led astray

from 1 Kings 13...

13 So he said to his sons, "Saddle the donkey for me." And when they had saddled the donkey for him, he mounted it 14 and rode after the man of God. He found him sitting under an oak tree and asked, "Are you the man of God who came from Judah?" "I am," he replied.
15 So the prophet said to him, "Come home with me and eat."
16 The man of God said, "I cannot turn back and go with you, nor can I eat bread or drink water with you in this place. 17 I have been told by the word of the LORD : 'You must not eat bread or drink water there or return by the way you came.' "
18 The old prophet answered, "I too am a prophet, as you are. And an angel said to me by the word of the LORD : 'Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.' " (But he was lying to him.) 19 So the man of God returned with him and ate and drank in his house.
20 While they were sitting at the table, the word of the LORD came to the old prophet who had brought him back. 21 He cried out to the man of God who had come from Judah, "This is what the LORD says: 'You have defied the word of the LORD and have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you. 22 You came back and ate bread and drank water in the place where he told you not to eat or drink. Therefore your body will not be buried in the tomb of your fathers.' "

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To understand what is happening here one really needs to read the entire chapter. Even then it seems rather a strange story. Yet, there are some things here that still really apply today...

1) God still speaks to us through the Scriptures and gives us clear guidance in how we are to live.

2) Others will come to try to lead us off of the path of obedience;

- offering what we are desiring (in this case, food and drink)

- in the disguise of trustworthyness (here, a prophet with the word of the Lord as delivered by an angel)

3) We are to examine all teachings against God's Word

4) Disobedience has consequences.