June 2022
Nougat 21
Perhaps you couldn’t wait to find out what happened in the story. If so, you’re NOT alone. If you did, what is your take on Today’s Holy Nougat
“Then he said to the man of God, “Come home with me and eat some food.” “No, I cannot,” he replied. “I am not allowed to eat or drink anything here in this place. For the Lord gave me this command: ‘You must not eat or drink anything while you are there, and do not return to Judah by the same way you came.’”” 1 Kings 13:15-17 NLT
Judah was approximately 15-18 km, i.e. about 3 hours’ journey from Bethel. If he left early enough, the prophet would have caught Jeroboam at the during the morning incense ritual (rather than in the evening). And, given that it perhaps included rituals in praise of the deity, one could say that the man of God was facing the mid-morning sun for his return journey – with no food in the offing until he was back home.
Thus the unnamed prophet was resolute.
His story remains the same and his allegiance to God is unwavering: “Thanks for your offer,” he responds, “but I have clear instructions about lingering in this town.” One might figure that he should not have been ‘resting’ under a shade tree, but we recognize that he needed his strength.
We might even say he was at a weak point. And unless he’d consumed a very healthy meal; he would have been a bit hungry. Yet he refused the meal. Not once but twice: first the king and now the stranger. That’s totally commendable. For some of us would have been seriously hungry; ready to eat anything. He was focused on God.
He was also ‘evangelizing’ as he gave all credit to God for his decisions. Given the world’s view of Christianity these days, that may be a good thing. Good or bad however, the question is – would we have been as open as he, even if we embraced our prophetic call from the Lord?
Some of us ‘mistake’ God’s voice for a 6th sense; others (probably Jamaicans) may say ‘my mind told me’; or we might even consult others before we are satisfied that that still, small voice we hear is actually God’s voice. And even then we might question obeying and crediting God.
May we also be conscious about God’s plans for our lives and resolute in completing the journey.
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May all we seek be found in Christ