Today you should read: 2 Kings 2:19-25
What kind of legacy will you leave?
That is the question I think of after reading this chapter. Elijah handed the reigns down to Elisha, and the whole prophet-of-Israel thing didn’t skip a beat. God was with Elisha as He was with Elijah. This will prove true as we read on about him in the days ahead (chapter 4 has some gems).
Today’s reading, though, is a bit weird. Elisha is installed as a prophet for God’s work and he got right to it. He purified water with God’s power. But then, on his way to Bethel, the Bible tells us that a group of boys taunted Elisha. While this may seem harmless, the Hebrew word used in this passage for “boys” can also mean “young men” (see 1 Kings 3:7), which makes sense for what went down. Elisha was probably in danger, and these young men (in a large number) were more like a gang than what it sounds like at first hearing. The ESV Global Study Bible summarizes it this way:
Though this judgment may at first seem harsh, the group must have included over 50 boys old enough to be out running in a pack, and so they constituted something of a physical threat to Elisha. The authors of Kings regularly show that contempt toward divinely called prophets is disastrous for God’s people.
This begged a second question: Like these young men, do I ever get in the way of what God is doing? I don’t want to. I want to be obedient. I want to be a part of God’s work. Why be jeering on the sidelines when I can be in the game and on the team of the King of kings?
What struck you today? Do those two questions resonate with you?
By: Todd Thomas — Worship & College Pastor
JumpstartCPC.com 
Thanks for the historical context Todd as I too thought that, on it’s face, this seemed to be an unnecessarily harsh way to deal with a few punk kids. Although, I will admit… when I was a kid, having the ability to send bears out to chase down bullies would have been very cool…
Bwahahaha that’s hilarious! I could have used some of those bears back in the day.
Note to self: Don’t mock older “balding” men anointed by the Lord.
On a serious note, Todd you’ve given me a great question to ponder today: Do I ever get in the way of what God is doing? I’d like to think the answer is “NO” but it’s likely “YES” sometimes. My prayer is that I would always be obedient to the Lord even when I don’t understand the details. That’s why it’s called FAITH!
Mike, you’re not balding… just glistening and reflecting God’s light.
And amen!