One story from Elisha’s life I didn’t include in my sermon Sunday, but made mention of, was what took place right after Elisha saw Elijah taken up in a whirlwind. The first thing that happened was that some prophets came to Elisha and said, “And they said to him, “Behold now, there are with your servants fifty strong men. Please let them go and seek your master. It may be that the Spirit of the LORD has caught him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley.” And he said, “You shall not send.”
However, the Bible tells us they kept insisting until Elisha felt guilty for not sending the 50 strong men. (I think instead of 50 strong men, I would have sent 50 CSI or investigative journalists, but to each his own). When they arrived back and said there was no sign of him, Elisha in essence said, “I told you so.”
Some men of Jericho came to him and said the city is pleasant, but the water is bad. Elisha threw some salt in it, and God miraculously fixed the water.
And then, we have the story. 2 Kings tells us that Elisha was heading up to Bethel when some “small boys” came out and jeered at him, saying, “Go up you baldhead, go up you baldhead.” Elisha turned, cursed them, and two she-bears came out and tore them.
Problems? Yes, he called bears out to kill some mouthy kids? Seems pretty severe. A little sensitive to his hairline? Yes, sounds like it. God being okay with the curse and sending out the bears? Sounds a little rough and unGod-like.
So, we look closer. The Hebrew word(s) that were translated as young boys was poorly translated in most translations. Those words were used in the Bible from a newly born Moses to Absalom, who rebelled against David. The words are used to cover a wide age range. Also, the second Hebrew word that was translated as boys was used as servant. It isn’t so much about gender as position.
Second, Elisha is heading to Bethel, which translated means house of God. However, Bethel at that time was a place of worshiping gods, not the only true living God. It was one of the places the northern tribes used to worship their idols.
Third, Elisha just witnessed Elijah go up in a chariot of fire. What was happening was that some young servants came out and were saying, “We know you are the prophet to take Elijah’s place, and we wish that you would just ‘go up’ as he did. We don’t respect you or honor your position.” This was just like the prophets of Baal facing off with Elijah. God, in this story, was revealing that He will be honored and respected. Philippians 2:10-11 says, “...so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” These young servants did not respect God, nor worship Him. And for that, they paid the ultimate penalty. The story doesn’t really have anything to do with Elijah being bald. It is a story about worship, honor, and majesty. It is about respecting God the Father for who He is and His desire for us as his creation.