River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1911-02-23

Bears as Gods
Avengers

X4kLENEN QOLlY Is CuS SIOIy VI luO
MSskyXT killing of AZ Bethel children
WNEW by two bears because the
children had insulted the
young prophet Elisha. How cruel!"
cry the critics. "how disproportioned
the penalty to the offense! What a
bloody. unjust book is the Bible!"
But the criticism results from mis-
| apprehension. For, in the first place,
we must remember that the episode
was at the very beginning of Elisha's
career. He was In a difficult position
as a young man succeeding an old
| man, a pupil succeeding a teacher,
man with little or no reputation TAX
ing up the work of the acknowledged
leader of the nation. In such case
the first moments tell on all succeed
ing days. If Elisha had allowed rtd1-
cule and contempt at the tart, his life
work would have been ruined.
In the second place we must res
member that 1t YVES not horde OF tns
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 30 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 Reproach.
In the third place the cry, Thou
bald head" was peculiarly offensive,
since the Orientals regard badness
as a disgrace. 1t is not likely that
Elisha, being young man, was actu-
ally bald. The term was equivalent
to Thou uncleanness, thou leper!"
In the fourth place the cry Of the
boys was direct insult to Elisha as
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
-ending 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 are
criticising God.
In the seventh place, If the happen
iLg had not commended itself to the
common conscience IS just--and con-
sciences then we're much as they are
now-Elisha's influence would have
been ruined; but he seems to have
been more beloved and honored than
the sterner Elijah, and the general
impression we gain from the other
details of his life is Of 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 Irreverence.
Il
point, the incident was a powerful re-
buke of irreverence. It 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 days
of Elisha? 1t is surely needed now. if
ever. With our new feeling of liberty,
our new regard for children, the new
freedom and naturalness 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, familiarity and independ-
ence of manner that would have
shocked our grandfathers beyond
measure. To their elders also the min
lister Is no longer the great man of the
village and the church is no longer
place for reverence and the Bible Is
tumbled about like any other book.
On every hand we hear the cry, eco
up, thou bald head!"
Bears are in the woods-two mighty
bearsi Irreverence leads to two
great evils, infldelity and despair
without hope and without God"
Those bears tear not our clothes and
our flesh but our very souls.
All, let us cover our mouths and
those of our children. Let us learn
to remove our shoes in the holy place
and to bend our stubborn backbones.
Let us get that fear of the Lord which
ia at least the beginning of the love Of
the Lord, and the initial point Of all
wisdom.