The Bald, the Bears, and the Bad Boys

Today Rain becomes a teenager. I am sure her parents are wondering where the time has gone. Several years ago during the week she turned five, she spent the night at our home. She shared a birthday with my nephew. Beverley invited her to go with us to the zoo the next day with him. After supper she wanted to watch the movie called “Hook.” It was one of her favorites at the time and she sat on the couch next to me watching it. She was able to tells us what was coming next and even could quote some of the actor’s lines. At one point she said I should cover my eyes, because there was a scary part coming up in the movie. So I did. I could see her out of the corner of my eyes and had to ask, “Rain, why are you not covering your eyes.” “Oh, I have seen this many times. So I know what is going to happen.” After the movie it was time for bed. She said I had to give her a piggy back ride to the bed, because her daddy always gave her one. When she climbed up on my shoulder from the couch she called out in stunned surprise, “Mister Dan! You have a hole in your head.” Being tall enough she had never seen my bald spot. I told her it was our secret and not to tell anyone. “Have you ever heard about the bald prophet Elisha and the two bears,” I asked. I thought about reinforcing my request with this Bible story, but on second thought it might have been too scary for a five year old right before bedtime.

The prophet Elisha, “went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up the road, some youths came from the city and mocked him, and said to him, ‘Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!’ So he turned around and looked at them, and pronounced a curse on them in the name of the LORD. And two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths” (2 Kings 2:23-25).

How did this strange story make it in the Bible? There must be some lesson the Holy Spirit wanted readers to learn from this. Surely this story is not just a reminder to show respect to shiny, smooth heads. It is true that the English translations say they were “little children.” However, the Hebrew terms used here denotes the “small” character of “young” men.

These young men were disrespectful to this man of God. They deliberately came out to mock him and tell him to “get out of town.” Just as God had used a lion to kill the young prophet who disobeyed him (1 Kings 13), so now He uses two she-bears to punish theses young men.

By showing disrespect to God’s prophet they were showing disrespect to God. Jesus came with a message from God and they rejected and crucified Him. Stephen came preaching and the Pharisees took him out and stoned him. Jesus warned His disciples, “he who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me” (Luke 10:16).

The words of God bring life. To reject His words is to reject life. Jesus came with the words of eternal life. Many today are like the foolish young men who rejected Elisha. One day God will send His Son back. At the second coming those who have rejected His offer of eternal life will suffer a similar fate “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2 Th 1:7-9).

The message of the story was not “Beware of making fun of bald headed preachers.” It wasn’t that Elisha just couldn’t BEAR it when they made fun of his bald head. The bears came down upon their heads for mocking God’s servant.

— Daniel R. Vess

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