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LESSON 1:
The Lord has chosen to reveal a
number of miracles associated with Elisha the Man of God, the
Old Testament Prophet.
One of these is
quite unusual! In fact, to my knowledge there is none other
exactly like it in all of Scripture.
Since the event
occupies only two verses of Bible Text, we can easily read it
together: "And Elisha 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." These words are
recorded in 2nd Kings 2:23-24.
First of all ...
and this is the "thought" God has given me for us to study today
... notice what Elisha was doing when he was verbally assaulted.
He was traveling.
That's right. Simply on a journey.
Apparently going
from Jericho, where he had just cured their poisonous water
supply, to Bethel.
The Scripture
just says "he went up from thence to
Bethel."
In the Bible
Jericho is usually spoken of as being in a "downhill" direction.
Geographically the city sits well below sea level! Recall as
Jesus began the Parable of the Good Samaritan, He said:
"A certain man went down from Jerusalem to
Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his
raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him
half dead." Luke 10:30
It would have
been wise for that man to have stayed in the high country, in
Jerusalem. That's where the House of God was located also! He
"went down" in more ways than one!
Well, it seems
that Elisha was "reversing" the itinerary of the Samaritan in
Jesus' Luke 10 Parable. The great Prophet was going "up"
from Jericho. And as you know, Biblically Jericho often seems to
symbolize the world, the world-system of today that is
controlled by the devil!
God's Man fell
under attack from scoffers as he left the place that pictures
"the world" and as he went to a city whose name means "House of
God," Bethel.
Seems like that's
how the devil works! If you're going "up," improving your life
spiritually, getting closer to the House of God ... or better
yet, drawing nearer the Lord Himself, old Satan will fight!
Next notice that
the narrative, "and Elisha went up from
thence unto Bethel," is one that leaves some things
unsaid. We can only guess what business the Prophet had in
Bethel.
The next thing
Scripture tells us is that the Preacher is soon on his way to
Carmel, then Samaria! Surprisingly, his work in Bethel is
completely unmentioned!
I suspect that
the trip to Bethel was just not that significant. Again, no
record of any preaching or miracle other good work is recorded
there. Not at this time.
And yet ...
though perhaps on a rather trivial trip, the Man of God still
was attacked!
Let me make an
announcement. The devil does not only "hit" when we are driving
to Church! Or Revival Meeting! No! He can and does assault us,
often using the gossiping slanderous mouths of others, while we
are merely on our way to ... say, the cleaners or barber shop or
grocery store!
He can tempt
anywhere anytime!
Then there is yet
one more reason why I believe the devil might have wanted to
hinder Elisha's going to Bethel. That was the city where wicked
King Jeroboam had placed one of the golden calves ... his
attempt to keep Israel away from Jerusalem and the true House of
God! This was blatant idolatry!
Can you imagine
how Elisha and those claves would "mix?" Think how such a
backslidden compromising city would have received the old
straight-preaching Man of God!
The devil had 42
young rebels on "stand-by" to hinder and harass this great
Preacher, hoping to keep him away from the city of Bethel!
Elisha, being the spiritual bulldozer he was ... so invested
with the power of God ... just might have upset the devil's
plans and goals for future syncretistic worship in that
place! That strange adjective means the mixing together of a
bunch of religions and practices and beliefs ... whether they
are Bible or not! The devil just didn't want his little idol
bothered!
Whatever the
purpose of this attack on God's Man, it failed!
Come to think of
it, most of them do!
Why?
God protects His
Preachers!
"Touch not mine anointed, and do my
prophets no harm," saith the Lord! In fact He said it
twice; 1st Chronicles 16:22 and Psalm 105:15.
If God says
something once, IT IS TRUE! If He says it twice, we had surely
better take note!
Wait! Just one
more verse to "encourage" you Preachers today.
"No weapon that is formed against thee
shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against
thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage
of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is
of me, saith the LORD." That's Isaiah 54:17. And that
includes protection from smart-mouthed rebels too!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 2:
I've heard folks, especially
old-timers, use the expression for years. "By the way ..." an
old Preacher friend used to quip several times a day! "By the
way ...." He was simply going to introduce a parallel thought
into our conversation, perhaps something forgotten earlier.
