The storyline of the Bible demonstrates that the Word of God—in all its modes—is inviolable. His promises cannot be stopped. His judgments cannot be thwarted. His commands cannot be broken without penalty. The inviolability of these three modes is displayed in one storyline in Samuel-Kings and has great application to our lives.
- God made a promise to David.
In 2 Samuel 7:9-16, God promised to raise up one of David’s offspring and to establish the throne of that offspring’s kingdom forever.
The problem is that David’s immediate heir, Solomon, rebelled against God (1 Kings 11:1-8) leading to God’s judgment in the form the nation being torn way from Solomon. Yet, because of God’s promise to David, even in this judgment God preserved a small portion of the kingdom for David’s line (11:9-13). The rest of the kingdom was given to Solomon’s servant/enemy, Jeroboam.
2. God declared judgment against Jeroboam.
When giving ten tribes of Israel to Jeroboam, God made a promise to Jeroboam remarkably similar to the promise to David: “I will take you, and you shall reign over all that your soul desires, and you shall be king over Israel. And if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, I will be with you and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you” (1 Kings 11:37–38).
However, Jeroboam did not do what was right in God’s eyes, but very quickly turned in his heart back to Egypt, as it were, making two golden calves for the people to worship and leading the people back into the sin of Exodus 32 (1 Kings 12:25-33). Therefore, God sent a word of judgment by the mouth of a “man of God,” who cried against Jeroboam’s altar, “O altar, altar, thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name, and he shall sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who make offerings on you, and human bones shall be burned on you’ ” (1 Kings 13:2).
3. God gave a command to the man of God.
This same man of God was given clear instructions by the Lord not to eat bread nor drink water nor return by the way he came (1 Kings 13:9). Yet, he was deceived by an old prophet, and he disobeyed the command of the Lord on all three accounts (13:11-19).
Each of these utterances is resolved in the storyline, showing that God’s Word is unlike other words. It is inviolable. Absolute. Unalterable.
3. The commands of God are binding.
Every infraction of God’s revealed will be called to account. In the case of the man of God, the Lord brought about swift justice in the form of a lion, which killed him but did not eat him or attack his donkey or anyone else. (13:20-32).
The story of the man’s disobedience and immediate death might seem out of place if not for 13:32, which explains that the death of the man of God serves as a sign of the inviolability of God’s word to Jeroboam…
2. The judgments of God are sure.
When God declares judgment, it comes.
There is a caveat, of sorts. “If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it” (Jer 18:7–8). Implicit in God’s pronouncements of judgment is that repentance will stay His hand. Such is the magnificent depth of His grace.
Therefore, Jeroboam, upon hearing of the immediate justice brought upon the man of God, should have repented! Further, he should have remembered that his own kingship represented judgment for Solomon’s disobedience! Jeroboam of all people should have understood that he could never escape the judgment pronounced against him for failing to keep the Lord’s commands. However, Jeroboam doubled down on his idolatry and rebellion (1 Kings 13:33-34).
So what happened? Judgment came precisely as the Lord said by the mouth of the man of God:
“Moreover, the altar at Bethel, the high place erected by Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, that altar with the high place [Josiah] pulled down and burned, reducing it to dust. He also burned the Asherah. And as Josiah turned, he saw the tombs there on the mount. And he sent and took the bones out of the tombs and burned them on the altar and defiled it, according to the word of the Lord that the man of God proclaimed, who had predicted these things” (2 Kings 23:15–16).
1. The promises of God are unbreakable.
If God’s commands are binding and all infractions will be called to account, how can it be that God’s judgment can be stayed by repentance? Because the promises of God are unbreakable.
The fullness of time would reveal that the offspring promised to David was Jesus Christ (Psa 2, 110; Matt 1:1; Mark 12:35-37; Rom 1:3; Heb 1:5). In all of the centuries of ups and downs of the two kingdoms, God was preserving the physical line of David. When Jesus of Nazareth came forward as the Messiah, the Son of David, the Son of God, He not only fulfilled God’s promise to David, but He became the propitiation for the sins of all who repent before God (Rom 3:21-26). In keeping His promise to send a Son, God proves His commands binding, His judgments sure, AND His forgiveness inexhaustible.
Because these things are true, what should we do?
- Value God’s Word by knowing it. If God’s Word always proves true, we should strive to plumb its depths.
- Value God’s Word by believing it. If God’s Word always proves true, it should govern they way to view all things.
- Value God’s Word by obeying it. If God’s Word always proves true, it should mold our thoughts and behavior, moving us to repent when we fail and humbly rejoice when we obey.
- Value God’s Word by spreading it. If God’s Word always proves true, it should season our every conversation.
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