Kings 2:23-24

[HappySoul]

<SUP id=en-NIV-9575 class=versenum>23</SUP> From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some boys came out of the town and jeered at him. “Get out of here, baldy!” they said. “Get out of here, baldy!” <SUP id=en-NIV-9576 class=versenum>24</SUP> He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys.

Seems odd, doesn't it?

 

[ctsracing]

My pastor used this verse for a sermon last year. Wish I could remember it!

 

[HappySoul]

It's stories like this that make me think some of the stuff in the bible is made up.

I can tell you straight up that if I were being mocked by 42 young boys about my baldness I would be upset about it, but I wouldn't curse them in the name of the lord. I especially wouldn't do it if I knew God was going to have them all slaughtered. Does this make me a better man than a prophet? Maybe. And why would God do that? And those 2 bears were pretty amazing to kill 42 boys. You think some would've escaped? 2 bears on 42 boys = some survivors, right?

I was told that my faith would grow if I just read the bible. But the opposite is occurring. The Old Testament is really having me questioning God in general. It's frustrating because I had a stronger faith in God before reading "his word"

I don't know how I feel anymore

 

[just-a-servant]

<sup id="en-NIV-9575" class="versenum">23</sup> From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some boys came out of the town and jeered at him. “Get out of here, baldy!” they said. “Get out of here, baldy!” <sup id="en-NIV-9576" class="versenum">24</sup> He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys.

Seems odd, doesn't it?

Elisha had just witnessed the taking up of Elijah. He had just received a double portion of Elijah's power. He was now twice the man Elijah was. There is nothing surprising about his ability to call down a curse on the children who mocked him.

The question is why? It doesn't seem appropriate he would curse them for calling him bald, as he apparently was, it would be better to think he cursed them because they mocked him in other ways. The scripture is not clear as to what they may have said otherwise to make the curse appropriate, but it is clear God wanted us to know Elisha was bald. It is also clear he had the power to curse when needed. The fact they mocked Elisha is by extension mocking the one who sent him. I don't suppose it's a good thing to mock God.

The different translations render the mocker's in different ways. The KJV says "children" while the NIV says "boys." I suppose someone with a real good knowledge of the Hebrew language could tell the difference, but it really doesn't matter at this point. Suffice it to say they were young people. It would be logical to assume they knew or should of known what he was (a prophet of God). If they knew, it would also be logical to assume they would know the consequences of their actions.

In your second post on this topic you made the statement they were all slaughtered and/or killed. The scripture doesn't indicate this was the case, it merely states they were mauled. Jumping to the conclusion they were killed is not supported by the scripture and would be mere conjecture.

As you read the scripture, try to understand why the words are there. Each word has a meaning and significance. Each word must be taken in the context it was written and in context with the events surrounding their usage. Casual reading of the scripture, while vivid and entertaining in some places and dry in others, does not always render the best understanding. The words are there for a purpose; Try to discover what they are.

Hope this helps,
just-a-servant

 

[HappySoul]

You know just today when I was on my lunch break I saw two kids harrassing a homeless guy. They were tossing popcorn kernals at him like he was a hungry bird. If only I had the guts to go up to the homeless guy and teach him Kings 2 23-24 maybe he would've called down a curse and had those boys run over by a bus. Maybe next time.

 

[David777]

Good answer.

Now thats the way you read it just-a-servant. These boys I might add may well have been expressing a deeper contempt that there parents had for this man of God.

People like Elisha are sometimes not very popular. Look at the dreadful way the weeping prophet Jeremiah was treated.

 

[MelodyC]

It's stories like this that make me think some of the stuff in the bible is made up.

I can tell you straight up that if I were being mocked by 42 young boys about my baldness I would be upset about it, but I wouldn't curse them in the name of the lord. I especially wouldn't do it if I knew God was going to have them all slaughtered. Does this make me a better man than a prophet? Maybe. And why would God do that? And those 2 bears were pretty amazing to kill 42 boys. You think some would've escaped? 2 bears on 42 boys = some survivors, right?

I was told that my faith would grow if I just read the bible. But the opposite is occurring. The Old Testament is really having me questioning God in general. It's frustrating because I had a stronger faith in God before reading "his word"

I don't know how I feel anymore

That is because you don't understand the Holiness of God and the role of God's prophet who was God's very mouth piece and representative on Earth in the Old Testament.

