1 Kings 13:1-3

Read 1 Kings 13:1-3

Helpful Background Information: 

• 1 and 2 Kings tell the stories of the line of kings that came after David, in which most of them lead their people into increasing sin and rebellion. Time and time again, God sends prophets to turn the people back from their idolatry and injustice despite their refusal to listen. One specific prophecy that we read is found in 1 Kings 13, and it comes from a nameless man of God from Judah against the unauthorized altar built by King Jeroboam in Bethel (v.1). 

• The prophecy in 1 Kings 13 makes it clear that God will bring justice to the sin of Jeroboam but in a way that actually brings a sense of hopefulness. In verse 2, the prophet tells us that “a son will be born to the house of David, named Josiah.” Then we’re told that Josiah will be the one who burns the bones of false priests on Jeroboam’s altar to desecrate it, as a way of restoring allegiance to the LORD. 

• What’s striking is that even though this specific prophecy came three hundred years before Josiah’s life, it accurately predicts exactly what Josiah does during his religious reforms in 2 Kings 23:15-16. As has always been the case, God ensures that His justice is upheld and that His promises come to pass. 
  

Reflection Questions: 

• God announced Josiah’s coming centuries before he was born. How does the fulfillment of this prophecy strengthen your confidence in God's ability to keep His promises? How does God's timeline challenge our desire for immediate results and quick resolutions?

• The altar at Bethel represented false worship that had become normalized in Israel. What kinds of idols or compromises can quietly become accepted in our own lives?

• Josiah could reform the nation externally, but he couldn’t permanently change human hearts. How does this highlight our need for the new covenant and the transforming work of Christ?

• God raised up Josiah to confront idolatry, but He sent Jesus to deal with the deeper problem beneath all idolatry—human sin. What idols or competing allegiances might God be confronting in your life today?