Manna Moment - Mocking the Messenger

[Rev. Lyn Bell]

2 Kings 2:23 “From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some youths came out of the town and jeered at him. “Go on up, you baldhead!” they said. “Go on up, you baldhead!”

Good morning it’s Triumphant Thursday! The weather turned cool on us yesterday as the threat of winter bared down upon us from the northwest. Didn’t get much in Waldorf except rain, but gone is that balmy 55 plus degree weather and we are at 32 now with a high of 46 expected today. Oh well we can count ourselves blessed considering we had a very mild winter thus far. With that in mind, hope you are putting your thoughts toward spring gardening, I am. Looking forward to some Casablanca Lilies that is so fragrant and I want to see what will happen with the crepe myrtles that I created a border on one side of the patio with. You can see my thoughts are well into spring!

 

Today’s text finds us still in 2 Kings and Elisha has received the anointing of his mentor Elijah. The school or company of the prophets witnessed Elijah’s ascension into the heavenly atmosphere and watched Elisha part water on the bank of the Jordan River (there only two places where men of God ascends into heaven without earthly death; Enoch (Genesis 5:24) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:11). Neither died an earthly death.) The other prophets recognized the anointing resting upon him. As Elisha went up to Bethel, some kids (no different than today) began to jeer (pick, mock) at him. They were calling him names and such. He called a curse down from heaven in the name of the Lord; then two bears came out of the woods and killed all 42 of them. Mocking religious leaders or the prophet of God has been sport for centuries. What we fail to realize is that we are not mocking the person, so much as we are mocking the spiritual message that they bring. We shouldn’t condone sin that leaders commit, but we should pray for them, not make jest of them. When you see that peculiar person preaching the gospel on a street corner or doing peculiar things, don’t be so quick to mock them, because you don’t know what God may have them doing. Examples of other men of God that had strange orders to follow: Noah, Moses, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Hosea, the list could go on. Have a blessed and triumphant day in Christ Jesus!