Here's another of those passages that you haven't likely heard on a Sunday morning. As I am getting older and my hair line is in retreat--let's just say I don't find these words as disturbing as I once did.
2 Kings 2:23-25 reads:
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 up, you baldhead!" they said, "Go on up, you baldhead!" 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. And he went on to Mt. Carmel and from there returned to Samaria.
You haven't heard this in a sermon lately? How about a Jr. Sermon? That's where I think it would really be a hoot. "Gather round children! Pastor Darin has something to share with you... Do you know what these bible verses mean? You know how sometimes it's fun to tease people? Well, you better be careful making fun of old men... like me. A bear could eat you on your way home from church today! I'm just saying. You better make sure your parents tithe too. Okay? Amen. Head off to Jr. Church now and have a great morning!"
Perhaps Elisha is just so new to this prophetic mantle thing that he doesn't know the power of his own prayer. When I was a teenager, my brother offered me the chance to shoot a .54 caliber muzzle-loader. He warned, "It has a kick." When I squeezed the trigger, the gun recussed against my shoulder with such ferocity that my arm went numb for half an hour. Perhaps when Elisha pronounced his curse and the bears came out of the woods he was thinking, "HA! That'll teach 'em!" but then when they started chewing the limbs off of little boys his jaw dropped with that "O flip!" sort of terror. "Um... never mind. God? It wasn't that big a deal. Yoo-hoo... uh... bears... Shoo! Go away! Nice bear!" Sort of a 'be careful where you point that thing' kind of a lesson for the new prophet.
One commentator I read suggests that a study of the whole of Elisha's ministry demonstrates that he was always compassionate on the repentant and very stern with the obstinate. Well there you have it. Perhaps Elisha stood by saying, "Will you take that back? Say uncle! Let me hear it! No?"
Here are some observations: First, I notice that Elisha is headed up to Bethel. Bethel (beth el) literally means house of God. The city was anything but a house of God in Elisha's day. There was a notorious school of false prophets there. The prophet Hosea would later refer to the city as Bethaven (beth aven)--house of wickedness. Second, it appears to me to be unfortunate that some of our English versions use the word 'children' or even (KJV) 'little children.' The NIV that I've quoted here translates 'youth' and I am not sure that's much better. Throughout the Scriptures the same Hebrew word is applied to many who, in years anyway, are not youth. The word is frequently used of servants and soldiers, and is applied to Isaac and Joseph when each was believed to be in his 20s.
Let me be clear: I'm not suggesting that if this text depicts bears dismembering men in their 20s instead of children that everything changes. The simple words as we read them are troubling--it appears that Elisha was offended so he cursed his attackers, and God sent bears to eat them.
What if it wasn't Elisha who was offended?
Do you remember the storm of controversy that was caused when President Obama used the words "like the Special Olympics" to describe his poor bowling skills? As he apologized he acknowledged that was a very poor choice of words. Political correctness (or perhaps just common decency) tells us that the mentally impaired were slighted. But that was not what the President intended. If you strip back the emotion of it all, what the President meant to belittle was not people with handicaps, but rather the fact that he is a lousy bowler.
I'd suggest to you that this may be a key to this passage. These lads were mocking God's prophet by calling him Baldy. In that culture baldness was often thought of as a disgrace. It was one of the effects of leprosy. It was likely used in the vernacular of Elisha's times (like the word retarded was in the years of my childhood) as being akin with mental degradation. We read this as an insult to Elisha. What if it is God who took offense?
Elisha is God's man. He's picked up the prophetic mantle (earlier in chapter 2). Signs and wonders have accompanied his calling (also earlier in chapter 2). And this band of young men denounce him on the journey to Bethel, "You? God's prophet? With a bald head? You a leper? You must be mentally impaired! You think you will speak with more power than our prophets? We don't fear you! Go ahead! Go on up, Baldy!"
Reads a little differently, doesn't it?
Then again, I really like the Jr. Sermon application above. I might just stick with that. What do you think?
...and all the bald men let loose with a barbaric YAWP!
Posted by: Mark Ellison | August 20, 2009 at 12:21 PM
I think my dad was a bit masochistic. He taught the life of Elijah in my 4th grade Bible class and especially relished this story (perhaps because of his own balding condition).
Posted by: Erik D | August 20, 2009 at 02:47 PM
I can not think of this without thinking of tuesday night bible study... hahahahahaha nate!
Posted by: germaine | August 25, 2009 at 10:42 AM
What happened to that study anyway? September?
Posted by: Jackie | August 25, 2009 at 10:47 AM