Baldy

2 Kings 2:23-25

“23 He went up from there to Bethel; and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, “Go away, baldhead! Go away, baldhead!” 24 When he turned around and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two she-bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys. 25 From there he went on to Mount Carmel, and then returned to Samaria.”

We often interpret things of the Bible through the eyes of our modern culture with our Western norms and values.  It is a mistake to read the Bible in this way.  The scripture above is an example of how we will be horrified, misled, and lost if we do.  

Today, calling someone “baldy” is not even regarded as an insult.  But in biblical days, lustrous hair was indicative of authority and God’s blessing.  We do not know if Elisha was bald, or balding but he, a prophet of God, was being insulted by people who knew who he was.   Calling Elisha bald was mocking his authority and calling him an imposter (a serious charge to make against any prophet of God).  Finally, their insults were, in effect, an insult to God. 

The punishment they received reflected the fact that this was not the first time the people of Bethel had insulted God.  Apparently this was  a repeated offense.  In Leviticus we read “If you continue hostile to me, and will not obey me,…I will let loose wild animals against you, and they shall bereave you of your children and destroy your livestock; they shall make you few in number, and your roads shall be deserted” (Lev. 26:21-22).

Through the eyes of the ancient Jewish people, the story of the killing of the 42 insolent youths, proved that Elijah was God’s prophet.  

Through our modern eyes, once we can get over the shock of the story, if we allow ourselves, we can see our own reflection in those youths and the people of Bethel, who mocked the things of God through their words and actions.  

And if we can see this, we can come to understand our desperate need for a savior.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)