Elisha the
Prophet was going on a trip. And he was going
"by the way" when a problem
developed!
"And Elisha 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."
Yes, he was
verbally attacked by a bunch of young rebels. A "street gang"
you might call them.
I'd like to speak
to you today about that "way."
The "way" we're
supposed to be walking for the Lord!
Abraham's
servant, when traveling to procure a bride for Isaac, records
that it was when "in the way" God led him precisely and clearly!
"And he said, Blessed be the LORD
God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master
of his mercy and his truth:
I being in the way,
the LORD led me to the house of my master's brethren."
Genesis 24:27
Isaiah preached
about that "way!" Hear him: "And thine
ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying,
This is the way, walk ye
in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn
to the left." Isaiah 30:21
But, best of all,
look where Isaiah was asked to go to share the great Message
about the Virgin Birth of Jesus! Here are the Prophet's
instructions: "Go forth now to meet Ahaz,
thou, and Shearjashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the
upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field." That's
the way to find the Truth. Walk according to the Lord's
instructions! Be WHERE God wants you to be!
Look where Isaiah
got the message about Jesus, about His coming as a Virgin Born
Saviour! On the "highway" please. The word, "mesillah,"
means a raised public road! It is literally a "high" way! One
that can't be overlooked! Prominent! Spiritually speaking, if we
ever learn about Jesus, it will be on God's terms! By the ways
of the Lord! And God's highways are clear! Well marked! Not
hidden! Not subject to erosion or windstorms or enemy armies!
Then notice the
exact point on this highway where King Ahaz is to learn of Jesus
the Virgin Born Lord. At the field of the fuller. He's
the equivalent of today's normal dry-cleaning establishment. He
professionally and thoroughly cleans stains out of garments!
Jesus' Blood cleanses us white as snow you remember! This is a
picture of forgiveness and holiness! That's the only place one
can learn of God the Son! At the real Fuller's field!
Also you must
preach of Jesus near "the upper pool" out on the highway,
Isaiah. The word "upper" is spelled "elyon" in Hebrew and many
of you immediately recognize it as one of God's Names! It means
"most high!" Often our great God is called "the Most High God!"
Dozens of times! "El Elyon!"
What "hints" of
the deity of Jesus these are!
Downright
proclamations in fact!
Isaiah, go to the
end of the conduit where the water pours forth please! That's
where you are to speak of the coming Messiah! The word "end" is
"qatzseh" and means "mouth!" The noun "conduit" is "tealah" and
means river or watercourse or trench! What a word picture of
Jesus! John 7:37-38 declares: "In the last
day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried,
saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He
that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his
belly shall flow rivers of living water." Jesus is that
River of Life! I'm so glad for the day I stood beneath His
cleansing Flow and was washed clean and pure! First with His
Blood when I got saved, then consistently thereafter with the
flowing water of His precious Word!
But, get this! "Tealah"
is also used in our King James Bible twice of healing or
physical cures! Using this word, Jeremiah 30:13 speaks of
"healing" medicines! And Jeremiah 46:11 talks about folks being
"cured!"
WHERE Isaiah
preached that glorious day is nearly as important as WHAT he
preached!
Yes, I'd say the
"way" is important!
And if that "way"
brings revelation and instruction as with Isaiah, praise God!
If it beings
"accusation and ridicule" as with Elisha, praise God as well!
For after all, God indeed mightily protected his Servant!
Better to be in
God's "way" walking obediently ... even if abused, than to be
in the "tents" of wickedness reveling with the world!
Amen!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 3:
One day a Man of God, Elisha the Old
Testament Prophet, was walking up the road. He was just going to
his next "assignment" from the Lord.
Then it happened!
An attack!
This event
consisted merely of mockery and verbal assault and heaps of
disrespect. Yet it was an act of gross rebellion against God's
Preacher of that day.
Here's what the
historical and inspired Book of 2nd Kings says about it:
"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 ...." 2nd Kings
2:23
But Preacher
Bagwell, these were just "little children!"
