The Penn's Grove record., 1911-02-24
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Bears as Gods
Avengers
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~ Killing Oh a 60tu0I CulAuISA
w by two bears because the
children had insulted the
young prophet Elisha. How cruell"
cry the critics; how disproportioned
the penalty to the offense! What a
bloody, unjust book is the Biblei"
But the criticism results from mis-
apprehension. For, in the first place,
we must remember that the episode
wal at the very beginning Of Elisha's
career. He vas in a diff cult position
as a young man succeeding an old
man, a pupil succeeding a teacher, a
man with little OF no reputation tax
ing up the work Of the acknowledged
leader of the nation. In such a case
the first moments tell on all succeed
ing days. If Elisha had allowed ridf
cule and contempt at the start, his life
work would have been ruined.
In the second place we must re-
member that 1t was not a horde of In
fants that insulted Elisha, but of boys
old enough to know better, and per-
haps even of young men. The word
translated children" Is applied to Jo-
seph at the time when he interpreted
Pharaoh's dream, to Solomon when he
was 20 years old, to Joshua when he
was Moses chief assistant, and to Jer,
'emiah when, in his young manhood,
he was called to be a prophet. Be-
sides, the boys were doubtless reflect
ing the common sentiment and were
backed up by the opinion Of all Bethel.
Term Of Peculiar Reproaoh.
In the third place the cry, Thou
bald head" was peculiarly offensive.
since the Orientals regard badness
as a disgrace. It IL not likely that
Elisha. being a young men. was actu-,
ally bald. The term was equivalent
to Thou uncleanness, thou leperi"
In the fourth place the cry Of the
boys was a direct insult to Elisha as
a prophet and to the God whom he
represented. go up" the meaning
is, "as you lyingly say Elijah went up;
and the sooner we are rid of you the
better!"
In the fifth place 1t is not said
that the bears killed the lads, but
only that they tore them. They
would be sufficiently punished by the
rending Of their clothes and their
flesh.
In the sixth place, the opportune
Intervention of the two bears is proof
that God was on the side of Elisha,
and in criticising the event we arf
criticising God.
In the seventh place, If the happen
ing had not commended itself to the
common conscience as just-and on
sciences then were much as they are
now-Elisha's influence would have
been ruined; but he seems to have
been mor beloved and honored than
the sterner Elijah, and the general
impression we gain from the other
details Of his life is Of a kind, mild
hammered man, all of whose miracles
were deeds of helpfulness, mainly
concerned with such small matters as
a lost axe head, an unhealthful
spring and poisoned pottage.
Rebuke Of lrrsverenoe.
Finally, considered from any view
point, the incident was a powerful re-
buke of trreverence. 1t must have sent
awe through Bethel and all Israel. The
entire nation became more thoughtful
and serious because Of those bears and
the punishment of those rude chill
dren.
Shall the lesson stop with the day
of Elisha7 It Is surely needed now, II
ever. With new feeling Of liberty,
our new regard for children, the new
freedom and n~aturalness of family
life, the fathers absorption in bust
ness and the mothers devotion to her
clubs, children are allowed, In the
home, church. Sunday school and on
the street, a familiarity and independ-
ence of manner that would have
shocked our grandfathers beyond
measure. To their elders also the min
lister lie no longer the great mar of the
village and the church is no longer
a place for reverence and the Bible Is
tumbled about like any other book.
On every hand we hear the cry, 60
up, thou bald head"
Bears are in the woods-two mighty
bears! I~rreverence leads to two
great evils, infdelity and despair
without hope and without God"
Those b ys Isar not u clothes and
Dur flesh but our very souls.
All, let us cover Dur mouths and
those of our children. Let us learn
% remove our shoes in the holy place
and to bend our stubborn backbones.
Let us get that fear Of the Lord which
Is at least the beginning Of the love Of
The Lord, and the initial point of all