Your immaturity in the Word of God and your own natural sinfullness is stopping you from being able to understand what is being said here. (no offence intended we are all baby Christians and all of us have our sinfulness often blinding us to the Word of God it is unfortunately our condition here on Earth but we will be transformed when we get to Heaven).

You made a comment that maybe a Homeless man should call a curse down on boys tormenting him. Again you wouldn't have made this comment if you understood that the Prophet was no acting on his own annoyance at these boys but his curse was a judgement from God on the boys derision of God's representative on Earth.

Elisha the prophet being tormented was like Jesus at that point in time. If you read that some boys were mocking Jesus would you accept he had the right to judge these boys?

Here is some insight for you.

LEV 13:40 "When a man has lost his hair and is bald, he is clean. 41 If he has lost his hair from the front of his scalp and has a bald forehead, he is clean. 42 But if he has a reddish-white sore on his bald head or forehead, it is an infectious disease breaking out on his head or forehead. 43 The priest is to examine him, and if the swollen sore on his head or forehead is reddish-white like an infectious skin disease, 44 the man is diseased and is unclean. The priest shall pronounce him unclean because of the sore on his head.

NU 6:5 " `During the entire period of his vow of separation no razor may be used on his head. He must be holy until the period of his separation to the LORD is over; he must let the hair of his head grow long. 6 Throughout the period of his separation to the LORD he must not go near a dead body. 7 Even if his own father or mother or brother or sister dies, he must not make himself ceremonially unclean on account of them, because the symbol of his separation to God is on his head. 8 Throughout the period of his separation he is consecrated to the LORD.

NU 6:9 " `If someone dies suddenly in his presence, thus defiling the hair he has dedicated, he must shave his head on the day of his cleansing--the seventh day. 10 Then on the eighth day he must bring two doves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 11 The priest is to offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to make atonement for him because he sinned by being in the presence of the dead body. That same day he is to consecrate his head. 12 He must dedicate himself to the LORD for the period of his separation and must bring a year-old male lamb as a guilt offering. The previous days do not count, because he became defiled during his separation.

Hair on a man's head (except for natural loss) reflects the man's holiness. So either lossing it through disease or shaving makes them unclean.

2KI 2:23 From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some youths came out of the town and jeered at him. "Go on up, you baldhead!" they said. "Go on up, you baldhead!" 24 He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths. 25 And he went on to Mount Carmel and from there returned to Samaria.

We don't ge much more than this detail but you can know that Elishs was not being greeted with honour as God's Prophet. In the Old Testament God immediately dealt with those who were against Him and showing this total disrespect to His Prophet God enacted the curse Elisha spoke. Elisha could not cause anything to happen to these boys as he has no power. God had to answer the curse with His power and so these youths were dealt with by God.

Sin is so serious to our God He is willing to shut people off from Himself in a place of Eternal Fire and Torment. God is merciful but He is also Holy and Just.

It is hard to read when God judges and deals with people's sins. This is only one example where God does something like this. This is why I pray so much for my family and friends that God works in their stubborn hearts and minds to bring them to see His gospel and have every opportunity to repent while there is still time for them to do so. The judgement of God is righteous and holy and just and very, very real. We should read these kinds of scriptures and be aware God's Wrath will be poured out on the wicked who reject Him and His great salvation paid for by the very Blood of His Son. Remember none of us are worthy of salvation we are all enemies of God until we repent and are Saved and yet in our evil state God is calling us to Himself so that is any of us would turn in repentance to receive His salvtion.

RO 3:21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished-- 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

We have received the mercy of God that while we were still sinners Jesus Christ died for us.

RO 5:6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

RO 5:9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10 For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

God has the right to take us out at any time (becaue He is Just and Holy) but He is long suffering and wating for many to have every chance of repenting first.

2PE 3:8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

You need to read the Bible as a whole. It takes time to get through it from one end to the other and learn what is in it . The Holy Spirit helps us to learn God's Word it takes time. I have 30 years and many readings of the Bible from cover to cover under my belt. I like you found certain scriptures hard to understand and bare when I didn't understand them due to lack of maturity and understanding in my younger days.

Keep reading and asking the Holy Spirit to reveal God's Word to you. Be patient. Put these kinds of scriptures aside (write them down if you want clarification) for now. Keep reading.

DT 32:2 Let my teaching fall like rain
and my words descend like dew,
like showers on new grass,
like abundant rain on tender plants.

Soak in the Word of God and over time you will grow in your knowledge and understanding.