Indeed!
But that word in
the King James Bible for "children" is used elsewhere in
the same King James Bible with an expanded meaning. Let me
explain. This noun, "naar," is found 238 times in Scripture, in
the Old Testament since it's Hebrew mind you. Of
those 238 times our King James Bible renders it "babe" once,
"children" or "young children" 22 times, "lad" 33 times, "youth"
6 times, "servant" 44 times, but "young man or men" 76
times!
Now I suggest to
you that these "little children" that accosted Elisha were not
babies. Seldom do 42 babies travel together anyway! They were
not preschoolers either! They were more like "young men" I
expect.
The first Bible
use of this word is located in Genesis 14:24 where a group of
"young men" in the employ of Abraham constituted the army which
traveled north to rescue Lot from the wicked confederacy of
kings who had kidnapped him. These "young men" were fighters!
Its second Bible
use is found in Genesis 18:7 where a "young man" killed and
dressed a fatted calf for Abraham's special visitors, including
the Lord I believe.
However we must keep in mind that
the adjective "little" is affixed to the noun "children" and "qatan"
means small, least or youngest!
Elisha is being
mocked and derided by at least 42 of these young hooligans,
whatever their age.
Freethinkers!
Maybe even
atheists!
Haters of God's
Men!
Secularists!
Rebels!
Now let's notice
the word "mocked," a verb that's spelled "qalas" in Hebrew. It
is only used 4 times in the whole Bible. Twice our King James
Bible translates the word "mock" and once "scorn"
and once "scoff."
"Mock" is a word
that comes to us from a French term that means "to jeer." It is
believed to be derived from a Latin term that means, of all
things, "to blow one's nose!" As a dishonoring and hateful
gesture of disrespect I mean. Then the word next develops the
idea of "imitating" something or someone as does the "mocking
bird." But even here it means making fun of someone by acting
like or sounding like them.
"Scorn" has a
literary history that flows from a French word for "contempt."
It in turn is associated with a word for "disgrace." The Latin
word "excornare," which may also be a related term, means "off"
with one's "horns." Horns were a symbol of power and respect in
those days. They are defrocking Elisha! Stripping him of honor
and respect!
"Scoff" is a
Scandinavian or Danish word! It means "contemptuous ridicule!" "Skof,"
its parent, means jest or sport. A related word is scold!
These 42 "kids"
meant harm and evil to the Prophet.
They apparently
hated him!
How sad!
God's Men are to
be respected!
Even with "double
honour" says Paul! "Let the elders that
rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they
who labour in the word and doctrine." 2nd Timothy 5:17
Let your Preacher
know this Lord's Day at Church that he has your respect
... and that you are teaching your children the same thing!
Preachers to this
day are still treated contemptuously by man, young and old!
I plan to live my
days loving and honoring the true Bible-preaching Men of God who
are left in our land. An ever diminishing number it seems.
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 4:
The
young people who mocked the great Prophet Elisha, used some
rather theological terms.
Nearly every
preacher remembers somebody laughing at them while they
proclaimed God's Word. I sure do! But that's nothing compared to
what Elisha endured here.
The precise words
hurled at him were: "Go up, thou bald
head; go up, thou bald head." 2nd Kings 2:23
The whole verse
reads: "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."
Two things at
least need to be noticed.
Both verbs,
"mocked" and "said," are imperfect in tense structure. This
indicates continuous action. These rebels did not just say once
or twice "Bald head!" Or "get out of here!" They yelled these
barbs of bitterness again and again. Constantly for some time
they accosted God's Man.
Much as Paul
tired of the little fortune telling girl's ranting and yelling,
Elisha had endured all he could! Besides, this sin goes deeper
than just clamour and revelry. It is sheer irreverence for the
things of God!
Let's study their
deadly words. Deadly to them I mean!
"Go up!"
Twice they said
it! "Go up," Elisha!
The verb "alah"
here means "to ascend" or even "to climb!" In both instances it
is expressed as an imperative! They are commanding the powerful
and godly Preacher Elisha to get out of town!
