In Reply to: a few misconceptions here posted by lydia on March 24, 2003 at 08:11:25:
You are right. I got the old and the young mixed up and probably this is not such a great example but look at 1 Kings 13:20 -- "And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came unto the prophet that brought him back:" and then came the judgement. In other words, deceit was part of getting one to walk away from what God had already told him to do.
I see two flaws (at least) with my example. The first is that this is talking about actual prophets (whatever that means), not really the same as the people joining the family. The second is what I mentioned above, that one already had received from the Lord God the sure Word of prophecy regarding the journey, and he disobeyed.
I am not aware, although it is very possible that some people joining the family had received similar direct instruction from God to do a certain thing different from joining and therefore disobeyed by joining - but I doubt it.
From those perspectives, my example was wrong but on the other hand, the fact that God allowed a person (even a prophet himself, since he prophesied the doom of the young prophet) to come up and deceive His man shows that such it is possible for some people innocently fall to those traps. I can also see that maybe it was not necessarily God's will and yet God allowed it to happen. In that case, even if it was a mistake on out part, God had a part on it by allowing it to happen to us, His children.
I always have a hard time thinking that a Father would give something bad to His children if He knew it was really bad. I am making a separation between the bad and the REALLY bad. For example, will I let my children play with fire? Will I let my children play by a ravine? With poisonous materials? Not me, not willingly, but I wouldn't hesitate at their insistance to let them play with less dangerous things while keeping an eye on them in case they need me. I suspect God works this way and will never lead us into temptentions we are not able to bear. That's how He deals with His children, we know that. And He will also lead us out before we listen to the old prophet to the point of no return.
I am rambling now but I guess my conclusion is that it may have been God's will for some people and it may have been God allowing it for other people.