🤩 Bible Stories to Marvel At
Where God’s miracles grow big – for little and big children
📖 1 Kings Chapter 13 – The Prophet Who Did Not Endure
⚠️ When You Listen to God – But Not Until the End
🌅 Introduction
God sometimes speaks very clearly.
He gives precise instructions, especially when something important is at stake.
In this story, a prophet comes with a courageous mission.
He speaks the truth — loudly and boldly.
But then something unexpected happens.
👉 Not only the king,
👉 but also the prophet himself ends up in the wrong.
Why? Because obedience does not only count at the beginning, but until the very end.
📖 The Bible story
Jeroboam was now king in the northern kingdom of Israel.
But he was afraid.
He thought:
“If the people go up to Jerusalem every year to the temple,
they might return to the house of David.”
So Jeroboam invented his own form of worship.
He set up two golden calves —
one in Bethel and one in Dan.
He built altars and appointed new priests — all according to his own idea.
But God was not pleased.
✋ A Prophet Comes
God sent a prophet from Judah to Bethel.
He arrived exactly where Jeroboam was offering sacrifices.
Loudly he cried out:
“O altar, altar!
This is what the Lord says:
A king will be born — his name will be Josiah.
He will judge the false priests here!”
And as a sign he said:
“This altar will split apart —
and the ashes will pour out!”
Suddenly Jeroboam stretched out his hand and shouted:
“Seize him!”
But his hand became stiff,
and the altar split apart just as had been announced.
😮 A Miracle — and a Warning
Jeroboam was frightened.
He begged the prophet:
“Please ask your God to restore my hand!”
The prophet prayed —
and Jeroboam’s hand became normal again.
Then the king wanted to reward him:
“Come home with me! Eat with me, and I will reward you.”
But the prophet said:
“No. God told me:
Eat nothing, drink nothing,
and return by a different way.”
And that is exactly what he did.
At first.
🧓 The Encounter with the Old Prophet
Nearby lived an old prophet.
His sons had told him everything.
The old man rode after the young prophet,
found him sitting under a tree, and said:
“Come home with me and eat something.”
But the young prophet replied:
“I must not. God has forbidden it.”
Then the old man lied:
“I am also a prophet.
An angel told me that you may come with me.”
The young prophet believed him.
He turned back, went with him — and ate at his house.
😢 The Judgment
While they were still eating, God spoke through the old prophet —
and this time it was the truth:
“Because you have not obeyed the word of the Lord,
you will not return to your homeland.”
When the young prophet set out again,
a lion met him on the way.
The lion killed him — but did not eat him.
His body lay untouched,
the donkey stood beside it, and the lion as well.
Everyone in the area heard about it.
It was clear:
📌 This was no accident —
📌 it was a warning from God.
The old prophet was sad.
He knew he was partly to blame.
He buried the young man
and asked his sons to bury him later in the same place.
🟣 Summary
A prophet receives a clear command:
Go, speak, do not return the same way — and eat nothing.
He fulfills his task.
But in the end he listens to a lie.
He trusts a human more than God —
and pays for it with his life.
At the same time, Jeroboam simply continues
with his false altars —
even though he had seen a miracle.
💚 Message for Children Today
It is not enough to listen to God once.
We must remain faithful to Him —
even when others try to change our minds.
God sees not only the beginning,
but also what we do at the end.
And: Just because someone claims to speak “from God,”
it does not automatically mean it is God’s voice.
👉 That is why it is important to know God’s Word well
and not believe everything others say.
💭 Thought Impulse
🔹 Why was the young prophet brave at first — but later not?
🔹 How can you learn today to listen to God’s voice — and stay faithful?
🔹 What helps you trust God more than people?
🧒 👧 👦
💌 Invitation to 1 Kings Chapter 14
⚠️ When Someone Asks God in Secret — But Does Not Follow Him Openly
Jeroboam has chosen many wrong paths.
He has led the people astray — with his own altars and foreign gods.
But when his own son becomes sick,
he suddenly wants to know what God says.
Yet instead of going honestly to God,
he tries to hide…
Chapter 14 shows us:
👉 God sees not only the outside, but also the heart.
🔔 Teaser for Chapter 14
Jeroboam sends his wife to a prophet —
but he has her disguise herself,
so no one will recognize who she is.
She is to ask the old prophet Ahijah:
“What will happen to our sick son?”
But God speaks to Ahijah beforehand:
🗣️ “Jeroboam’s wife is coming.
Tell her what will truly happen.”
When she enters, the blind prophet says:
“Why do you pretend to be someone else?
I have a hard message for you…”
Chapter 14 is serious —
but it also shows:
👉 God cannot be deceived
👉 and He is waiting for people to come to Him honestly.
