Old Prophets and Young Counselors

King Rehoboam foolishly rejects the counsel of the old men who served his father and follows the advice of the young men who had grown up with him ((1 Kings 12:5-11).

This results in a political division in 931 BC, and while King Jeroboam I had divine authority to secede from the House of David (1 Kings 11:29-36), he did not have authority to start his own religion (1 Kings 12:26-29).

The result was that the priests and Levites and people who sought the LORD left Israel for Judah (2 Chronicles 11:13, 16-17).

God sends a prophet from Judah to warn Jeroboam of his sin and predict the coming of King Josiah some three centuries later who would burn bones on Jeroboam's altar (1 Kings 13:2-6).

The LORD had warned the Man of God from Judah explicitly not to eat or drink until he had returned home (1 Kings 13:7-10), and he obeyed. But then an old prophet finds him, and tells him an angel had revealed that he could eat with him (1 Kings 13:11-19; Galatians 1:8-9). As soon as he does so, the old prophet responds with a true word from the LORD that he was going to die, then he meets a lion on the way who kills him (1 Kings 13:20-26).

What are the strengths and weaknesses of youth and old age?