I personally
would not recommend that anyone demand the
Bible-believing Preacher to do a lot of things! Let God lead
him!
I really believe
this crowd means for Elisha to get lost, go away!
Hey, they are
trying to run the Preacher off, away, to another place! That's
happened a few times through the years!
But their precise
words are important here, as always is the case in Holy
Scripture!
"Go up" is likely
a play on words, with Elijah's recent departure in mind!
Elisha, just like
your Master before you, "go up" ... ascend to Heaven ... depart
in a whirlwind or chariot of fire or something! Just be gone!
Away with you!
This gives us a
"hint" at the public reaction to Elijah's glorious
home-going! While we Christians recognize it as a signal honor
and sign of respect on the old Prophet, the worldly folks around
which he lived thought of it as "good riddance!" God cleared him
out, didn't He?
Next comes a bit
of ridicule about Elisha's very appearance!
"Go up, thou
bald head!"
Again, keep in
mind these are many times repeated insults!
"Bald head," both
words, are translated by one Hebrew adjective serving in context
as a substantive here. "Qereach" means exactly what it says, no
hair!
The only other
time "qereach" is used in our Bible is Leviticus 13:40.
"And the man whose hair is fallen off his
head, he is
bald; yet is he clean." I have marked
it for you to see.
They are laughing
at Elisha's head! A head that thinks holy thoughts, godly
meditations, fixed on the Lord God Almighty!
People, I would
advise your being very careful mocking a Preacher, a real
Preacher of God's Word!
Nor would I allow
it of my children or grandchildren!
Never!
It's dangerous!
I can only think
of one other Biblical Preacher who was so openly mocked for his
appearance, the Apostle Paul. They said of him "his speech is
contemptible!" His "bodily presence is weak." Both arrows are
dipped in mockery and are directed at Paul's physical
attributes!
What's God's idea
about how a Preacher looks?
"How beautiful upon the mountains are the
feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace;
that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation;
that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!" Isaiah 52:7
And better yet:
"And how shall they preach, except they be
sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that
preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good
things!" Romans 10:15
Old Testament ...
and New, calling Preachers lovely, at least their feet!
Feet are not
generally know for their comeliness either.
Two things we
need to say about our godly Preachers, the relatively few that
remain in America.
Number one,
stay Men of God, stay with us as long as God will allow! We
need you! You are priceless! As a group you are irreplaceable!
You are worth more to our nation that all the gold in every
vault of every bank ... or all the weapons in our armories!
Number two, you
... while maybe not handsome by the world's standards ... are to
us Believers in Jesus absolutely lovely in the words you speak.
In the way you live! In the behavior you exemplify! In the glow
of your countenance! In the warmth of your smile! In the
firmness of your handshake! In the purity of your thoughts! In
the singleness of your eyes! And in the daily separation form
sin that you model for us all!
We love you in
the Lord!
Friend, let your
Preacher know this soon!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 5:
It seems out of character!
Elisha, unlike
his mentor Elijah, was so kind and gentle!
Yet one day,
while traveling on foot to another city, he was "attacked" by a
gang of young people.
Verbally
attacked, but nonetheless attacked.
And possibly, we
just don't know, this attack could have led to physical harm. It
may have been escalating!
Either way,
Elisha "turned back, and looked on them,
and cursed them in the name of the LORD." 2nd Kings 2:24
They obviously
were behind the great Preacher, following him and yelling and
taunting and mocking all the way!
So "he turned
back."
"Panah," in
addition to "turning," can mean "preparing or regarding"
something or someone. Elisha was, under the leadership of the
Holy Spirit, deciding how to respond to this anarchy! He turned
"back," the Hebrew word being "achar" ... "after" them or
"behind" them! The old Preacher doubled back behind this crowd!
He wanted to keep his eye on them. I believe there was a greater
element of danger in this attack than we at first realize.
Next Elisha
"looked" at the young folks. "Raah" means to inspect or consider
or perceive a situation. Here he is exercising godly
discernment.
