"Some people who can stand bravely when they are shot at
collapse when they are laughed at."
How true that quote is! Ridicule, insults and mockery seem to bring out
the worst in us, amen? That is, unless we are controlled by the Holy Spirit
of God… It's not unusual for our enemy to insult the servants of the Lord.
Certainly our Savior knows well the feeling of being ridiculed! As a young
boy, David experienced derision when Goliath mocked him. Nehemiah was
despised and laughed at by Sanballat even before the work on the wall
had begun. Later it intensified as Sanballat brought in powerful men to
join him in his mockery of the Jews. Those younger than him, as he suffered,
treated even Job, with scorn. And who can forget the ridicule Noah put
up with all those years… Many heroes of the faith endured cruel mockings
and persecutions at the hand of those who hated them - and hated the God
they served. How does God feel about all this? What steps does the Lord
take to come to the defense of His servants? As we read about Elisha today,
we'll study this topic more closely by taking a look at a little story
with a great big lesson…
2 Kings 2:23-25
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. And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from
thence he returned to Samaria.
In earlier verses of this same chapter, Elijah had recently been snatched
up to heaven by a whirlwind. The mantle of his spiritual father had fallen
into the hands of Elisha, as did his ministry. The transference of the
mantle from Elijah to Elisha signified the passing of prophetic responsibility
and God's accompanying power. Elisha had become a man of God, the successor
of a great leader. As he took some of his first steps in carrying on the
work of God without Elijah, he encountered ridicule from some little children
in a nearby city that followed him and mocked him. To my surprise, this
bad-mannered behavior did not come from teenagers, as one would expect
they would be prone to conducting themselves. Notice however, that Elisha
didn't allow himself to get distracted from his work by taking time to
reply to their insolent words. This prophet wasn't interested in vengeance,
but vindication; thus he spoke to God about them. Clearly Elisha's enemies
had provoked the Lord with their mockery. Yes, God had heard the sneering
taunts of these children, and He dealt with them in His own way and His
own time as two she bears came out of the woods and destroyed many of
them!
Galatians 6:7
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that
shall he also reap.
That which is considered feeble is typically mocked. If you remember,
Elijah had a tremendous head of hair. Elisha did not. In comparison, he
probably appeared feebler than Elijah as a man of God. Nevertheless, these
children were wrong for their rude behavior and disrespect of God's man.
Though men may differ in stature and delivery, those who are faithful
with the gospel must not be ridiculed, even lightly! They are ambassadors
of God on this earth and the Lord will not have His servants mocked. To
do so is to feed the bears with your own hide!
2 Chron. 36:16
But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused
his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till
there was no remedy.
Think about it... Have you ever compared one man of God to another in
a similar way? What about those times when you've had to visit other churches
or come under the preaching of other faithful, doctrinally sound preachers
who were different from those with which you are so familiar? How do you
treat the new pastor that comes in when the one you've known and loved
for so many years has died, or retired, been called away, or become too
ill to carry on? Do you exhibit disrespect and mock your new pastor with
your lack of cooperation or support as a church member? Do you follow
him around only to ridicule every decision your new pastor makes as he
begins to carry out the work God has passed down to him and given him
authority over? Do you laugh at him on the way home from church as you
discuss his person or plans? He who holds the mantle should not be mocked,
for every word that belittles dismantles the robe from the man of God
and strips away his authority… Ladies, if the man of God you so respected
taught you right, then his spirit ought to remain in you as did Elijah's
spirit live on in Elisha, and you would be ready to do right and submit
to your new authority! You would know better than to feed the bears!
Matthew 27:31
And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and
put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.
God's people must purpose in their hearts not to terrorize the cause of
Christ with mockery of His servants, though they be not perfect. It is
God who is perfect and His chosen officers must be respected, not held
in contempt. As parents, we must think before we speak when we are tempted
to open our mouths and utter a word against the man of God! As mothers,
we must be careful to raise our children to respect the servants of the
Lord as we daily mold their hearts and minds. Don't allow them to scoff
at the person or the plans of their pastor or other godly teachers…
Job 13:7-9
Will ye speak wickedly for God? and talk deceitfully for him? Will ye
accept his person? will ye contend for God? Is it good that he should
search you out? or as one man mocketh another, do ye so mock him?
We learn a weighty lesson from our little story today of what befalls
children who taunt the man of God! Certainly the children of this city
received a careless upbringing, amen? What anguish their parents must
have experienced at the expense of their own bad example! Ladies, scorn
for God and the servants of God must not be looked upon as "youthful pranks"
and be excused or taken lightly. Drive the foolishness out of their immature
hearts... Teach your children to be respectful of godly authority - unless
you want to feed them to the bears!
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2000 Pamela A. Iannello
Revised 2003
