Today we turn to 1 Kings chapter 13. The theme is: The End of Those Who Disobey the Command of the LORD.

Once God has established a command, try violating it and see what happens. Sometimes, after you have tried it, you may not be able to turn back. You may cross the line in one rush. Take the commands of the LORD. The Ten Commandments are not to be touched. Do not covet another man’s house. Honour your father and mother. Go and investigate. Look at the end of those who do not honour their parents. Look also at the end of those who covet other people’s houses. When you disobey God’s commands, God is not concerned with whether you knew or did not know. Who asked you not to know?

My grandfather died before I was born. At that time, my mother was only in her twenties. Looking back now, a young woman of twenty-six or twenty-seven, as a daughter-in-law in another family, what decisions could she make? Do not even speak of a daughter-in-law. Sometimes, even a daughter has little say. My mother cared for my grandfather until he died. She handled his excrement and urine. My aunts kept quiet. Why? They were afraid of spending money. In truth, they had no money. They were poor.

My mother was a formidable woman. She cared for my grandfather until his death. After he died, his body became stiff. My mother washed him clean and trimmed his hair. You could not simply call a barber, because the body could not sit upright. So my mother carried the body on her back while the barber cut my grandfather’s hair. Impressive, is it not? Many years later, those aunts came to our home. Their lives were miserable. One of my aunts said to my mother, “Look at the son you raised. Now look at the son I raised.” My mother honoured her elders, and so our whole family was greatly blessed. The following year, I was born. My mother was truly blessed.

How many people today do not know that honouring one’s parents brings blessing? As for those who do not honour their parents, do not bother talking about others, and do not even raise the question of whether there is a God. Just observe. When you fail to honour your parents, you distinguish good and evil with them. You become deeply estranged from them. The grievances between you and your parents become like a contest of swords at Mount Hua.

There was once a sister in our local church. I could have told her fortune with my heel. There was always something unsettled in my heart concerning her. The moment I saw how she dishonoured her parents, I knew. Whenever her mother was mentioned, her face would twist up. With great impatience she would say, “Do not mention it. Stop talking about it.” I thought to myself, can such a person become a minister? So I concluded that the end of those who disobey the commands of the LORD is miserable. There is no need to think twice about it. Whether you like it or not, what God has ordained cannot be changed.

You may distinguish good and evil with anyone, but do not distinguish good and evil with your own parents. After you were born, your parents raised you, handling your excrement and urine. At that time, you could not even care for yourself. You had no standing to judge them. Of course, ponder this carefully. There are many commands that the LORD has established.

Jeroboam Disobeyed God’s Command

Now behold, a man of God came out of Judah by the word of the LORD to Bethel, while Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense. (1 Kings 13:1)

Jeroboam made two golden calves, placing one in Bethel and the other in Dan. Then he went to the altar to burn incense. Why? Jeroboam had his own logic. “I am now king of Israel. On this side is the kingdom of Israel; on that side is the kingdom of Judah. Israel has ten tribes, while Judah has two smaller tribes.” Once you are king, you must govern the affairs of the state.

Jeroboam now faced a choice: should he govern his kingdom according to the command of the LORD, or according to his own logic? This was not easy. The first thing that came to Jeroboam’s mind was money. Money confuses people. As the Chinese saying goes, “Men die for wealth; birds die for food.” Jeroboam calculated it every way he could, and it did not seem worthwhile. Why? The people of Israel were to bring their offerings—seventeen percent of their income—to the temple in Judah.

Who could make sense of that? Suppose Singaporeans had a temple in Malaysia, and they had to bring seventeen percent of their money there as an offering. Would that temple not belong to Malaysia? I understand Jeroboam very well. Put anyone in the position of king, and he would struggle to get past this hurdle. Could you get past it? I could not. I would surrender. I would not want to be king of Israel. But once you are king, how do you govern the country? This is the logic of money, not the logic of God.

