The Man of God preached out of season (1 Kings 13:1). Jeroboam was a liberal man. Jeroboam was a “mighty man of valor,” and thus was promoted by Solomon to the “officer of all the labor force of the house of Joseph” (1 Kings 11:28). The Lord, through Ahijah the prophet, promised to Jeroboam 10 tribes of Israel over which to rule (1 Kings 11:29-30). Solomon tried to kill him, but by Egyptian evasion Jeroboam outlived the king, and became king himself as Ahijah prophesied (1 Kings 11:40). Jeroboam, appearing to be the people’s champion and the Lord’s servant, turned his back on God after taking office, throwing out the Law and established new laws and gods which the Lord did not authorize. Among the new laws, Jeroboam allowed shrines on the high places, and ordained priests who were not Levites (1 Kings 12:25-33). It was this man to whom the Man of God was sent to preach, and it was at this time, at the wake of paganism, that the Man of God wascalled by the Lord. But the Man of God went anyway (1 Kings 13:2). Paul told Timothy to “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2a). Whether a preacher lives in time of turmoil or splendor, when called upon, he is obligated to preach. Whether a preacher wants to preach or not, a deep internal conviction should necessitate preaching (1 Corinthians 9:16-17). This Man of God, preached no matter the season.
The Man of God preached tactfully (1 Kings 13:1-2). Rather than explicitly preach against Jeroboam, the Man of God preached against the altar. Notice the beginning of his sermon, “O altar, altar!” (1 Kings 13:2). Now, Jeroboam was standing at the altar (1 Kings 13:1), so likely, Jeroboam was in the Man of God’s view. However, the Man of God did not say “O Jeroboam, Jeroboam!” Rather, he took the indirect approach. Sometimes, an indirect approach gets the desired result. When Nathan approached King David concerning the king’s affair with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah, Nathan did not begin his sermon by saying, “You are the man!” (2 Samuel 12:7). Rather, Nathan began his sermon by describing “two men in one city, one rich and the other poor,” and how that the rich robbed the poor of all he had (2 Samuel 12:1ff). Indeed, as the rich man robbed the poor, King David robbed his servant Uriah of not only his wife, but his life also. David, upon hearing this, said to Nathan “I have sinned against the LORD” (2 Samuel 12:13). This is, and was, of course, the intended result of any sermon preached to a sinner. It requires tact upon the preacher, and godly sorrow upon the hearer, to achieve this result. The Man of God, like Nathan, did his part and preached tactfully [1].
The Man of God was protected (1 Kings 13:4). When Jeroboam stretched out his hand towards the Man of God, he did not immediately draw it back, for the Lord had withered Jeroboam’s hand, to stay his hand. It is not known if God will protect every preacher. Even the
Lord Jesus supped the cup He was given (Matthew. 26:39; 27:50). No matter the prospect of
protection, the faithful children of God should have the attitude of three young men stolen from their homeland and ordered to bow to error: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They said, “If that is
the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."” (Daniel 3:17-18).
It is the duty of all of God’s faithful —not just preachers— to remain faithful, despite trials, temptations, and potential protection (Revelation 2:10).