Daily Devotional For Saturday, April 5, 2025
Yeah. You can do a little dance because the weekend is here. There are times when I am reading Scripture that I wonder, “Why?” Have you ever done that? Then as I research I learn the why. The case in point is a story found in 2 Kings 2 with the prophet Elisha. God had already taken Elijah up to heaven and had given his mentee, Elisha, double the power and ability to do what God wanted. There were around 50 people who saw Elijah go up into heaven (2 Kings 2). So, this story had to circulate around the Jewish people and we see evidence of that in our passage today.
Here it is in 2 Kings 2:23-25:
“Then he went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up by the way, young lads came out from the city and mocked him and said to him, “Go up, you baldhead; go up, you baldhead!” (24) When he looked behind him and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two lads of their number. (25) He went from there to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samari” (NASB).
On the surface this seems rather harsh and unloving what God did to this group of 42 boys, doesn’t it? So, before we all jump to conclusions, let’s look at what actually happened here to understand God’s response to this. The Hebrew word translated as “group of boys” is [וּנְעָרִ֤ים, ne‘arim qetannim]. This refers to males between the ages of 12-30. Which means these Jewish “youths” were of the age to know right from wrong, especially when it came to respecting one of God’s prophets. This is the same description used of Joseph in Genesis 37:2. These 12 jeering urchins were considered an adult in Jewish culture and therefore you were treated as such for good and for bad, or in this case, for punishment.
Their phrase, “Go up, you baldhead” was a reference to depart this world just as his mentor, Elijah had. The youths were saying, “If you are a man of God, why don’t you get out of here and go to heaven the way Elijah did? We’re glad he’s gone and we wish you would follow him!” Pastor, author and Old Testament scholar William Wiersbe writes this:
“For a young person to call any grown man “bald head” would be a gross affront, and to repeat the nickname would make the offense even worse. Gray hair was a “crown of glory” (Prov. 16:31) among the Jews, but baldness was a rare thing among them and by some people was considered a disgrace (Isa. 3:24)” – Source: William W. Wiersbe, Be Distinct, p. 21).
So, what we have here is a group or gang of youths and young men being very disrespectful and irreverent to a prophet of God In all likelihood, they were simply repeating what they heard at home. Their arrogant sin was in insulting God’s prophet, Elisha, they were insulting God. God has warned His people in the Old Testament about doing this and the punishment He could inflict on them if they did this. Look at Leviticus 26:21-22:
“If then, you act with hostility against Me and are unwilling to obey Me, I will increase the plague on you seven times according to your sins. (22) I will let loose among you the beasts of the field, which will bereave you of your children and destroy your cattle and reduce your number so that your roads lie deserted” (NASB).
It’s not that they had not been warned. They simply decided to doubt and test God in this. It’s the fulfillment of Galatians 6:7, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap” (NASB). Because these youths were disrespectful to Elijha, Elisha and to God, and they had mocked God, they had to be punished. The Hebrew word translated as “jeer, scoff or mock” is [יִתְקַלְּסוּ, yiqal-lesu]. It comes from a Hebrew root word that means “to sling dirt or a piece of clod at someone or something. The Hebrew expresses the idea that these “youths” followed Elisha, never letting up on their mocking of him.
Notice these two bears did not kill these 42 youths, but only mauled them. This means for the rest of their lives wherever they went, the scars were visible to all. “Look, there is one of those boys that mocked God and His prophets.” What a visible reminder to all – do not mock God or his prophets. To tell Elisha to get away from here as Elijah did was a jeering contemptuous insult and put down.
2 Chronicles 36:16 tells us that mocking of God and His prophets was common by God’s people on this day. Here is the verse: “But they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, until there was no remedy” (NASB).This was a harsh reminder that no one was to mock God’s prophet Elisha as they had learned harshly when they mocked God’s prophet, Elijah.
Some Old Testament scholars believe these “youths” were part of a group of Israelites that worshipped Baal, called Baalites. If you remember, God had used Elijah to prove to HIs people the falseness of idolatry with Baal in 1 Kings 18:20-40. What happened in this contest? God proves He was and is the only true God. The prophets of Baal were seized and killed. The worship of Baal was tempting for the Israelites due to its fertility rituals and the belief that when you had sex with one of their temple prostitutes, you were having sex with their gods. This obviously upset a lot of people.
So, it is possible that these 42 “youths,” young men between the ages of 12-30, missed these sexual escapades since they were in the prime of their years. The Hebrew text implies there were up to 100 of these young men mocking, sneering, jeering, and insulting God and His prophet. 42 of them learned a harsh and permanent lesson not to do this in the future. Notice the gender of these two bears – female. You may have heard the phrase, “Do not come between a mother bear and her cubs.” Or, “She is as mad as a mother bear.” In some way, these 2 female bears saw Elisha as their cub to protect and defend.
It’s stories like this that cause some to argue that there is a difference between the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament. How many times have you heard someone say, “A loving God wouldn’t do that”? The God of the Old Testament is exactly the same God of the New Testament. God does love everyone, but He doesn’t love every thought, attitude, and behavior. He is a God of love and a God of judgment, and it is only the blood of Jesus that saves us from His wrath. When we see unusual events in the Bible, it’s worth asking what thought, attitude, or behavior led to those circumstances. Were they godly or ungodly?
Questions To Consider
- We live in a culture where there used to be late night comedy shows that mocked anything and anyone godly. Now, such mockery is in prime time news and in our schools. When have you witnessed someone being mocked or the Christian faith being mocked? What was your reaction?
- It may be hard to believe that up to 100 “youth males” started mocking Elisha in a day where respect for your elders was enforced, but they did do this. In our culture we have come to accept as normal disrespect and irreverent attitudes. Why do you think this is so?
- When you read Galatians 6:7, what does this verse mean to you?
- We read that 42 male youths were mauled by 2 female bears as punishment from God for mocking God and His prophet. Do you think God was too harsh or do you think God was fair in the punishment He chose? Why?
- For the rest of their lives these 42 youth males would have to live with the scars of being mauled by a female bear for their mockery. So let's turn the table a minute. What scars do you have for standing up for God and His ministers?
Scripture To Meditate On: Proverbs 17:11-13, “An evil man seeks only rebellion, and a cruel messenger will be sent against him. (12) Let such a man meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs rather than a fool in his folly. (13) If anyone returns evil for good, evil will not depart from his house” (NASB).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, I never want to be guilty of mocking You nor your ministers. I understand that You will not be mocked. Help me to love and support your ministering servants rather than publicly or privately tear them down. I am in no position to judge them nor You and Your ways. I realize that if I do mock You and Your servants, You may discipline me in a way to get my attention so that I and everyone may see the scars from that discipline for the rest of my life. Thank You for loving me. I love You Lord, in Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside!--Pastor Kelly