2nd Kings 2: 23 And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. 24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.
The same issue of disrespect reared its ugly head just after Elisha received his Divine ordination, and the kids who were brought up without restraint and regard for parental authority mocked the servant of God as he passed by. What followed was an intervention by the Holy Ghost and it constitutes a very stark warning for our generation, for God shows us again in this instance that He will not be trifled with, by anyone whether they be big or small.
[P.K. pp 235>236] Elisha was a man of mild and kindly spirit; but that he could also be stern is shown by his course when, on the way to Bethel, he was mocked by ungodly youth who had come out of the city. At the sound of their mocking words the prophet turned back, and under the inspiration of the Almighty he pronounced a curse upon them. The awful judgment that followed was of God.
Had Elisha allowed the mockery to pass unnoticed, he would have continued to be ridiculed and reviled by the rabble, and his mission to instruct and save in a time of grave national peril might have been defeated. This one instance of terrible severity was sufficient to command respect throughout his life. For fifty years he went in and out of the gate of Bethel, and to and fro in the land, from city to city, passing through the crowds of idle, rude, dissolute youth.
But none mocked him or made light of his qualifications as the prophet of the Most High. Even kindness should have its limits. Authority must be maintained by firm severity or it will be received by many with mockery and contempt. The so-called tenderness the coaxing and indulgence used toward youth by parents and guardians, is one of the worst evils which can come upon them. In every family, firmness, decision, positive requirements are essential.
Exodus 34:6 And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, 7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty.
May God add His blessing to the study of His word. “Good night” and God bless!