Beware of Bears
By Jim Murriner
II Kings 2:23-24
"And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head."
"And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them."
God's word sets forth a principle of respect for and submission unto authority, and respect for Elders, and respect for God's house and God's people.
Respect has much to do with how long you live.
Ex.20:12
"Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee."
Respect also has much to do with how happy as well as how long those years will be.
Eph.6:3
"That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth."
I Tim. 2:1-2
"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;"
"For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peacable life in all godliness and honesty."
There is a special respect for God's house, and the Lord's people.
II Chron. 16:21-22
"He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes,"
"Saying, touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm."
There is a respect due elders.
I Tim. 5:1-2
"Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as bretheren;"
"The elder women as mothers; the younger as sisters, with all purity."
There is a respect which we owe to all others just because they are God's creatures.
I Tim. 2:1
"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;"
These forty two children had ignored all of this. Elisha was God's man, he was a prophet of God, He was also an elderly man, yet they had no respect for him, and mocked him and made fun of him.
If you will refuse to show respect to your parents and unto others in authority, if you will refuse to show respect unto God's people, then you need to beware of bears, for God will have His bears waiting for you.
God's bears for you may come in different forms.
Heb. 12:4-9
(4)"Ye have not resisted unto blood, striving against sin."
(5)"And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:"
(6)"For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he recieveth."
(7)"If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?"
(8)" But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons."
(9)"Furthermore we have had fathers of the flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?"
If you are not a child of God, you too must beware of bears, because the justice of God, demands a punishment for every sin, and if you will not trust that Jesus Christ has paid for your sins upon the cross, then you must pay for them throughout eternity.
Romans 6:23 reminds us that for every sin there must be a payment made.
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