If I were Jeroboam, king of Israel, and I carefully observed the word of the LORD my God, refusing to disobey His commands, refusing to make golden calves, and encouraging all the people of Israel to bring their offerings to Judah, what do you think would happen?

How could God possibly be less important than money? There is a saying: “Money is a bastard.” But without this bastard, how can one become a fool? Money is a difficult hurdle to cross. Jeroboam calculated and calculated. Then he made two golden calves and went to the altar to offer sacrifices. In the process, he led the Israelites astray.

Did Jeroboam not want to carefully observe God’s word? He did. But reality, as he saw it, would not allow it. Does this strike a chord with you? Do you understand? Surely it does. I understand those who feel this way. I do not condemn you. This is why people so often fall into such a condition. Do not test yourself in the matter of faith. You may not pass the test.

In the days of Jesus, Jesus rebuked His disciples: “Your faith is so dull. You do not know the power of God.” Brothers and sisters, do you know the power of God today? If God’s power surpasses everything in the universe, then trust Him. What is this seventeen percent—the Israelites’ seventeen percent? It is nothing. If I do not disobey the command of the LORD, will there be any good outcome from disobeying it? No.

Yet we often fall into this pit. “Teacher, if I do as you say, how am I to live?” Why can you not live? With Almighty God, who gives me my daily bread, how can I fail to live? Where is the problem? The problem is that people always think this will not work and that will not work. They think, “If I have no job, how will I survive?” With God, how can there be no job?

Jeroboam happily went up to the altar to offer sacrifice, because he thought he had devised a very clever scheme. At the very least, he had saved the kingdom of Israel seventeen percent in tribute. Jeroboam thought, “The offerings are now coming into my pocket. Is this altar not under my control?” But he disobeyed God’s command. You must know that later, Jeroboam’s whole family died a terrible death.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, do not take such reckless courage. Even if you were given the courage of two leopards, do not disobey the commands of the LORD. Disobeying them kills people. It kills people.

Too many people have stumbled over money. Why? They do not know that the LORD God is worth more than money. If a man does not know that God is worth more than money, and he sees only money, then he is finished. Jeroboam had a whole pile of reasons for disobeying God’s command. He could have brought in Guan Zhong, Confucius, even Laozi. He could have used every school of thought to justify himself. It would have made no difference. How could those things compare with the command of the LORD God? Therefore, his end was miserable.

God Always Gives Signs to Those Who Disobey His Commands

If you were to look at this from God’s position, you might say, “Jeroboam, you insignificant creature, I could crush you with one hand.” But God is rich in grace and mercy. So God sent a man of God.

And the man of God cried out against the altar by the word of the LORD, and said, “O altar, altar! Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, a child, Josiah by name, shall be born to the house of David; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men’s bones shall be burned on you.’” And he gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign which the LORD has spoken: Surely the altar shall split apart, and the ashes on it shall be poured out.” So when King Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, who cried out against the altar in Bethel, he stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, “Arrest him!” Then his hand, which he stretched out toward him, withered, so that he could not pull it back to himself. The altar also split apart, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD. (1 Kings 13:2–5)

In fact, people often encounter signs. If you encounter a sign, and it comes to pass exactly as the sign indicated, what should you do? Do you continue along the path you originally planned, or do you turn back to God? Every brother and sister among us has had such experiences, has he not? At least I have. Certainly I have. Do you think I would have served God so obediently without God’s discipline? Without it, I would have slipped away to goodness knows where.

God always gives us signs. Try distinguishing good and evil. After you have done it, you say, “Teacher, my heart feels terrible.” I say, “Terrible? Good.” You say, “Teacher, I feel this terrible, and you still say it is good?” It is a sign—a sign. If God did not give you some sign, would you not become so arrogant that you would try to overturn God’s throne? Look at you, so pleased with yourself, thinking you are clever. Very well, let me show you how clever you are. You cannot manage now, can you?

