Well, tonight we'll be looking at the book of 2 Kings chapter 2 and verses 23 and 24. And before we begin, let's bow together for prayer. Lord, how great and glorious are you in all your ways. And we would learn from you this night and understand your word better Lord, teach us by your good spirit working in our hearts the meaning and application of this passage. Help us to see the respect and honor that we need to have for the Word of God and the preacher of the Word of God. Help us to pray and ask for your power to anoint the one who speaks and also that we ourselves would have your grace at work in our hearts so that we might truly understand and apply these truths to our lives and benefit from them in every way and be able to teach others also. So give us wisdom and understanding tonight in Jesus' name. Amen. 2 Kings chapter 2 and verse 23, then He, that is Elisha, went up from there to Bethel. And as he was going up the road, some youths came from the city and mocked him and said to him, go up, you bald head, go up. So he turned around and looked at them and pronounced a curse on them in the name of the Lord. And two female bears came out of the woods and mauled 42 of the youths. Then he went from there to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria. We need to understand that there often is a spiritual battle, a spiritual struggle that attends the preaching of the word of God. In this text that we're studying tonight, we see that this battle is partly taken up with the establishing of the honor of God's Word as it is preached through his prophet. In our case, in our times, it can be just the same as in Elisha's day, that the honor which should be given to God by hearing the preacher of the Word of God is not only not given, but the preacher himself is made fun of and mocked. This is what was happening here. as Elisha came towards Bethel. Some youths came out of the city, our text says, and they mocked him. And what I want to do tonight is to first of all explain the nature of their sin, and then second, to explain Elisha's look to these youths, that is the way he looked at them, and then third, to explain the curse that he pronounced upon them. First of all, I want to show you the nature of the sin of these youths. Elisha was on his way from Jericho to Bethel, going from the lower level of the plain where Jericho sits next to the waters, which Elisha healed. He was probably going up to Bethel because there was a school of the prophets there, and he wanted to make an appearance to that gathered group to comfort them. in the loss of Elijah, that it really was a triumphant ascension to heaven, and to assure them that the work of the preaching of the word of the Lord and the power and spirit of Elijah would not diminish, but continue to be blessed, even though Bethel had become a place where idols were honored and false gods were worshipped by many people there. I want you to turn with me over to 1 Kings chapter 12 and verses 25 to 33. Brian, if you could read that for me, that would be great. And Jeroboam built Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim and dwelt there. Also he went out from there and built Penuel. And Jeroboam said to his heart, Now the kingdom may be returned to the house of David if these people go up to offer sacrifices to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem. Then the heart of this people will turn back to their Lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam king of Judah. Therefore the king asked advice, made two calves of gold, and said to the people, it is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods of Israel, which brought you up. from the land of Egypt. And he set one up in Bethel, and another he put in Dan. And this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one, as far as Dan. He made shrines on the high places, and made priests from every class of people who were not in the sons of Levi. Is that enough? 33. Jeroboam ordained a feast on the fifth day of the eighth month at the feast that was in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did at Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made. And at Bethel he installed the priests of the high places which he had made. So he made offerings on the altar which he had made at Bethel on the 15th day of the eighth month, in the month which he had devised in his own heart, and he ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and offered sacrifices on the altar, and burned insects. OK, thanks for that, Brian. Now the Jeroboam who is written about here lived about 80 to 100 years before the Jeroboam who has been spoken about in our previous studies. The Jeroboam of our recent studies was a king in Judah who was contemporary with Ahab and our prophets Elijah and Elisha. This first Jeroboam that Brian just read to us about was king over Israel in the days of Rehoboam, called the king who made Israel to sin. First Kings 14, 16, and God will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam who sinned and who made Israel sin. So the city of Bethel had greatly degenerated from the true worship of God by the time that Elisha approached the city. And it was a real indication of that degeneration that a whole group of youths came out to meet him from the city and to mock him. This whole group of young people coming out to meet Elisha must have come having obtained permission from their parents to do so. They were even, I think, sent out by their parents as a protest to his coming. And the King James, they're called little children, but I think that's not a very good translation. It appears that the word in the Hebrew is negnerim. The same word is translated young men or lads in Genesis 22 five. And Abraham said to his young men, stay here with the donkey, the lad and I will go yonder and worship and we will come back to you. So it's my conviction that these young people would not have gone out as a band by themselves, as a group. unless they had either received permission from their parents or they had acted in concert because they knew that their parents did not approve of Elisha's ministry, which would mean his calling the people there in Bethel to repentance in connection with the already established school of the prophets there over their great sin of idolatry and still worshiping a calf at Bethel. These lads knew of their parents' disapproval and they wanted them to go out and do what they could to confront Elisha with their united disapproval. The commentator Joseph Benson says, these youths, it appears, did not meet with Elisha by accident, but they went out with a design to insult him, knowing him to be a prophet of the true God and advocate for his worship and an enemy to the idolatry of the place. And having imbibed the prejudices of their appearance against the true religion, they