And, quickly, he
has determined the next course of action. Without a second of
hesitancy, Elisha "cursed them in the Name of the Lord!" What a
verb we have here! "Qalal" means to think lightly of someone! To
consider them a light thing! Three times in the King James Bible
it means to despise something! It also carries the idea of
something done swiftly, quickly! But predominantly in Scripture,
39 of 82 times, it means "to curse."
This is not a
secular blasphemous curse, mind you. It is a declaration of the
judgment of God upon a person. "God, place upon these rebels the
sentence you have already righteously determined is theirs!
Amen!"
Scripture never
looks casually upon disrespecting God's Men!
Never!
Again I remind
you of Isaiah 54:17 and ask you to notice the capitalized
section please. "No weapon that is formed
against thee (written especially to God's Men, Preachers) shall
prosper; and every
tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt
condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of
the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the
LORD."
Elisha sure
obeyed this verse that day, didn't he?
By the way, if
you feel this is too harsh and "Old Testament" like ... read
what Paul said about some enemies of the grace of God.
"As we said before, so say I now again, If
any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have
received, let him be
accursed." Galatians 1:9
As for me and my
house, we are going to love and honor God's Men!
How about you?
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 6:
The
word "bear" occurs 13 times in the Bible. It is spelled "dob"
in Hebrew and "arktos" in Greek. Usually the bear somehow
represents great anger or revenge as in Proverbs 17:12.
"Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a
man, rather than a fool in his folly."
Or see Hosea 13:8
where God, chastening Israel, says: "I
will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her
whelps, and will rend the caul of their heart, and there
will I devour them like a lion: the wild beast shall tear them."
To express my
thought succinctly, bears get angry quite easily!
Bears also are
several times pictured as tools in God's Hands, instruments to
execute the Lord's mighty wrath! If God is really "after" you,
there is no escape! For example, Amos 5:19 says:
"As if a man did flee from a lion, and a
bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the
wall, and a serpent bit him." No need to run! Something
is going to get you!
Well, one day
Elisha the Man of God pronounced God's judgment upon a group of
reprobate young people. I don't know what today's "youth crazy"
society is going to think about this! This "gang" had dishonored
and belittled and attacked the man of God mercilessly.
No sooner had the
curse been issued ... and "there came
forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two
children of them."
Look!
Just like dogs
licked wicked King Ahab's blood and the same wild beasts ate the
flesh of heathen Queen Jezebel and dozens of worms devoured
ungodly King Herod ... two she bears ripped these kids to
pieces!
The bears "came
forth" from some nearby woods it seems. This verb "yatzsa" is
expressed here with the action being incomplete. The bears came
at these scoffers slowly, increasing their tension and fear
exponentially!
Sometimes it just
is not wise to criticize God's Preachers!
Notice the number
of of bears also ... two of them. Likely they were both mother
bears. The noun "dob" is feminine here. I once read that mother
bears are meticulous with their children, training them
carefully. They have been observed turning their little ones
over and "spanking" them for wrong behavior as well!
Often in
Scripture two is the number of witness.
"At the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three
witnesses, shall the matter be established," so stated
the Israelite legal code in Deuteronomy 19:15. Two "she bears,"
under oath, might be telling us all that we would be wise to
teach the young people over whom we have responsibility to
respect their elders! Especially the men of God! What witnesses
these creatures are!
Had these
children's Fathers or Mothers chastened them for earlier
rebellion, their lives well might have been spared.
Had they just
kept the young people at home that day, there would have still
been two hungry bears roaming the woods too.
Any one of these
"children" could have, and should have, learned from Proverbs
1:10. "My
son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. If they say, Come
with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the
innocent without cause. My son, walk not thou in the way with
them; refrain thy foot from their path. For their feet run to
evil, and make haste to shed blood."
The bears "tore"
the young people. This verb, "baqa," means to split, to cleave,
to break open, to divide or to rip up! Sounds rough! Again, we
have an "imperfect" verb, indicating progressive action.
Probably a feast was held that day, for the animals anyway. I
can think of another feast when God is going to feed the wicked
dead of this world to a host of vultures gathered in the valley
of Megiddo!
Yes, I doubt
these forty two infidels survived the mauling they endured.
