June 2022
Nougat 24
When you thought things could not get worse …! Today’s Holy Nougat
“After the man of God had finished eating and drinking, the old prophet saddled his own donkey for him, and the man of God started off again. But as he was traveling along, a lion came out and killed him. His body lay there on the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it.” 1 Kings 13:23-24 NLT
I need to state that I firmly believe that this moment in the man of God’s life is the reason God insisted he hurry home. God knew that the devil was literally in waiting as a ravenous lion, waiting to destroy our hero. While that reference is coined centuries later; it is an exact reflection of what happened, one wonders whether Peter had this incident in mind (see 1 Peter 5:8).
Ironically, Peter prefaces the warning by saying, be sober and vigilant. In other words, be watchful and prepared. That sounds so familiar; like when the man of God stated at least twice that God’s instruction did not include staying to eat or drink. Hmmn, wasn’t that a similar warning to that which Adam received? Somewhat.
We ought to take heed, for our fate can be like the man of God rather than Adam. Adam had a moment to shift the blame. The man of God could not even say to the old deceitful prophet, ’you tricked me!’ He bore his consequences alone. We know that the prophet deceived him, but the truth is – he accepted the lie. In reflecting on Adam’s response therefore, we note that telling God, ‘it’s the woman you gave me’ is not just a lame excuse; it really is no excuse.
Thus, When God calls us into account for our What, there’s no Who that can take credit for our obedience or lack thereof. And that’s the fact.
I must quickly revert to one other key note, distracting though it may be. Did you notice that the lion neither ate the man nor his donkey? Isn’t that a bit strange? And the lion stands guard aside the body, not only drawing attention to the corpse; but also prohibiting anyone from attempting to move the man home. Not incidental at all. It also gives the impression that the lion is awaiting some-thing or someone to finalize the man’s interment.
Could it be that despite the situation God got the last word? I don’t know. But since we usually have a chance for repentance, I propose that we do so when called into account and we’ve sinned. I pray this man’s life is a lesson to us that takes us out of complacency and into action.
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May all we seek be found in Christ