Why Did This Happen???

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Thanks for all the replies.

The passage troubled me, since skeptics have cited it as ‘proof’ that the Biblical God is cruel and violent. I wasn’t sure of how to answer, so I came here and asked about it.
 
My bible comentary says that perhaps some verses of the scriptures could have been deformed because of the tradition of that time. and it had the aim of teaching a lesson.
 
Chris_LaRock said:
Thanks for all the replies.

The passage troubled me, since skeptics have cited it as ‘proof’ that the Biblical God is cruel and violent. I wasn’t sure of how to answer, so I came here and asked about it.
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you know, the scribes could have made sort of historical and other kind of mistakes while writing the bible. However It is the word of God, and if we search the meaning of stuffs especially within the church guidance, we will find an answer.
 
jimmy85 said:
My bible comentary says that perhaps some verses of the scriptures could have been deformed because of the tradition of that time. and it had the aim of teaching a lesson.
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That one of the reasons why I do not care for the NAB. The footnotes have any tendency to deny the accuracy and inspiration of the Bible.
 
lak611 said:
That one of the reasons why I do not care for the NAB. The footnotes have any tendency to deny the accuracy and inspiration of the Bible.
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The bible is inspire by God. but it has some literal parts. the bible is a spiritual book so it must be read like a spiritual book, not as an infallible historical book.

about those skeptics that try to debunk the bible. I think a child can read the bible better than them.
 
I just got done reading 2 Kings 2:23-25 and my jaw nearly hit the floor.

Being the flawed human that I am, I’m going to assume that I misinterpreted what I read, which is why I came here for clarification.

Here’s how 2 Kings 2:23-25 reads in the NASB version of the Bible:

23 Then he went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up by the way, young lads came out from the city and mocked him and said to him, “Go up, you baldhead; go up, you baldhead!”

24 When he looked behind him and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the LORD. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two lads of their number.

25 He went from there to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.

So, did God send bears to kill 42 kids for making fun of Elisha?
 
Sorry. I did check around a bit before posting my question, but I hadn’t seen that it’d been addressed.

I’ll have a look at the thread.

Thank you. 🙂
 
The entire story of the Scriptures is a progression of God showing more and more mercy to His people.

In Genesis, God is shown sending the deluge to destroy all living creatures on the Earth, except those on the Ark, as a punishment for evil.

Later in Genesis, God is shown sending fire to slay all the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, except one family, as a punishment for evil.

In Exodous, God is shown sending the Angel of Death to slay only all the firstborn males in Egypt, except those under the protection of the Passover lamb’s blood, as a punishment for evil.

In 2 Kings, God is shown sending two sow bears to slay just 42 young men as a punishment for evil.

Finally in the Gospel, God sends His own Son to take upon Himself the punishment for evil.
 
God created bears and female bears have been known to attack humans, particularly if they perceive the humans as a threat to their young. Given the character of the teenagers as recounted in the story, it is not unreasonable to assume that they may have offended the bears (rock throwing comes to mind) in some way as well as mocking their elders. God doesn’t need to send the bears to attack the boys for such calamities to occur.

Matthew
 
I think God had to help the bears kill 42 of them–does anyone know of any other case of two bears in the history of the world killing 42 people?
 
jimmy85 said:
about those skeptics that try to debunk the bible. I think a child can read the bible better than them.
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Debunk? Hmm. That makes it seem like we’re sifting through the Bible trying to find things that contradict it. I don’t know about others, but it was through an honest reading of the Bible that I came to the following conclusions:
  1. God is thought to be a good, loving father.
  2. The Bible says that God has commanded people to do horrible things, and frequently does horrible things himselves. (By “horrible” things, I mean actions that are so abhorrent and vile that if someone were to do them today, they would probably be executed or jailed for life. I.e., if someone were to sic two viscious animals on a group of children today - killing them all, they would probably be jailed for life.)
  3. The Bible and the notion of God as a good, loving father just don’t fit. Either you have to (1) throw out parts of the Bible that don’t fit that description or (2) you have to throw out the notion that God is a good, loving father.
A good father doesn’t murder his children. The Bible says he did. The Bible has to be wrong, at least on the parts where he is said to have done horrible things.

What really disturbs me, though, is how people still stand by passages like this. I just don’t get it. Why can’t they just accept the facts that are sitting there in front of them? >.<
 
ChristianWAB said:
I just got done reading 2 Kings 2:23-25 and my jaw nearly hit the floor.

Being the flawed human that I am, I’m going to assume that I misinterpreted what I read, which is why I came here for clarification.

Here’s how 2 Kings 2:23-25 reads in the NASB version of the Bible:

23 Then he went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up by the way, young lads came out from the city and mocked him and said to him, “Go up, you baldhead; go up, you baldhead!”