Instead of a
"party" mocking the Preacher ... several dozen "funerals" will
be conducted! I doubt Elisha was asked to participate either!
But no doubt there were plenty of liberal preachers back in town
who would have said wonderful things about each of these wayward
souls.
And why did God
give us the exact number, forty two?
Not only does He
number the hairs of our head and the sparrows that fly and the
stars at night and the days we shall live ... but also the
wicked who hate God's Men!
Today usually
judgment does not fall so swiftly. Therefore Ecclesiastes 8:11
again proves true. "Because sentence
against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the
heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil."
God's Preachers
today are maligned and hated and slandered with impunity.
However God is
keeping the record.
He knows what's
best.
And be sure of
this: "God is not mocked: for whatsoever a
man soweth, that shall he also reap."
So, as the above
verse, Galatians 6:7, said at its beginning:
"Be not deceived."
Amen!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 7:
The
Prophet Elisha was indeed a
"focused" man.
Even after the
incident where two she bears attacked a young gang of rebels,
likely killing forty two of them ... Elisha plods onward! He
never stopped for any accolades or recognition, or hesitated due
to any censure from the townspeople ... he just kept serving the
Lord!
What
faithfulness!
Here's what I
specifically have in mind. I will capitalize the pertinent
verse: "And Elisha 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.
And he went from thence
to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria."
2nd Kings 2:23-25
There were places
to go and things to do ... all for the glory of the Lord!
Notice the great
Man of God's itinerary. First to Mount Carmel he must go! He
retraces the steps of Elijah his predecessor. There the great
contest with the prophets of Baal was held! There the fire of
God fell! There powerful prayer was offered! There the sound of
abundance of rain was heard! There the miraculous strength of
God was given!
Mount Carmel ...
a good place to go!
No doubt Elijah
preached and taught and encouraged the people of God in that
place. Maybe a conference for the sons of the prophets was held!
It was a place of victory and excitement and glory! By the way,
Carmel means "garden land!" Sounds fruitful, doesn't it?
A spiritual
retreat!
Then, just as
quickly, Elisha comes back down the mount to go forth unto
Samaria. This place was as mundane and ordinary as Carmel was
spectacular! Samaria was the place of false worship. The
northern kingdom of Israel did not have one godly monarch in all
its history! It reeked of compromise and backsliding and
apostasy!
But that place
needed a Prophet too! A real one!
Yes, they had
plenty of commercially paid "yes men" who do nothing but please
the king and preach according to the politically correct winds
of their time!
But not many real
Men of God had been through that land!
I suspect that
when Elisha left Samaria they said of him, as was later said of
Ezekiel, they knew a prophet had been among them! See Ezekiel
2:5 and 33:33 please.
On goes the
Ministry!
Of course there
are forty two less rebels in the world!
And one very
active but unpopular preacher too!
But the Truth of
God shines more brightly because a Prophet of Heaven boldly
proclaimed judgment as well as grace!
Grace at
Jericho ... just before the Bethel incident here, this she bear
event! There Elisha healed the poison waters of the whole city!
Judgment
at Bethel ... where iniquity had apparently reached its
fullness!
Like Paul said in
Romans 11:22 ... "Behold therefore the
goodness and severity of God."
Amen!
And in case
you're wondering, God's judgments are without error!
"Even so, Lord God Almighty, true
and righteous are thy judgments."
Revelation 19:2
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 8:
For the
last week to ten days we have been studying the Old Testament
account of Elisha and the she bears. Today's Lesson ends that
series of Bible studies. It is simply a review, but still
mentions several pertinent facts not covered in the previous
material. Someone let me know if you have found these articles
helpful.
The study we've
just completed is based upon verse-by-verse exposition,
primarily using a good Bible dictionary and a Hebrew lexicon.
Naturally the
great Preachers and Teachers of Scripture have, through the
years, offered many outstanding comments on this Bible event,
the account of Elisha and the she bears!
Here are some
nuggets, based upon what dozens of them have had to say.
Again, our Bible
Text ...
"And Elisha 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. And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence
he returned to Samaria." 2nd Kings 2:23-25
Proverbs 26:2
promises: "As the bird by wandering, as
the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come."
