II Kings 2:23-24

The story of Elisha cursing the young boys who were making fun of him, followed by them being killed by bears, is a disturbing one that most of us wish were not in the Bible. Walter Kaiser, Jr. (in Hard Sayings of the Bible) notes several facts that temper this story: the "young boys" involved were from 12-30 years of age; their taunt "go up" may refer to their unbelief in Elijah's translation into heaven; calling Elisha "baldhead" was quite derogatory (see Isaiah 3:17, 24) and might even be interpreted as cursing him with leprosy; Leviticus 26:21-22 predicts this sort of result for those who do not listen to God; and Elisha did not take action himself against the gang of youths (at least 42 of them were involved) but left it up to God.

Don't Mess With a Prophet (2010) (4" x 6")

collage on balsa wood