There is an event in 2 Kings 2:23-24, which records part of a journey of the prophet Elisha: “…while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!” And he turned around, and when he saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. And two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys.“
For many readers this is a tough one, especially if you are a parent. It’s hard for modern readers to imagine why God would listen to a negative prayer (curse) but more than that, it’s hard to think that these 42 boys deserved their punishment. We tend to think this sounds like a case of kids being kids, and maybe an old man just being a religious curmudgeon with no sense of humor.
First it may help to know, the word na‘ar, which is often rendered as boys, has a broad range of meaning. It can refer to “young man” or “servant” (see 2 Sam. 14:21, Gen. 22:3, Judges 9:54, 2 Kings 19:6 and 1 Sam. 2:17).
Also, they weren’t just rejecting Elisha, making fun of his baldness, they were rejecting and ridiculing God. And the phrase “go up!” may also be mocking how God had just “taken up” Elijah (2 Kings 2). They were telling Elisha to go and disappear like Elijah.
Still, the story, which is only a couple verses can be hard to read. But as always Scripture is doing its job here. And it makes us pause. It causes us to reflect on how God usually treats us: with mercy. He daily holds back punishments we deserve, and he graces us with blessings we haven’t earned. R.C. Sproul mentioned in his book “Holiness” that we’re often surprised when God actually enacts justice or withholds grace because we’re so used to what he normally gives (mercy). So sometimes we live out the question asked from the figurative questioner in Romans 9:14, who asks “is there injustice on God’s part?” Sometimes we just don’t understand the ways of God. (Isaiah 55:8-9)
Take the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts, for instance. They sold their property, donated part of the proceeds to the church, but lied about giving it all. They were struck dead for their dishonesty. From our perspective, many of us have done far worse than they, and yet here we are, still breathing. This story from 2 Kings is a stark reminder that sometimes, God gives exactly what is deserved, which because of sin is immediate death. It’s a sobering thought that every new day we live is a gift of mercy.
Back to Romans 9, Paul talks about God being like a potter who has the right to decide what becomes of the clay. (Romans 9:21-24) It’s a vivid image of God’s sovereignty, reminding us that He desires to show his wrath and make his power known. Yet most of the time He chooses patience. He even shows patience with the ‘vessels of wrath,’ to highlight the glory of his mercy. “Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— even us whom he has called…”
We humans tend to think pretty highly of ourselves, and there’s some good reason for that – we’re made in God’s image (Genesis 1), and as believers we’re filled with his Spirit (Ephesians 1). But as Christians, sometimes we forget that without Christ, we’re spiritually “dead” (Ephesians 2), no more spiritually alive than the dirt we were made from. Humans are fleeting like a vapor or mist. (James 4:14) We are like “grass” (1 Peter 1:24) Grass pops up one day and withers away the next. Compared to God, we’re more like wild beasts. (Ecclesiastes 3:18) Humans are still a creature.
In fairness, discussing the harsh realities of the Old Testament, like small boys (or even young men) being mauled by bears for taunting, is not easy. It challenges our understanding of justice and mercy. But if we take the Bible seriously, recognizing what it says about our fallen nature and the justness of death as a consequence, then any span of life lived is a testament to God’s grace. And those young men, while it is unlikely because of the context, could very well still have eternal life today if they had faith like in the Messiah, like Abraham. Their ridicule of God probably says otherwise, so it’s unlikely, but it’s worth pointing out that we just don’t know the state of their eternity. The generation of Israelites who at first did not believe and were cursed to wander and die in the desert were forgiven by God. We know they later realized and admitted their folly, even though it was too late for them to enter the physical land. But perhaps they have eternal life, since we’re told God pardoned them. (Numbers 14:20) We’re not told such things about these boys or young men, so we’re speculating here, but I trust that God’s care and concern and mercy for the souls of these young ones is greater than my concern for them.
We see in Scripture God is both kind and stern. It reminds me of the parable where the servant describes his master as ‘a hard man,’ (a description the “master,” who represents God, doesn’t deny). Romans 11:22 encapsulates this perfectly, urging us to consider both God’s kindness and sternness: “Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.”
Because of Christ’s work alone, we can trust in God’s wisdom and justice and grace.
And on a lighter note, while this is not the main point of this verse, if it causes us to reflect on respect for the elderly, or diseased, good. I’m grateful for Scriptures like these especially as I find myself feeling more and more like the ‘old guy.’
Adorn the Gospel 