Bears!

Then the men of the city said to Elisha, “Behold now, the situation of the city is pleasant, as my lord sees; but the water is bad and the land is unfruitful.”

He said, “Bring me a new jar, and put salt in it.”  So they brought it to him.  He went out to the spring of water and threw salt in it and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘I have purified these waters; there shall; not be from there death or unfruitfulness any longer.’”

So the waters have been purified to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke.

Then he went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up by the way, young lads came out from the city and mocked him and said to him, “Go up, you baldhead; go up you baldhead!”

When he looked behind him and saw them, he cursed them, in the name of the Lord.  Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two lads of their number.

2 Kings 2:19-24

The power of God rested on Elisha and he demonstrated that power when he purified the water.  When God uses an individual to perform a miracle, it takes a great deal of physical and emotional strength.  Elisha was exhausted and, as we know, when we are tired, we are in no mood for fun and games. 

The men who taunted Elisha knew who he was and the miracle God had used him to perform, but rather than thank God or Elijah, they chose to make fun of Elijah.  I don’t think Elijah intended to harm the men, but God saw their actions as doubting Him, and that is why the bears were called into action. 

I think the lesson is that God sends all sorts of people to help us and that we need to be thankful for God’s help and respectful of His servants.