In First Kings, chapter thirteen, verse nine, the prophet, God’s spokesman, was under the highest obligation to follow the entire Word of the Lord. This prophet later failed to obey God’s instruction and paid with his life, as in verses eleven through twenty-four.
Eat no bread, nor drink water, to wit, in that place, or with those people: God declares how detestable they were in God’s eyes. Not because their idolatry was so bad as that of the heathens, but since they were vile apostates from the true God and embraced this idol-worship against the light of their consciences, merely to comply with the king’s humor and command: and because their vicinity and relation to the tribe of Judah made this more dangerous, as to their infection by it.
Nor turn again by the same way that thou camest is avoiding the direction that led thee to Beth-el as execrable. Although thou wentest by my special command, this might teach all others how much they should despise that way and all thoughts of going to that place, or such people, upon any trivial and unnecessary occasion. The significance of this command is less obvious. It may have meant that he should not suffer the way of his return which would not be the obvious way to be known but should vanish swiftly, like the messenger of Elisha to Jehu as in Second Kings nine, verse three, and verse ten, when he finished the work. If so, his neglect of the spirit of the command was the first step in the way of his destruction.
But this design was also frustrating, and the rejection of his worship on the part of God was still more strongly declared. “If thou gavest me,” the man of God replied, “the half of thy house, I shall not go in with thee, nor eat bread and drink water in this place; for thus hath Jehovah commanded me,” He was not to return by the way by which he came, that no one might look out for him, and force him to a delay which was irreconcilable with his commission.