Remember that the Lord told Elijah to anoint Elisha as his successor back in 1 Kings 19:16, so this passing of the mantle would not have been a surprise. And that Elijah was about to die was no secret, as many within their band of prophets were aware that the Lord planned to take him. The elaborate fashion in which God took him, puts Elijah in a very elite group of people who were taken to heaven without dying first. Enoch is the only other person like this recorded in the Bible, (Gen. 5:24 "Enoch walked with God and then was no more, because God took him away".)
Elisha was able to perform mighty miracles, as his predecessor Elijah had been able to do, even reviving a child from death in the identical manner that Elijah had (laying on top of the dead body and praying). The one story that was disconcerting was the account of the band of youths who taunted Elisha only to be cursed by him and later attacked by bears. Most of the commentaries I read on this story indicated that the original Hebrew word (translated by the NLT as "boys") is better translated as youths or young men. Apparently, the same word was used to refer to teens and men in their twenties, citing examples of Isaac at the time of his sacrifice (he was believed to have been in his early twenties), Joseph in Genesis 37:2 when he was 17, and the army men of 1 Kings 20:14-15. So this was not a group of school boys but a sizable gang of teenagers and/or full-grown men. Their insults were not aimed just at him, but also at God. Our translation says that they jeered "Go away baldy", but most versions read "Go on up, baldy", indicating that they were aware of Elijah's ascension and were mocking that encounter, daring Elisha to replicate it. It reminds me of those who mocked Jesus on the cross, saying essentially "if you're really God, come down off that cross". This attitude may have been representative of the younger generation at that time, and God may have wanted to make an example of them. It does seem harsh to have them mauled by bears, but we have to remember that Elisha did not bring down that punishment. He did curse them, but he left the punishment to God. God's hand of judgement was severe, no doubt, but the occasions in which He withholds punishment are far more numerous.
Tomorrow's reading: 2 Kings 5:1-27, 6:1-24, 7:1-20, 8:1-15
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The section about the guys being mauled by bears bothered me too. Seemed a very severe consequence for some rude remarks. Yet God also used it to bring to mind how seriously God takes disrespect of His prophets, and how far from His standards we have gone in modern America. And now with your comments on the guys' ages and the "Go on up" nature of the teasing, it is clearer. Thanks.
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