This is not taking pleasure in another man’s misfortune. If God did not bring salvation, who could be saved?

Every one of us experiences God. Jeroboam experienced a sign. Yet that sign could not destroy Jeroboam’s internal system of logic. When grace is given to you and you refuse it, the next outcome will be worse. I tell you, some people experience grace, signs, and even disasters, yet continue to run wildly down the same road. Jeroboam was such a man. When God judges a person, He gives him sufficient grace.

God Always Gives People Sufficient Grace

Jeroboam’s hand withered. From the shoulder upward, everything was normal. But his arm became like cured meat, like a mummy. It was useless. Just moments earlier, that arm had pointed at the man of God and said, “Arrest him!” What conclusion should Jeroboam have drawn from this? He should have thought, “My God is too powerful. God merely turned my arm into a mummy. What if He turned my whole body into a mummy?”

Yet Jeroboam still refused to destroy that fleshly and worldly system of logic within him.

Brothers and sisters, how much suffering must you go through before you destroy your worldly system of logic? No one escapes paying a price for a worldly system of logic. If you want to try it, the danger is that after trying it, you may not be able to return. You may rush too far and end up in the realm of the dead. Then it will not merely be one arm turned into a mummy.

Then the king answered and said to the man of God, “Please entreat the favour of the LORD your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.” So the man of God entreated the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored to him, and became as before. (1 Kings 13:6)

The man of God prayed, and it was done. Was the man of God powerful in prayer, or was God powerful? It was certainly God who healed him. It had nothing to do with the man of God himself. Do you understand? What do we experience today? We experience grace.

It is a good thing that we are not sitting in God’s position. With our temper, our tolerance, and our breadth of heart, we would have crushed Jeroboam long ago. “That wicked little fellow—crush him. Another one? Crush him too.” Is that not how we are? With our limited tolerance, our narrow measure, and our small hearts, how could we do otherwise? Sometimes people offend us, and we hate them so much that our teeth itch. In our hearts we think, “Curse him. Why is he not dead yet?”

But God always gives people sufficient grace. This arm changed from cured meat, from a mummy, back into a normal arm. Was that not shocking? It should have been shocking. But it did not shock Jeroboam. He went back and remained the same old Jeroboam.

God might say, “Very well, Jeroboam. Is this sign of your arm strong enough? If it is not strong enough, I will arrange something more severe for you.” In the end, his entire household died a terrible death.

This is where human stupidity lies. People cannot calculate which matter is greater and which is smaller. A kingdom of Israel with ten tribes deceived Jeroboam. Did he really think those ten tribes belonged to him? Did he really think that the kingdom formed by those ten tribes was his family property? When he died, the kingdom of Israel remained.

Brothers and sisters, be careful. When God gives you grace, He is leading you to repentance. When God gives you grace, He is tolerating us again and again. God’s kindness is meant to lead us to repentance. But Jeroboam was finished. Do you think God cared so much about the kingdom of Israel? He did not. Do you think God cared so much about Jeroboam? He did not.

At the time of the Exodus, God displayed His fierce wrath. So let me give you some advice today: offend anyone if you must, but do not offend God. We cannot swallow the consequences. Do not imagine that with two hands and two feet you can contend with God. Even if you use every ounce of strength in your whole body, you cannot contend with one little finger of God. So why contend with Him at all?

I must keep myself alert. Whatever temptation comes, I must overcome it. I must not disobey God. I tell you, in the matter of money, you must overcome. I thank God. Again and again, wave after wave, time after time, God has strengthened me so that I would not regard money as so important.

If a man is wise, knowing the LORD is wisdom. The fear of the LORD God is the beginning of wisdom. Ponder these words slowly. They carry great weight. I urge you today: do not value money so highly. On this matter of money, I myself nearly fell into the pit many times. I came within a hair’s breadth of falling in. The Spirit of God must lead me in the path of righteousness. How many people today become frantic the moment money is involved? Very many.

