Elisha's Bears
 

June 23, 2014
Elisha's Bears
“And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.” (2 Kings 2:23-24)

This account has occasioned much criticism by skeptics, charging Elisha with petulant cruelty in sending bears to kill the little children who were taunting him. Actually, it was God who sent the bears, not Elisha.

The fact is, however, that Elisha did not curse little children at all. The Hebrew word for “children” used with the phrase “little children” can be applied to any child from infancy to adolescence. The word for the 42 “children” torn by the bears, however, is a different word commonly translated “young men.” Actually, both words are used more often for young men than for little children.

The situation evidently involved a gang of young hoodlums of various ages, led by the older ones, with all of them no doubt instigated by the pagan priests and idolatrous citizens of Bethel. The bears that suddenly emerged from the woods “tare” (not necessarily fatally in all cases) 42 of the older hooligans.

The jeering exhortation to “go up, thou bald head” was both a sarcastic reference to Elijah’s supposed ascension, as well as an insult to God’s prophet. This was actually a challenge to God and could not be excused. So God made good—in miniature—on a warning issued long before: “And if ye walk contrary unto me. . . . I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children” (Leviticus 26:21-22). It can be a dangerous thing, for young or old, to gratuitously insult the true God and His Word. HMM




Never seen it that way, good article here from "Days of Praise"

Re: Elisha's Bears
 

Ha Ha!!!

Re: Elisha's Bears
 

Great thought.

Re: Elisha's Bears
 

Why are you laughing?

Re: Elisha's Bears
 

People get what they deserve. Stupid kids.

Re: Elisha's Bears
 

I am going to take it that you are joking.

LOL

Re: Elisha's Bears
 

hmm. the punishment sure doesn't seem to fit the crime here, what?
I mean, how does one square this with 'an eye for an eye?'

Re: Elisha's Bears
 

In your opinion the punishment doesn't seem to fit the crime.
However I believe that you are not a judge.
I mean have you decided any cases?

God is indeed a judge that is his job and he always makes the right decision.

Re: Elisha's Bears
 

:lol well experience has shown me that even if i were a judge, i might not necessarily be qualified to judge; but regardless, the question still is not answered. Rather than imply God was wrong here, my question is aimed at understanding. I see that those were different times, prophets being physically anointed, etc, but it only seems just to want to square this episode with existing Law? An eye for an eye? And nevermind our NT Law, that being grace, and not being offendable, etc. You see no dichotomy here?

Re: Elisha's Bears
 

Actually an eye for an eye brought an evenness to the ancient world where vindictive justice was the norm.

Before God gave the commandment of an eye for an eye, If you took out someone's eye, they would not take out your eye, they would kill you and perhaps kill your whole family as well.

Once you understand the situation back then, a person realizes that the eye for an eye thing actually brought some civility and equality to the revenge in ancient savage nations.