2 Kings 2:23-24 Elisha Is Jeered
23 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!” 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 boys.
Elisha was one really powerful and cool prophet, but apparently he also suffered from some anger issues. Okay, so it’s not okay to make fun of a prophet, but then again: you kill 40+ kids as a result?
Can you imagine if we reacted this way either at church or at school? One can only guess that kids weren’t as bad back in those old days as they are today. Today, we’d have a complete carnage if guys like Elisha were around.
Yet, what have learned since those old biblical times whenever one of God’s elect would cry out to Him such as a Samson or such? Do we see a king who claims to be God turn into worms such as we witness in the New Testament?
In fact, the entire opposite is true in reference to how Jesus told us to respond ot adversity. He tells us to LOVE those who oppose us.
Okay, try telling Elisha or Samson or King David that. We might even suggest this to Joshua prior to him killing thousands upon thousands of those who didn’t wish to depart with their land.
Even with the change coming into age with Jesus, this does not give one the right to demonstrate disrespect to His prophets. In the end, God will not be mocked and who is to say some have been forfeited over the years because of their stance on the creator and His people.
Yet, our standard remains: Love ye one another as I have loved ye as you love one another. Too, love your neighbor as your self.
Truly, most of us including myself have a long way to go before reaching the earmark called for by Jesus. As for me: it rests much easier with my spirit to see the bad guys get their butts whipped such as with the case of our friend the skinhead.
Yet, Jesus explains to us: to change and to adopt His spirit: one in which loves and forgives.
Indeed, we have a long way to go before we arrive at that point.
Hard Times Ministries 
I love this post. Thanx for it.
I have a special place in my heart for this text too, since when in the first grade, my dad assigned it to me to preach before the congregation (he helped me a lot and it was quite simple, but it was my first sermon!).
I have a lot to learn here, and so I hesitate to respond. I am sure I am responding too quickly, but you do point out a sense of incongruence in God’s Word with this passage. I cannot deny there is a sense of it alright. Neither can I deny that there is some divine explanation for it. This is part of what makes God’s Word mysterious, I think.
The scent I have my nose on with this mystery is found in the idea that our battle is not against flesh-n-blood but against powers and principalities, against rulers and demons. We have a battle with people we love. We don’t kill them, instead we love them, but there is a fight still. How is that fight fought???
With a cross.
Take up your cross and follow Jesus (his mamma called him Joshua in her language). Yes, he was named after that other Joshua who also saved his people and led them to the Promised Land. However, the first Joshua was a dim prelude to the real one, and that is where it is easy to get confused, I think. He did not fully express God to us, but very dimly. Jesus, on the other hand, sheds like and illuminates what Joshua could not.
I am sure that leaves a lot of wrinkles unironed out. But I sense the scent of the answers on this wind.
Thanx for this great post.
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Actually, perhaps I have too much to say on this subject. In some ways, I think our perception of God has changed over the years. We struggle with this as the bible says that God changes not. Okay, perhaps he doesn’t, but Jesus certainly explains an entirely new way to approach life. It begins with the Cross just as you say and then transcends into Heaven with Jesus for the future. Great response. I appreciate the feedback.
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