The Man of God Was Also Tempted

Jeroboam’s story had passed. The story of the man of God was only beginning. This man of God could cause Jeroboam’s mummy-like arm to return to normal. He was indeed remarkable. He was not called a man of God merely because he boasted. He truly was a man of God.

Brothers and sisters, you must understand this: every one of us undergoes severe temptations. It is not only that God tests you; all kinds of temptations will come upon you. How did the man of God experience temptation?

The king said to the man of God, “Come home with me for a meal, and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.” But the man of God said to the king, “Even if you gave me half your house, I would not go with you. I would not eat bread or drink water in this place. For the word of the LORD commanded me: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water there, nor return by the way you came.’” So he went back by another route and did not return by the way he had come to Bethel. (1 Kings 13:7–10)

Did he overcome? Yes, he did. It was a great temptation. What was the temptation? Money. Jeroboam had plenty of it. Jeroboam tempted the man of God: “There is a fine robe in my palace. We have ephods in our house. We have money. Come and change into something better. I will give you good food and good drink. You can regain your strength.”

Did the man of God know that God had commanded him not to eat or drink there? Of course he knew. Once the task was done, he had to leave. Even if he was hungry, he had to endure it. Was he hungry? Yes. Did he want to eat? Yes. Did he want to drink? Yes. But he could not eat or drink. His lips were dry and cracked. How badly he wanted a drink. If there had been a Mixue Bingcheng on the road, how nice that would have been. Or even a Starbucks, where he could sit down for a while. “God, You gave me this command: no food, no drink, and I have to walk from Jerusalem to Bethel and then walk all the way back.” Yet he held firm. “Jeroboam, your offer will not work. I will not eat. I am going back.” God said he must not return by the same road. That road was shorter, but he was willing to take the longer road home. So he left. Did he overcome? Yes. He overcame the temptation of money.

Now an old prophet lived in Bethel. His sons came and told him everything the man of God had done there that day, and what he had said to the king. Their father asked them, “Which way did he go?” And his sons showed him the road taken by the man of God who had come from Judah. So he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” When they had saddled it, he mounted it and went after the man of God. He found him sitting under an oak tree and asked, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” “I am,” he replied. So the old prophet said to him, “Come home with me and eat.” But the man of God answered, “I cannot turn back and go with you, nor can I eat bread or drink water with you in this place. For the word of the LORD commanded me: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water there, nor return by the way you came.’” (1 Kings 13:11–17)

It was very clear, was it not? Are there not many among us who understand things clearly? “I cannot do this. I cannot do that.” Yet, before long, they become confused. Why?

The old prophet answered, “I too am a prophet, as you are. And an angel said to me by the word of the LORD: ‘Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.’” But he was lying to him. (1 Kings 13:18)

Will God give you contradictory commands? No. God does not give contradictory commands. The man of God overcame the temptation of money, but he failed when it came to a prophet. So today, brothers and sisters, do not simply believe a prophet. Believe the word of God. Let me tell you: in our generation, many people have been deceived by prophets. Do not believe such things blindly. Prophets can deceive people. The real test is this: will you carry out the command of the LORD your God with absolute firmness? Therefore, brothers and sisters, test everything. Test everything. There are many temptations.

In my early years, there were no people and no money. All I had was time—an abundance of it. So I knelt and prayed. Occasionally, a few people prayed with me. We prayed and prayed and prayed. Then one day—not in a vision, not in a dream—I opened my eyes and saw a person enter, dressed in a white robe with his head covered. He sat beside me and said, “I am Jesus.”

I said, “You are Jesus? Must I believe you simply because you say you are Jesus? Must I believe you because you claim to be a prophet? Forget it. I need to examine this carefully. I do not want to be deceived.”

