Obey God to the end. Credit: Bangkok.

Obey God to the end.

1 Pr. 13: 1-34

God sent his men to warn King Jeroboam of the consequences of sin that would come, and instead Jeroboam repented, but ignored God's warning of the sins of idolatry, and commanded him to catch the man of God again. God paralyzed the king's hand. But when the man of God prayed to God, the king's hand returned to normal use.

God commanded God's men, "Do not eat or drink water, or go back by the path that came." When the king invited him to the palace, God's men obeyed God's command to disobey Jeroboam's proposal. Later, when the prophet of God at Bethel invited him, claiming that God had also spoken to him to go (but he lied), God's man was trapped, and finally had to bear the fruits of disobedience by being bitten by a lion lying by the side of the road, the lion's not eating as a sign that this was from God.

But God appointed only the tribe of Levi to serve as priests, to teach the word of God, and to show us that this priesthood was neglected and transgressed, not paying attention to God's command, but doing what he agreed.

The first obedience does not strike us in the next obedience. The man of God is satisfied, does not ponder. Satan used the Word of God when he tried Jesus, but it was used in the wrong way, so we must understand the Word of God so that we can act properly and not be deceived.

Today, many distorted teachings of the truth in God's Word have arisen. He seems to be a man of God, vastly endowed with spiritual gifts, but used for his benefit. We can fight and flee from this distorted teaching only if we fully understand the truth in God's Word.

"O Lord, teach me the way of thy statutes... give me understanding, that I may keep thy commandments, and do them with all my heart." (Psalm 119.33-34) May this be our prayer every new morning in reading the word of the Lord, that we may live rightly, and be acceptable in thy sight, that we may not be tempted to sin against thee.