KINGS - Week 4

Sometimes I choose the passages for these blog posts.

Other times, they choose me! This week was one of those.

23 He went up from there to Bethel, and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, “Go away, baldhead! Go away, baldhead!” 24 When he turned around and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two she-bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys. (2 Kings 2:23-24, NRSVue)

Who could resist that?!

We’ll look at more than just that, and there is plenty going on for us to think about.

This week, we’ve seen the last acts of the prophet Elijah, his incredible exit and the arrival (or re-arrival after 1 Kings 19:19-21) of the prophet Elisha.

In 2 Kings 1, we see the strange passage which describes Elijah’s final acts on earth. Would it be Prophets of Baal part two? No. More God in the quiet? No.

The King has a nasty fall and wants to know if he’ll get better. I can relate – any time I feel really ill, I’m convinced there will be no end and this is the new normal for me. The mistake that Ahaziah makes is sending messengers to ask a local God, Baal-zebub - meaning Lord of the Flies, and from which (perhaps inaccurately) the name Beelzebub comes.

Elijah is told by God to tell the king that he won’t recover and he’ll die. And Elijah’s reputation proceeds him as the King asks who delivered this bad news.

“A hairy man, with a leather belt around his waist.”

Not exactly an epitaph for Elijah to be proud of. Yet, it was enough description for the King to know exactly who they meant.

No wonder when John the Baptist turns up much later, there are so many connections between him and Elijah (found in Malachi, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John!) – least of all this description:

“Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.” (Mark 1:6)

The king sends a hundred men to see Elijah, and Elijah calls down the fire of God on them and they all die…

Helpfully, my study bible points out that there is a play on words happening here;

‘Man of God’ is ish ‘elohim in Hebrew, and ‘Fire of God’ is esh ‘elohim.

I’m not entirely sure why that wordplay is worth a hundred lives, but the message seems to be that one has to treat prophets respectfully, or else!

That message will pop back up when we reach that peculiar passage with Elisha and the children.

Now, whilst we can see John the Baptist in Elijah, the story in 2 Kings 2 reminds us of someone different. Maybe a few someones.

First, we’re told that Elijah is going to be ‘taken up to heaven in a whirlwind.’ There is no pre-empting this, but it doesn’t come across as a surprise to Elijah, Elisha or the company of prophets.

There is only one person before Elijah who is ‘taken’ by God, and that’s Enoch;

“Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” (Genesis 5:24)

There is no other detail ever given in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) about Enoch, or the reasons he seems to avoid death. There is, however, a rich Enochic tradition that develops, including three Pseudepigraphic books (Ancient Jewish or early Christian writings falsely attributed to biblical figures (like Enoch, Moses, or Ezra). This tradition appears to have influenced some of our New Testament writers, not just in theme but Jude 14 actually quotes 1 Enoch.

Anyways, whilst Enoch’s departure offers no detail, there is one other example of something like this in the Bible. And its Jesus.

At the Ascension, Jesus is also publicly and bodily taken ‘up’ to God. We, reading through our 21st Century Christian lenses, might then see Elijah as a foreshadowing of that, or as important because Jesus is later ascended. But, it’s likely that 1st century Christians might have understood the ascension of Jesus in light of Elijah’s.

A physical ascension isn’t the only point of comparison. After Jesus ascends, the Holy Spirit comes. Elisha asks to inherit Elijah’s spirit. And how is Elisha described after Elijah is gone?

“The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” (2 Kings 2:15)

As well as Jesus and Enoch, there is also imagery in the Moses tradition that emerges.

“Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and the two of them crossed on dry ground.” (2:8)

We then see Elisha do the same thing, having picked up Elijah’s mantle, which shows that he has received his master’s spirit.

I don’t know about you, but this makes me think of;

“Whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these…”

Elisha’s first act, then, is parting waters. His second is purifying some water.

His third, finally, is mad.

23 He went up from there to Bethel, and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, “Go away, baldhead! Go away, baldhead!” 24 When he turned around and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two she-bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys. (2:23-24)

What do we do with a passage like this? Well, looking at numbers is never a bad place to start.

My study bible, again helpfully, says that 42 is a number sometimes associated with death – it gives the examples of Jehu killing 42 victims (10:14) and the Egyptian book of the dead mentioning 42 judges of the dead.

Next, my translation says ‘small boys’, but the Hebrew says na'ar (נַעַר), which can mean young people or adolescents.

Local young people shouting abuse at a stranger? I couldn’t imagine such a thing nowadays…

The other interesting word is ‘arur’ (אָרוּר), which ends up as ‘baldhead’ but started as arur ha-qerev’ or “cursed baldhead”. Arur is a key term in the Hebrew Bible often translated as “cursed” or “accursed.” Being ‘arur’ means being under a divine sentence, excluded from God’s blessing or protection.

These boys aren’t just being rude. There is a probable implication that they are questioning or denigrating Elisha’s role as a prophet and his spiritual authority.

So, then, what is the consequence of such disrespect? Being mauled by two she-bears.

In biblical and ancient Near Eastern literature, female bears (especially ones separated from their cubs) are a symbol of extreme, uncontrollable rage and danger.

It is very dangerous to disrespect a Man of God.