Prophet and loss
1 Kings Chapters 13-14
At its core the story of the first two kings of the divided kingdom is similar: each allows and participates in the worship of foreign gods and in other detestable practices. Each is ultimately succeeded by his son.
Chapter 13 has a bit of a detour as it follows the story of a “man of God,” a prophet, who cautions Rehoboam of Judah against continuing his evil ways. This story is also a cautionary tale for the people of Judah to have nothing to do with the people of Israel. When the man of God is tricked by a local prophet into eating with him after God told him not to eat with anyone in Israel, the man of God is killed by a lion.
To eat and drink with someone in that culture suggested establishing a bond with them…we see the same thing in the New Testament when the religious leaders avoid eating and drinking with people they consider to be sinners, and when Jesus is criticized for eating and drinking with outcasts.
There is yet another warning to Jeroboam about his evil ways with the death of his son. That warning comes from the prophet Abijah.