Its not often that I wake up from a dream finding myself travelling forward on a road through a small forest. Coming face to face with a black bear staring me in the eye. I do remember beginning to physically shake internally like an earthquake was happening but it definitely had no fear attached to the shaking.
Thus began a journey through the Bible about why I was seeing a black bear. I stopped first at 2 Kings 2. This chapter has a lot of activity most widely known for the dramatic way in which Elijah the prophet made his exit from earth to heaven as well as Elisha becoming Elijah's successor. Quite the eyeful 50 sons of the prophets witnessed. And their doubt as to what they witnessed shown in their earnest searching of Elijah and what could have happened to him. Even though they saw with their own eyes and saw Elisha with the mantle. Elisha told them not to search for Elisha but they ignored him for 3 days. Elisha's first test of credibility in the eyes of everyone in this idolatrous town as well as the company of prophets of Elijah's Bethel school had to be passed. It must have been difficult for Elisha during this transition to new leadership phase and his authority being taken seriously. He had just witnessed his spiritual father leave this earth in a fiery chariot, a man he absolutely loved and adored. And he received a double portion of what he boldly asked for. I imagine he might have perhaps even been in a bit of shock and some grief. His first task of leadership was getting the poisoned water of Jericho cleaned up first so it was useable. A huge needed requirement in a desert area.
As Elisha walked back to Bethel from Jericho, it so happens that a bunch of boys came up to him and mocked and ridiculed him. Now depending on Biblical version, boys is probably not an accurate picture of their age. They were more than likely not small children but indeed older teens or young men. Many commentaries speak on this in the past with outrage and have had a difficult time with what happens here because of interpretation of 'boys.' In response to them mocking this new successor to Elijah, we find Elisha turning to them and cursing them in the name of the Lord. The verse describes two bears coming out of the woods and mauling 42 of them right then. Not a small group. Whether they died or whether they lived it doesn't say. But if they lived they certainly learned a harsh lesson as well as this whole town. The false gods in this nation had failed to protect them. These 42 young men were foolish and old enough to know better than to challenge a man of God. Elisha the Prophet was established in his authority that day in the eyes of those that certainly did not want an Elijah replacement. One who stood for truth and brought the word of the Lord to a corrupt nation.
I cross-referenced 2 King 2 to this interesting verse 2 Chronicles 36:16. "But the people mocked these messengers of God and despised their words. They scoffed at the prophets until the Lord's anger could no longer be restrained and there was no remedy." They are referring to Israel here.
As I waited on the Lord, what He began to reveal was a destruction of Moab and what it symbolizes today is coming. 2 Kings 3. The walls of Moab will come tumbling down like Jericho, Isaiah 25:12. Anything and everything to do with poverty, unbelief and rebellion needs to go. The Lord's expanding glory is about to the earth and come to a people that He has been preparing through much trial and tribulation. We must be ready and need to stand. There are many changing of the guards occurring at the moment, the most recent with being Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh passing away. This bear attack shows our God is long suffering by repeatedly trying to bring His people back to Himself through smaller judgments so that there would be an avoidance of a worse 'full force' judgment. Rebelliousness must be dealt with in this era. He is very serious about the false being addressed with His true people. This season of the world forced to put on a mask, isolate, people losing their businesses, jobs, stressed out relationships is all telling of the work transpiring beneath the surface.
Interestingly enough, the place where Elisha cursed these young men from - in the name of the Lord - is also the place from where the miraculous emerges from. The miraculous and healings are coming. But so is the severity of the Lord when one is pointed to the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Act 5:1-11 that I see also coming. We must be ready in order to be able to successfully walk in and carry this powerful anointing this world has never seen. Run to Him now and embrace the fire of purification and the Cross. He's waiting. His glory and the harvest at hand will be indescribable. Are you ready?
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