Of Bears And Boys

“Elisha left Jericho and went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, a group of boys from the town began mocking and making fun of him. “Go away, baldy!” they chanted. “Go away, baldy!” Elisha turned around and looked at them, and he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of them.” -2 Kings‬ ‭2‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There is a powerful principle here that you shouldn't miss: God is not mocked, you will reap what you sow.

The failure of this scripture is not with the short temper of the prophet, Elisha. But rather, with the parents and teachers of these boys, who never taught hem to have any reverence for God or His prophet. I suspect the reason is because the parents held little regard for the man of God either, and potentially spoke evil of him in the privacy of their homes. Jesus told us that what is whispered in the secret places will be shouted from the rooftops. I think that's what happened in this account.

Be careful to train your children and your new converts to have a healthy dose of honor and respect for the leaders that God has placed in your life. If you don't, you may be setting them up for a horrific attack down the road.