LET'S LOOK AGAIN....
The Tragic Irony
The ultimate tragedy of his motive is that the old prophet had to orchestrate a man's death just to save his own bones. He represents the ultimate caution of a "backslidden" or compromised leader—someone who still recognizes the power of God but uses deception, manipulation, and religious language to serve his own emotional or physical comfort.
DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE YOU TETHER YOURSELF TO A DEATH SENTENCE.
When looking closely at the narrative, the old prophet’s actions point to a mix of spiritual jealousy, professional insecurity, a desperate desire for validation, and a long-term plan for self-preservation.
Here are the primary theories regarding the old prophet’s true motives:
1. Spiritual Insecurity and Professional Jealousy
The old prophet lived right in Bethel—the very epicenter of King Jeroboam's idolatrous golden calf cult. Yet, when God wanted to rebuke the king, He didn't use the resident local prophet; He bypassed him completely and sent a young, unnamed prophet all the way from Judah.
The Motive: When the old prophet’s sons came home and told him about the incredible miracles the young man had performed, his professional pride was likely stung. By tricking the young prophet into breaking his fast, the old man may have been trying to discredit his rival or bring him down to his own compromised spiritual level. If the young prophet fell, the old prophet could feel better about his own complacency.
A Desperate Desire for Brotherhood and Validation
Living in apostate Bethel, the old prophet was spiritually isolated. He had watched his nation slide into paganism while he remained silent. Suddenly, a true man of God bursts onto the scene, full of power and conviction.
The Motive: On a purely human level, the old man may have been desperate for fellowship with someone who truly knew God. He wanted to sit down, share a meal, and talk with a peer. However, because his own spiritual connection was dull, he resorted to manipulation and a flat-out lie ("An angel told me...") just to force the young man to spend time with him. BUT A LIE IS STILL A LIE.
3. Testing the Legitimacy of the Messenger
Some commentators suggest that the old prophet was genuinely skeptical. He may have wanted to know if this young outsider was the real deal or a fraud.
The Motive: By offering a fake "updated" word from God, the old man was putting the young prophet through a spiritual stress test. When the young prophet folded and violated his original instructions so easily, the test proved fatal.
4. Calculated Self-Preservation (The "Bones" Strategy)
The most telling clue about the old prophet's motive happens after the young prophet dies. When the old prophet recovers the body from the lion, he weeps over him, buries him in his own personal family tomb, and gives a very specific command to his sons: "When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulcher wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones" (1 Kings 13:31).
The Motive: The young prophet had predicted that a future king named Josiah would come and burn the bones of idolatrous priests on that very altar to desecrate it. The old prophet knew the young man's words were absolute truth. By burying the young holy prophet in his own tomb and demanding his own body be laid right next to him, the old prophet was creating a human shield for his own corpse. He knew that centuries later, when the reformers came to dig up and burn the bones of Bethel's compromised religious leaders, they would spare the tomb out of respect for the Judean prophet—subsequently sparing his own remains. (This calculation actually worked, as recorded in 2 Kings 23:17-18)
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