24 When he looked behind him and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the LORD. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two lads of their number.

25 He went from there to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.

So, did God send bears to kill 42 kids for making fun of Elisha?
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I looked up the NIV translation which uses the word “youth” instead of children, so it could very well be and I’d say very likely also, that those who mocked Elisha knew very well what they were doing.
Elisha is a prophet of God who is made a prophet after Elijiah is bodily assumed into heaven, therefore Elisha now has God given authority from God through Elijiah. Anyone who mocked a prophet of God, mocked God and could very well receive God’s judgement upon them at any time. It would seem that these “youth” knew very well what they were doing and saying (because we also know God is a just God and doesn’t unjustly allow anyone to die). These youth seemed to know what they were doing and received the wrath of God by mocking a prophet of God. So this verse doesn’t at all seem unreasonable to Gods justice. It simply shows that anyone who willingly mocks God or one of His messengers could face immediate and fatal judgment.
 
Jerry-Jet said:
I think God had to help the bears kill 42 of them–does anyone know of any other case of two bears in the history of the world killing 42 people?
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No, but if Samson could kill 1000 Philistines with a jaw bone of an ***, two bears could easily kill 42 youths. I’ve encountered bears camping in the High Sierra mountains and even the smallest ones can do an enormous amount of damage. I once had a bear jump on my tent and I yelled out of fear and a bit of anger to scare it off, and even though it was a small bear (probably 200-300 pounds, a youth) it could have easily killed me and my family.

Judges 15:14-16

"Then Samson said,
“With a donkey’s jawbone
I have made donkeys of them.
With a donkey’s jawbone
I have killed a thousand men.”
 
Bishopite: I don’t think it would be wrong if God helped the bears kill 42 people. God can act However He chooses!
 
Pophead said:
Did.

Perhaps Jesus’ sombre words open up the reason behind so many things that give us the creeps. 'unless you repent ye shall all likewise perish.'

Luke 13:1-4

Pophead.
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Yes, granted you point is a valid one for sure and I agree that God did cause the Bears to attack and kill the youth because the Bears were given their power and might by God.
What I meant by “could” was pointing out the fact that anyone who has confronted a Bear face-to-face and has seen the power they can inflict on things and people ,can not say that two Bears aren’t capable by their God-given natural ability to kill 42 youth.
And since Samson killed 1000 Philistines with a jaw bone of an ***, two Bears can kill 42 youth.

I suppose if it were two rabbits who killed 42 youth, then it could still be possible, for all things are possible to God, however, it wouldn’t be as believable to the skeptics.
 
Exalt said:
Debunk? Hmm. That makes it seem like we’re sifting through the Bible trying to find things that contradict it. I don’t know about others, but it was through an honest reading of the Bible that I came to the following conclusions:
  1. God is thought to be a good, loving father.
  2. The Bible says that God has commanded people to do horrible things, and frequently does horrible things himselves. (By “horrible” things, I mean actions that are so abhorrent and vile that if someone were to do them today, they would probably be executed or jailed for life. I.e., if someone were to sic two viscious animals on a group of children today - killing them all, they would probably be jailed for life.)
  3. The Bible and the notion of God as a good, loving father just don’t fit. Either you have to (1) throw out parts of the Bible that don’t fit that description or (2) you have to throw out the notion that God is a good, loving father.
A good father doesn’t murder his children. The Bible says he did. The Bible has to be wrong, at least on the parts where he is said to have done horrible things.

What really disturbs me, though, is how people still stand by passages like this. I just don’t get it. Why can’t they just accept the facts that are sitting there in front of them? >.<
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That’s what happens when people take the bible passages literally instead of a book written in a certain time and place written by a man (inspired BY THE HOLY SPIRIT). How do you get the infinite into the finite ? and how does the finite interpret the infinite?God Speaks through people -How we interpret Him??? We interpret Him through the prism of our own mind. God uses us, as flawed as we are ,to do His Will- and in the case of the Bible-write His will- not only that -the bible is a copy of a copy of a copy Etc. That’s why when people say “Idon’t need any other translation than…). It’s silly .you never know if a new codex papyrii or even scrap of new biblical evidence will come out that might be a better ,truer version then what we now have. Remember their are no original Biblical manuscripts. So the text we have may not be he truest one or there could be missing parts of the story. the Main idea of this scripture is"don’t mess with God’s newly appointed prophet” there will be consequences. . Did it really happen -could have-maybe Kids may have gotten into a fracas with Elisha and something may have happened to those kids. Anybody of that time period would have said that the curse caused the bears to come. It is interesting to me that it says"she bears’ Could they’ve really been protecting their cubs ?
 
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