Mims Chapel Church 

Week 9, August 2, 2026

LESSON 9

Hold Fast to Revealed Truth

Lesson Text:

1 Kings 13:11-22; Proverbs 8:33; Galatians 1:6-9


Memory Verse
"As we said before, so say / now again, /f any man preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, /et him be accursed"
Galatians 1:9

Key Terms
fraternity • the state or feeling of friendship and mutual support within a group
hold fast • to retain a tight grip on; to clutch; to cling to
renown • the condition of being known or talked about by many people; fame; respect

Suggested Emphasis

The Word of God came, but how long did we heed its message? Did we hide it in our hearts as a bulwark against sin? We must also realize that we are then behold­en to act on the guidance we are given. Scripture warns us to "hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not" (Prov. 8:33). When the Lord points in the direction we should take, it is folly for us to start walk­ing another way.

However, we have an adversary, the dev­il, who wants to dissuade us from follow­ing divine direction. Like the proverbial fowls that come immediately to eat up the seed spread by the sower, Satan often attempts to steal the counsel of God as soon as it is given. He wants us to doubt, forget, forestall—do anything but apply the Word to our lives. And so it should not surprise us if once we have received the report of the Lord, a contrary report follows right behind.

Emphasis 1:

Charged Not to Eat or Drink
in the Northern Kingdom

An illustration of these principles is found in 1 Kings 13. The unnamed protagonist, a prophet from Judah, was sent on a mission to confront the apostate King Je­roboam in the Northern Kingdom. He delivered his message and proved his authority with a demonstration of power against the physical person of the king (1 Ki. 13:1-6). This was a great triumph and a picture of genuine obedience by the man of God.

But the prophet was under additional in­struction, having been charged to "eat no bread, nor drink water" in Beth-el. After his confrontation with Israel's king, an el­derly prophet of Beth-el, when he heard his Judean peer was there, invited him to a meal at his home. Of course, the young­er prophet explained he was under com­punction to forgo the hospitality, but then—somewhat mysteriously—the older man lied to him and claimed he had re­ceived a new word from God. In this way deceived, the young man resorted with the lying prophet and so disobeyed the voice of the Lord.

Emphasis 2:

Trusting in Hearsay

It is interesting that the man of God had the integrity to resist the enticements of King Jeroboam (1 Ki.13:7) but fell prey to those of the older prophet. He gave no credence to the apostate king but must have been swayed by the old man's claim of fraternity. Or perhaps the journey back had taxed him physically (which may be implied by his being found resting under a tree; 1 Ki. 13:14). Whatever the case, when coaxed by the old man, he aban­doned the instructions he expressly "heard" from God and trusted in hearsay. The Judean's punishment was harsh. At dinner the Spirit came upon the old man, and he prophesied how his guest's "car­cass shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers" (1 Ki. 13:22). Although loaned an ass by the old prophet, the younger man was unable to escape a lion that laid wait on the road home. And then the lion and the donkey situated themselves on either side of his corpse as an eerie sym­bol of the supernatural circumstances of his death. This tragedy stands as a picture of the destruction that awaits those who do not treasure the truth. We are admon­ished repeatedly in Scripture to "hold fast" to revealed truth (e.g., Prov. 4:13, 2 Tim. 1:13; Tit. 1:9). In his Epistle to the Gala­tians, Paul was so adamant as to declare that if there was an angelic visitor who brought the church a different gospel, they should immediately reject it. The first test of any "new" message is whether it con­tradicts the word we have already been given. If it does, we know it is false, re­gardless of the renown of the messenger.

Emphasis 3:

Entirely Without Excuse

The Lord will still make an open show of us if we neglect His revealed will. This is because we are already equipped against Satan's every weapon. If the devil tries to dull our memory of God's instruction, we have the Holy Ghost who will bring all things to our remembrance, whatsoever Jesus has said to us. If the devil tempts us to delay rather than follow the instruc­tions speedily, the same Holy Ghost can prod us into action and defeat procrasti­nation in our lives. So, we will have grieved the Holy Spirit several times over when we let go of truth; we will be entirely with­out excuse.

Missions Application Questions

How might Satan try to steal the Word that has been delivered to a believer?
Why was the young prophet slain while the lying prophet seemed to suffer no hurt?
When should we listen to human coun­sel and when should we reject it?

World Missions Prayer Points

Let us pray to guard our mind against the temptations of Satan.
Let us pray to act earnestly and speed­ily regarding spiritual instruction.
Let us pray to remain level-headed in the presence of famous or influential people.

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