Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Kings 13:7

"And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward." — 1 Kings 13:7 (ASV)

Come home with me ... —The invitation may have been in part the mark of some impression made on the king, and an impulse of gratitude for the restoration of his withered hand. Such was the request of Naaman to Elisha (2 Kings 5:15), though even this was emphatically refused. But it still suggests astute policy in Jeroboam: for the acceptance of hospitality and reward would, in the eyes of the people, imply a condonation of the idolatrous worship, which might well destroy or diminish the impression made by the prophet’s prediction. It also indicates a low conception of prophetic character and mission—such as experience with men like “the old prophet” would have produced—similar to what is shown in Balak’s treatment of Balaam.

That such conceptions are perfectly compatible with a certain belief in the reality of a supernatural power in the prophet—although they, of course, detract from its true sacredness—the monstrous request of Simon Magus (Acts 8:19) shows with the most startling clarity. It was evidently to guard against these things—as being fatal to the effectiveness of the prophet’s mission—that the prohibition of 1 Kings 13:9 was given; nor could its general purpose have been easily misunderstood, either by the king or by the prophet himself. It is a curious coincidence that in his refusal, he uses words strikingly similar to the reluctant refusal of Balak’s offer by Balaam (Numbers 22:18). The very strength of the language is suspicious.