“And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the face of the LORD thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the LORD, and the king's hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.”
My Notes
What Does 1 Kings 13:6 Mean?
Jeroboam reaches out to seize the man of God who prophesied against his altar — and his hand withers. Dried up. Unable to pull it back. The king who extended his hand against God's prophet finds his hand frozen in the position of aggression. Then Jeroboam asks the prophet to pray for him — and the hand is restored.
The request "intreat now the face of the LORD thy God" is revealing: Jeroboam says "thy God" — not "my God" or "our God." Even in crisis, Jeroboam doesn't claim the relationship. The God who withered his hand is someone else's God. Jeroboam wants the healing without the belonging.
The restoration is instantaneous: the prophet prays, the hand returns to normal. The same God who withered it restored it. The power that paralyzed is the power that heals. And both respond to prayer — the prophet's, not the king's. Jeroboam needs an intermediary because he doesn't have a direct relationship with the God he just offended.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Where are you asking God for healing without being willing to change what caused the problem?
- 2.Does Jeroboam's 'thy God' (not 'my God') describe your relationship — using God without belonging to Him?
- 3.How do you respond to miracles — with repentance or just with relief?
- 4.What 'altar' are you maintaining that contradicts the miracle God just performed in your life?
Devotional
The king's hand froze. He couldn't pull it back. And the only person who could fix it was the man he tried to grab.
Jeroboam reaches out to arrest the prophet — and God freezes his arm mid-reach. The hand that tried to seize God's messenger is locked in position. Extended, withered, useless. The gesture of aggression becomes the evidence of judgment. The whole room can see: the king's hand, stuck, pointing at the man he tried to silence.
And then the reversal: "Intreat the face of the LORD thy God." Not my God. Thy God. Jeroboam wants the healing without the relationship. He doesn't repent. He doesn't worship. He doesn't change. He just wants his hand back. Fix the symptom. Don't address the cause.
The prophet prays. The hand is restored. And Jeroboam goes right back to his false worship (verse 33). The miracle didn't produce repentance. The withered hand and its restoration were experienced as a medical event, not a theological one. The king got his hand back and learned nothing.
This is the most common human response to divine intervention: use God for the fix, then go back to the dysfunction. Heal my hand but don't challenge my altar. Restore my body but don't reform my worship. Give me the miracle without the change.
God is more than your emergency service. The hand that was withered and restored is evidence of power that demands a response. Jeroboam didn't respond. His altar outlasted his miracle.
Don't ask God to fix your hand while you keep building your altar.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And the king answered and said unto the man of God,.... In another tone than when he bid the people lay hold on him; not…
Entreat - the face of the Lord thy God - The face of God is his favor, as we see in many parts of the sacred writings.…
Here is, I. A messenger sent to Jeroboam, to signify to him God's displeasure against his idolatry, Kg1 13:1. The army…
Intreat now the face of the Lord thy God Here the R.V. has adopted the rendering of the phrase by A.V. in Psa 119:58;…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture