Useful Bible Studies > 1 Kings Commentary > chapter 13
In 1 Kings 13:2, the holy man from Judah declared the name of a king, Josiah, who was not born until long afterwards. That was a prophecy, a message from God. In other words, God showed him the name of that future king. That astonishes us – but God knows the future before it happens.
After the funeral of that holy man, the prophet from Bethel also spoke a prophecy. He first declared the truth of the message that the man of God from Judah had declared. The prophet was not merely speaking his own opinion - a prophet speaks messages from God by the power of God. So, God was declaring by him that the original message was true: a genuine message from God.
Then, the prophet made an extraordinary declaration. In it, he declared the name of a place, Samaria, that did not exist until long afterwards. Samaria was the name of the capital city that King Omri built about 50 years afterwards. That name did not even exist until Omri bought the land (16:24).
Later, people began to refer to the whole region by that name (for example, 2 Kings 17:24). So, at last, people would speak about the many towns in Samaria.
Jeroboam introduced a wrong religion in two towns, Dan and Bethel. However, the kings who ruled Samaria introduced even more wicked religions. They built places that were sacred to their religions across the whole nation. So, at last the meaning of the old prophet’s message became clear. God would act against all those wrong religions. In the end, God would free the whole nation from all its wrong religions.
Next part: Jeroboam continues in his wrong religion (1 Kings 13:33-34)
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