohibitions, an altar that splits open like a cracked egg, and then, more disturbing, a lying old prophet and a selectively dangerous lion. The story takes place in the first years of the divided monarchy, a time of political and religious tension. Under the leadership of Jeroboam (and with the express blessing of the Lord, 1 Kings 11:29–39), the ten tribes of Israel have separated themselves from Rehoboam, the son of Solomon and heir to the Davidic kingdom. War hangs in the air, and it is during this time of instability and change that God sends his prophet with a specific message to King Jeroboam about the idolatrous worship in the Northern kingdom, which would prove ultimately to be its ruin. Below the surface of this story about a nameless prophet lies the important issue of obedience and how seriously God takes our obedience. Whatever the unanswered questions, this story shows that any expression of the gospel without resulting obedience is, of necessity, a false gospel.

*Study this week's lesson to prepare for Sabbath, December 4.