Scripture
20Now it happened as they were sitting at the table, that the word of the Lord came to the prophet who had brought him back. 21And he cried out to the man of God who had come from Judah, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have disobeyed the word of the Lord and have not kept the commandment which the Lord your God commanded you, 22but have come back and have eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which the Lord said to you, “You shall not eat bread nor drink water”; your body shall not come to the tomb of your fathers (ancestors).’ ” 23After the prophet of the house had eaten bread and after he had drunk, he saddled the donkey for the prophet whom he had brought back. 24Now when he had gone, a lion met him by the road and killed him, and his body was thrown in the road, with the donkey standing beside it; the lion was also standing beside the body.
1 Kings 13:20-23
Observation
This is one of the most bizarre sections of scripture in the Old Testament. It reminds me immediately of how grateful I am to be a minister in the New Covenant where grace abounds. I have no doubt I would have chosen the same as the young prophet. If after ministering all day in the hot sun a seasoned minister came to offer me food and water and rest before my long journey home I would shout, “Glory Hallelujah! God sees the desires of my heart! He truly provides for all I need. This has to be God right? He is rewarding me for resisting the temptation of King Jeroboam’s table.” What was the reason for this test? It seems completely unfair and downright cruel of God to do this. Until you look back at what this prophet had just done. “At the Lord’s command, a man of God from Judah went to Bethel, arriving there just as Jeroboam was approaching the altar to burn incense.” (13:1) He was confronting divination: an imitation of the divine. Jeroboam was wrapping pagan worship in godly clothing and this prophet was revealing the truth underneath. God had given this man discernment on a national scale but the real test was on the personal one. Could he stay true to God’s clear command even when another “prophet” invited him to do something different? Could he stay focused on the task at hand no matter how much his body and mind longed to rest, eat, and drink? Often times the greatest test’s to our integrity aren’t on the stage where all can see but are the small decisions we make when no one is looking.
Application
Every single day of my life I choose the Lion or the Donkey. Which one will I be with at the setting sun of today’s choices?
The Lion is the small compromises that will eat me whole. The Lion is the hypocrisy wrapped in religious language so I can feel good about myself even while contradicting God’s instructions. The Lion is the appetite and cravings of the flesh that seek to override God’s clear commands. The Lion is the voice of temptation after a great ministry weekend. The greatest tests follow the greatest success. The Lion will eat my calling, my future alive the moment I deviate from what God has called me to do simply because “it sounds good”. The Lion was the snake in the Garden, the rock Moses hit instead of speaking to, Bathsheba on the rooftop when King David should have been on the battlefield.
The Donkey is the stubborn resolve to stay focused. The Donkey is choosing God’s direction over and against any distraction, religious or otherwise. The Donkey is the opposite of what my flesh feels like doing as it walks slowly but surely right past entitlement, enticement, and embellishment. The Donkey is the will of God moving me forward even if it seems to be at a much slower pace than I have the patience for. The Donkey is walking out the will of God even it makes me feel like “an ass” for refusing the invitations of those around me. The Donkey is what Paul describes in today’s reading in Philippians 3: “12I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
It's easy to say "no" once or twice but temptation often comes in threes. It's easy to say no to the Devil with horns and a pitchfork, but what about when he's dressed up like a man of God? Today’s choices will either stay with the donkey or feed the lion. I will know which by the time the sun sets on this day. Today determines the longevity and integrity of my testimony.
Prayer
Lord, will I choose to focus on You and Your direction to my heart. I choose to say no to distractions of the flesh and the temptations to feed my ego. Cravings will eat my calling alive. I’m so thankful for Your grace that’s kind enough to show me the lack of discernment for the false invitations before I find myself in the belly of the beast. The enemy is a prowling lion seeking to devour. He often comes as an angel of light or a wolf in sheep's clothing. Help me to discern Your voice over the many voices around me. Let me speak Your Word, feed off of Your truth, follow You through to the end of the race. Help me to keep Your Scripture as my authority and to use discernment, remaining obedient, even when speaking to people of God. You allow the Lion in my life but nothing is forcing me to get off the donkey. Keep moving forward and don’t get distracted, Jon. If I don’t stay on the path of Your direction I’m walking right into the jaws of destruction and it usually starts with a sweet distraction.
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