Let’s take an example from the Old Testament.
People are understandably confused as to how God could allow Elisha to send a bear to kill fourty two children.
***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 up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!” And he turned around, and when he saw them, he cursed them in the name of the LORD. And two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys. *(1 King 2:23-24)
This us understandably abhorrent to our modern sensibilites. It is normal to ask why God would allow such a thing to happen, let alone let one of his greatest prophets cuase such a thing to happen. God’s action through Elisha here however, were a fulfillment of the the rules of the covenant which Israel made with God.
"Then if you walk contrary to me, and will not hearken to me, I will bring more plagues upon you, sevenfold as many as your sins. And I will let loose the wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number, so that your ways shall become desolate. (Leviticus 26:21-22)
Israel voluntarily made a covenant with God and knew the rules of the covenant - blessing for following the rules of the covenant and curse for not following the rules, life for faithfullness and death for unfaithfullness. In return for their faithfullnes, God would protect Israel, be their God, fight for them and bless them. But the rules for unfaithfullness were clear and Israel voluntarily entered into the covenant with God and renewed that covenant yearly at the Passover.
In order to better understand what is going on here, it helps to know a little about the geography and politics at the time of Elisha, where he was and who he was preaching to.
Solomon was wealthy but all that wealth came at a price. Solomon was a harsh ruler, with high taxation, conscripting people into the army and forcing them to perform labor in order to build the splendor of the kingdom. His rule was so harsh that when his son took the throne and threatened to rule even harsher, the ten northern tribes secceeded from the two southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin and formed their own nation.
My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins. And now, whereas my father laid upon you a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.’" (1 Kings 12:10-11)
The ten northern tribes formed Israel to the north and the two southern tribes were the nation of Judah to the south.
**And when all Israel saw that the king did not hearken to them, the people answered the king, “What portion have we in David?
We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse.
To your tents, O Israel!
Look now to your own house, David.”
So Israel departed to their tents. **
(1 Kings 12:16)
Jerusalem and the temple were in the southern nation of Judah. The king of the northern nation of Israel however, set up two temples with golden calves for the people to worship in the cities of Bethel and Dan.
**So the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. And this thing became a sin, for the people went to the one at Bethel and to the other as far as Dan. (1 Kings 12:28-30)
This is the context of Elijiah and Elisha. They were called to preach repentance to the apostate, pagan territories of the rebellious nation of Israel. God sent them to display His power and might, and to remind the people and leaders that they had better return to the covenant or face the curses and death which were consequences of unfaithfullness to the covenant.
When we we see a reference to the Old Testament in the Bible, it is is often not the reference itself which is important, but where the author is pulling the reference from. In this case, the sending of wild animals comes from the second half of the Book of Leviticus. Leviticus is an instruction manual - chapters 1 -16 for priests and 2 - 27 for ordinary people. The wild animals (bears) serve as a reference back to te “Holiness Code” in Leviticus 17 - 22 and all the curses that would befall the people if they did not remain faithful to the covenant.
The bears were a consequence of the unfaithfullness of the apostate nation of Israel, and Israel knew that loss of their children to wild beasts would take place. In the case of Elisha cursing the children, they knew he was a man of God because he was bald - he had taken a nazarite vow. The death of 42 children would have been big news. God was shocking the apostate nation of Israel to repentance.
-Tim-
