"O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!" [Illustration] [Illustration] XXV. THE DISOBEDIENT PROPHET 1 KINGS 13 LONG ago, soon after the Children of Israel came out of Egypt, they asked Aaron to make a Golden Calf for them to worship, which could be carried in front of them, and would, they hoped, lead them into the Promised Land. But we know how dreadfully they sinned in this. And five hundred years after that, Jeroboam, King of Israel, made two Golden Calves, and built two altars, one in Dan at the North of Palestine, and the other in Bethel at the South of his Kingdom. He told the people of Israel that it was too far for them to go to worship at Jerusalem, three times in the year, and that they could go instead to worship his Golden Calf, and could offer sacrifices upon the altars he had built. Now God had told the Jews that Jerusalem was the place He had appointed for Worship; and also that only God's Priests, the sons of Aaron, were to offer either Sacrifices or Incense to Him. One day, when King Jeroboam was himself offering incense on the altar he had made in Bethel, a Prophet of the Lord was sent to him with a message from God. And this was the message—That one day, on this; very altar, the priests whom Jeroboam had made from the lowest of the people, should be offered, and their bones should be burnt upon this altar. God gave a Sign, by which King Jeroboam should know that the Prophet's words were true, and that he had been sent by God. This was the Sign. This altar of Jeroboam's should be rent—torn in pieces—and the ashes should be scattered on the ground. King Jeroboam was very angry at the message, and he tried to seize the Prophet, but his hand dried up, and he could not use it. And the Sign came to pass at once, for the altar fell to pieces and the ashes were scattered. Jeroboam was very frightened, and begged the Prophet to ask the Lord to restore his hand. And the Prophet did; and Jeroboam's hand was made quite well again. [Illustration: A Prophet of the Lord was sent to him with a message from God.] Then the King pressed the Prophet to come in to refresh himself, and to receive a reward. But the Prophet answered that the Lord had strictly forbidden him to eat bread or drink water in that place. So he turned away, to go back by another road, as the Lord commanded him. But now a great temptation met him. For as the Prophet was turning away from Bethel, an old Prophet who lived there, thought he would ask him to come back and rest at his house. He had heard how the Prophet had cried against the Altar, and he longed to hear all about it. But the Prophet again explained that the Lord had forbidden him to eat and drink in that place. Then the Old Prophet lied to him, and said that an Angel had told him he was to ask him home to refresh him.