Most people, if Jesus appeared to them, would be ecstatic, would they not? I often meet brothers and sisters who say they see Jesus all the time. One woman said Jesus often spoke to her in romantic terms. She said, “I am Jesus’ lover. Jesus is my Prince Charming. I am the bride of Christ. Look, He even put a ring on my hand.”

My goodness. I was not born yesterday. I had read this in the Bible. There are many deceivers. I said, “Is this really Jesus? It must be examined.” Even if I examined it wrongly and it truly was Jesus, God would not blame me. God is broad-minded. Why would God quarrel with such a small person as me?

So I prayed. I continued praying and paid him no attention. Then, in an instant, the white robe fell away, and there was the face of a wolf. I said, “What nonsense are you trying to pull here? Do you take me for that man of God? I am not that man of God, one whom an old prophet could lead astray so easily.”

The thing I trust least is visions. You must understand: I may speak about them, but I must never mislead you. Have you ever heard me teach you to look for this vision or that vision, to listen for this voice or that voice? I dislike teaching such things. What do I like to teach? I like to teach you to understand the Bible. In the Bible, there was a man of God who was deceived by an old prophet.

Among the brothers and sisters I have met, there was one who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis. His whole body was in pain. He went everywhere for treatment, but nothing worked. Later, I led him in prayer, and he was healed. Yet while I was praying for him, I watched a hard lump rise suddenly on the back of my own hand. I said, “My goodness. I ministered to him, and his pain is gone. Why has this lump appeared on me?”

At that moment, I became alert. I felt I had to be careful. It was a sign. Later, just as I suspected, someone spoke smooth words to him. There was a prophet living near his home who told him, “You must be careful of this man. He is this way and that way.” He fabricated a whole series of accusations. Then the person I had ministered to left the group.

I was puzzled. If that prophet had real ability, he should have been able to heal your rheumatoid arthritis. He should have been able to cure the disease that had made you cry out in pain. Why, then, did you listen to that prophet? Brothers and sisters, I do not like teaching people to become prophets. I would rather teach you to read the word of God. Once you read God’s word, will you believe someone merely because he is called a prophet? There are many lying prophets. In the end, a person’s lot is his own to bear. The man of God, too, was tempted.

Even If a Prophet Deceives You, You Must Not Disobey God’s Command

God does not issue orders carelessly. Never. Yet because the man was a prophet, the man of God failed. Why did he not examine what kind of prophet this was? What if he was a prophet who deceived people?

Are there still people among you who believe the prophet living next door? If so, give it up. If a person does not live like Jesus, why believe him? I have seen people speaking in tongues, interpreting tongues, and speaking French. But I say to the brothers and sisters: study my Course 103, How to Study the Bible, properly. It is not that I fear other things. But if a person does not understand the word of God in the Bible, what is a prophet worth? Must you believe him because he is a prophet? The man of God went home with him to eat and drink.

So the man of God returned with the old prophet and ate and drank in his house. While they were sitting at the table, the word of the LORD came to the old prophet who had brought him back. He cried out to the man of God who had come from Judah, “This is what the LORD says: ‘You have defied the word of the LORD and have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you. You came back and ate bread and drank water in the place where He told you not to eat or drink. Therefore your body will not be buried in the tomb of your ancestors.’” When the man of God had finished eating and drinking, the old prophet saddled the donkey for him. As he went on his way, a lion met him on the road and killed him, and his body was left lying there, with both the donkey and the lion standing beside it. Some people who passed by saw the body lying there, with the lion standing beside it, and they went and reported it in the city where the old prophet lived. When the prophet who had brought him back heard of it, he said, “It is the man of God who disobeyed the command of the LORD. The LORD has given him over to the lion, which has mauled him and killed him, as the word of the LORD had warned him.” (1 Kings 13:19–26)

Do you understand now? That old prophet was very direct in what he did. “I told you to come back, and you came back.” Did he feel heartbroken? I do not think so. God had sent him to do this. Think about it: the man of God died just like that.

The Outcome of the Man of God Who Disobeyed God’s Command

Today, as we walk this heavenly road, how many pits must we pass? How many traps must we cross? How many landmines must we avoid? How many evil spirits must we subdue? How many demons must we overcome?

Thank God. He is rich in grace and mercy. He will make His word known to us. He is the light on our path and the lamp before our feet. He will guide our way. Even a man of God must not disobey God’s command. The outcome is tragic. The man of God disobeyed God’s command and was quickly confused by the old prophet. You cannot blame others. You can only blame yourself. Every brother and sister will go through such things. In this world, only those who overcome will count.

We must wake up again. The road we walk is full of every kind of lie. How far we can go depends on each person’s own lot. Life is one examination after another, one test after another, one temptation after another. If you do not overcome, the lion will devour you. Later, when the old prophet heard about it, he brought the body back and laid it in his own tomb. Interestingly, when the old prophet died, he too was buried in that same tomb. Is that not striking? What does it show? It shows that until his death, the old prophet had to remind himself not to disobey the word of the LORD God.

Do not judge the old prophet by the knowledge of good and evil. He did what God had told him to do. Do you understand? God sent him. He was not acting on his own initiative.

Today we must readjust ourselves. Those of us who serve God must never think we are something special simply because we have cast out a few demons. Lies are everywhere. How many can you overcome? The story of the man of God is an excellent lesson for us.

The Outcome of Jeroboam and His Entire Household for Disobeying God

Even after this, Jeroboam did not change his evil ways. He again appointed priests for the high places from all sorts of people. Anyone who wanted to become a priest, he consecrated for the high places. This was the sin of the house of Jeroboam that led to its downfall and to its destruction from the face of the earth. (1 Kings 13:33–34)

The word of God stands firm in heaven. Has anyone who disobeys God ever had a good ending? Brothers and sisters, over the years, God has given me many warnings. I have seen layer upon layer of them. I can tell you many stories.

Not long after I became a Christian, a husband and wife, together with their child, were involved in a car accident. All three died. When I attended the funeral, it was like looking at the scene of the accident itself. Their bodies had been stitched together with needles. It was horrifying. I knew them well. I knew why they died: this couple loved cars very much. Why should anyone become so attached to cars? It shook me deeply.

Not long afterwards, another pastor—the second-ranking pastor in the church I attended—drove his brand-new car under a water truck and was killed. His child was only a few months old. I attended another funeral. Again, I was deeply shaken. You may say it was an attack of the devil, or explain it in some other way. But my heart was filled with sorrowful reflection.

There was also a pastor in America whom I had met and heard preach. He loved sports cars very much. Some time ago, he went to prison for a period and was later released. These things often shake me. So I tell myself: “God, guide my path. Let me walk in Your will all my life. Let me love nothing in this world, but love God alone and keep His commands alone.” Later, a pastor whom I had ministered to developed brain cancer. Again, my heart was full of sorrow and reflection—both sympathy and grief.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, examine yourselves. Even unto death, do not disobey the word of God. Even unto death, do not disobey it. If we must die, let us die in the glory of God. If we die of thirst, then we die of thirst. If we die of hunger, then we die of hunger. Nothing must cause us to disobey God’s command. To build God’s church, we must overcome the temptation of money and overcome the deception of prophets. To build God’s church, we must build according to God’s word. In truth, it is not we who build it. God Himself builds it. We are merely vessels.

Thank God. To this day, as I serve, I often remind myself:

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)

May God engrave these words upon my heart. May I walk in His will all my life, love God all my life, keep and obey His commands, statutes, ordinances, and decrees, and imitate Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul. This is not pretence. In fact, it is often a struggle—a real struggle, not a joke. Sometimes, in ministry, I speak the truth. Then those whom I minister to judge me by the knowledge of good and evil, and my heart is full of grievance. Yet I must endure. I must walk in God’s will. May God have mercy.

May God bless you all!

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