1Ki 13:1,-2, 1 And behold, a man of God came out of Judah by the word of the LORD to Bethel. Jeroboam was standing by the altar to make offerings. 2 And the man cried against the altar by the word of the LORD …
Here is an occasion in which God sent His servant to deliver a word to the wicked king Jeroboam. Rather than call him a prophet, 14 times the Bible referred to him as “a man of God” perhaps for our discernment. His message, God will raise a child Josiah to take over. In order to prove his authenticity, 10 times the use of “by the word of the Lord” to show that it was not his words but God’s accompanied by signs.
The true test of a prophet is not miracles but truth and standing firm on it. We ought to value truth above miracles for even false prophets can wow believers with miracles. Deu 13:1-3, “1 If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” This is the first and the true test of authenticity or validation. Does what he do pull you to the true or false God?.