13:181 Kings 13:18

The old prophet lied when he claimed to be a prophet just as the man of God was, and that an angel had spoken to him by the word of the Lord telling him to bring the man back into his house to eat bread and drink water.Ms 153, 1906, par. 3–6+4 The claimed angelic message was a framed falsehood put into his mouth by Satan, asserting that God had spoken through him when God had not, and directly contradicting the clear command God had already given.Ms 153, 1906, par. 3–6+3 The Lord had passed him by and had given the message to a stranger from another place, so mere claim to prophetic authority did not make his word from God.Ms 153, 1906, par. 14

By repeating the lie and pressing the invitation he persuaded the man of God to believe him and to return contrary to the command, instruction, and duty the Lord had already laid upon him.Ms 153, 1906, par. 3–6+4 That return violated God's command, and the man of God was held accountable for disobeying it.Ms 153, 1906, par. 3–6+2 While they sat together at the table the word of the Lord came through the false prophet to announce the punishment for that disobedience, and the disobedience led to the man of God's death.Ms 153, 1906, par. 3–6+2

A true prophet must not turn from the word the Lord has already given, and the episode warns not to rely on human claims of authority but to heed God's word.RH Jul 24, 1913+2 Rejecting a plain word from God leaves people open to counterfeit messages with serious consequences, showing the danger of abandoning God's word for a false message.RH Jul 24, 1913+1 The episode belongs to a biblical pattern in which faithful servants are blamed for bringing trouble while the real cause is disobedience to God, a pattern that will be applied when commandment keepers are accused of causing national calamities.4SP 408.1–409.2