Our verse here is well illustrated in this Text, 2nd
Kings 2:23-25. These youthful rebels deserved exactly what they
got!
The very spirit
of the disrespect shown toward Elisha is verbalized in 2nd
Chronicles 36:16. "But they mocked the
messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his
prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people,
till there was no remedy."
Here see the
brash hatred for God's Man. It's much like that in Jeremiah
8:12. "Were they ashamed when they had
committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed,
neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall among them
that fall: in the time of their visitation they shall be cast
down, saith the LORD."
Matthew Henry
call these "little children" a generation of vipers!
The two bears are
ministers of wrath!
Such scoundrels
need worry not only about bears! "The eye
that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey
his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out,
and the young eagles shall eat it." Proverbs 30:17
Even artwork of
bygone years depicted this event! I saw a picture focusing on
the bears actually rending a young man!
Listen to this
warning from God to Israel: "And if ye
walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will
bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins.
I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of
your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in
number; and your high ways shall be desolate."
Leviticus 6:21-22
Elisha was only
about 25 years old at this time of this incident it is believed.
The term "bald head" might have been derisive ... but not
literal.
God once used a
lion to devour a disobedient Prophet! See 1st Kings 13:24.
"And when he (the prophet) was gone, a
lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcase was cast
in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the
carcase."
Lepers were often
bald and outcasts to society also!
In Scripture God
commanded fiery serpents, a great fish, little donkeys, flying
quail, crowing roosters and some day in the future, hungry
vultures!
The Prophet Hosea
called Bethel by another name, Bethaven, meaning house of
trouble or even house of wickedness! "The
inhabitants of Samaria shall fear because of the calves of
Bethaven: for the people thereof shall mourn over it, and the
priests thereof that rejoiced on it, for the glory
thereof, because it is departed from it." Hosea 10:5
These rebels were
mocking the idea of "rapture" to Heaven! "Go up!" as did Elijah!
One preacher
noted what Elisha did NOT do: turn and run! Argue or debate!
Compromise his message! Complain! Or get discouraged!
Two bears ... not
three! And here we have no Papa, Mama and baby either! Just two
angry she bears ... on a mission!
In our immediate
Biblical context we have ... a blessing in the city of curse,
Jericho! And curses in the city of blessing, Bethel!
Jericho is some
1300 feet below sea level! While Bethel is some 2000 feet above
sea level! Quite a hike!
Rebellious youth
who hate God and His Men are today no longer torn and rent by
bears ... but by their own passions and lusts and habits and
sins!
The word "little"
in our Text is often used in the King James Bible for the
"youngest" member of a family.
It is believed
that Elisha lived some 60 more years ... after this event!
Baldness was
scarce in the day of Elisha, especially among young men.
Besides, his head
would likely have been covered anyway! And Elisha would have
been wearing an outer cloak, a mantel, Elijah's! Which article
of clothing these rebels might have recognized anyway!
The devil likes
to attack any young Bible Preacher ... at the beginning of his
ministry!
"Ascend, thou
empty skull!" Dumb Preacher! That's the essence of what these
reprobates were saying.
But the people of
Bethel and Israel did NOT learn their lesson! In 721 BC their
whole country was overtaken by Assyria ... for rebellion against
the Lord God Almighty!
This incident was
just a warning ... an unheeded one at that.
What a Lesson we
have here on respecting the Man of God!
Hebrews 13:7
commands: "Remember them which have the
rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose
faith follow, considering the end of their conversation."
Hebrews 13:17
instructs: "Obey them that have the rule
over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls,
as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy,
and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you."
And 1st Timothy
5:17 teaches us to: "Let the elders that
rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they
who labour in the word and doctrine."
Amen!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
I PRAY THE LORD HAS TAUGHT US ALL VALUABLE
LESSONS ABOUT RESPECTING THE MAN OF GOD! AND TO YOU PREACHERS,
THERE IS MUCH HERE WE CAN LEARN ABOUT RESPONDING TO CRITICISM
AND MOCKERY!
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