likewise went in a body which showed that their motive was malice and their going out was not casual, from when some think it probable that they went out not only to deride the prophet, that is to make fun of him, but likewise to prevent his entering into the city. They feared he would be as zealous against their idolatries as Elijah had been, and by this insult they intended to free themselves from his remonstrances, that is his appeals to them that they would do the right thing. I would apply this in this way. Parents need to be very careful what they say about those who are called to minister the Word of God. If they are critical of him, his person, or the way he looks, or what is worse, they're critical of his faithfulness to preach the Word of God, and they speak against his ministry, they must understand that their children will take notice. and they will act out these very criticisms before the preacher himself. When it says, and they mocked him, Benson further says, with great petulancy and vehemency making game of him, as the word jithkalasu here used signifies deriding that is making fun of him, probably both his person and his ministry, and that from a profane contempt of the true religion and a passionate love of that idolatry which they knew he opposed. The point of the whole message tonight is that to dishonor the preacher of the word is to dishonor the God who has raised him up to minister. This applies to both believers and unbelievers, who need to be told that God will be looking out for the honor of his preachers, and in this case, the honor of his prophet. The honor of God is never easily established to unbelievers, because people by nature are not given to listen to what the preacher says. But it ought to be taught by believing parents to their children if they would see the word of God have free course and be glorified in any church. You see, it's not the job of the preacher to try to go about to establish his own honor. But parents and others in the church can teach and promote this kind of honor being given. Listen to Leviticus 19.32, you shall rise up before the gray-headed and honor the presence of an old man and fear your God, I am the Lord. You can see here that the fear of the Lord is something that parents need to teach their children. And if they instruct them when they are young to act in this way, honoring the elder man or the elder or pastor in a church, they will learn to do it. The sin of these lads in the text was something that came about because their parents never taught them to show such honor. And perhaps they were actually guilty of promoting disrespect to those who preached to them the word of God. But giving honor to the prophet, preacher, or pastor is very clearly taught in the word of God. I want you to look with me at 1 Timothy chapter five and verse 17. 1 Timothy five, verse 17. And Vicki, when you get over there, if you could read that. for me, I'd appreciate it. All right. If it depended entirely upon the efforts of preachers to establish their own honor, even if they had God's help in it, it would never be established or respected. But God has marvelous ways, doesn't he? In which he can establish the honor of his prophet and gain respect for the hearing of his word if he's so pleased. In this case, a lesson was being taught for everyone to see or hear about the lesson of the importance of respecting God's minister because he is the messenger of God and the word of God is in his mouth. God was going to teach these lads the seriousness of his judgment upon the sins which they were committing. But he was just as importantly teaching their parents, and indeed everyone at Bethel, and all in Judah and Jerusalem, that this mocking of his prophet was a very great sin. Go up you baldhead. Go up, you bald head, was a statement which was taking aim in a sinful way at Elisha's receiving the mantle of Elijah to be the preeminent prophet in Israel, Judah, and all the lands around them. It was mocking Elijah's ascension to heaven as though he really didn't ascend. and had indeed died and no one had found his body. It was in effect saying, if Elijah had gone up to heaven, why don't you, Elisha, go up to heaven? So we will not have to hear your harangues against our gods and our worship of the Baals. It would be better for you to leave off before you even begin. Well, even so, in our own day, People mock our Lord's death on behalf of sinners, His resurrection and ascension to heaven and glorious victory, and His ruling over all nations and peoples. They will mock the idea of His return in great glory to judge the world and His coming to complete the salvation of all the elect of God by their saying, where is the promise of His coming? The sin of these youths, therefore, was very serious. And God decided that it would be right for him to make an example of them to all generations. Now, secondly, I want to briefly explain to you Elisha's look at these youths. Verse 24a says, so he turned around and looked at them. Now there are many places in the scriptures where it is related to us that a look told it all. Remember Lot's wife who turned back to look when the Lord rained fire and brimstone from heaven on sinful Sodom and Gomorrah, Genesis 19.26. But his wife looked back behind him and she became a pillar of salt. Had not the angels told them, escape for your life? Do not look behind you or stay anywhere in the plain? Yes, they had. What about the apostle Peter, when he denied our Lord three times after he was arrested? And after he did so, it says in Luke 22, 61, and the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times. So Peter went out and he wept bitterly, but the men who held Jesus, it says in the next verse, mocked him and beat him. So the Lord's look at Peter was saying to him, do you see how little spiritual strength You really had Peter to stand by me and confess me before men. But I want you to see that the Lord's look at Peter was much different than Elisha's look at these young lads. Our Lord's look was a look of great concern, pity, and compassion for Peter. It was not a look of wrath or resentment. but it was a look of love and mercy. As John Gill says in his commentary, it was not only a signal to Peter to put him in remembrance of what he had said, but it was a melting look to him and a means of convincing and humbling him and of bringing him to repentance, end of quote. But Elisha's look at these young lads who were mocking was different. It was his faithful representation of how the Lord thought of the sinful actions which these young men were so unashamed of. It was a look which should have caused them to leave off their mocking, but they just kept right on. It was a look of reproof, but it was also a look which said to them, Do you really treat the knowledge of God so lightly as to despise me, the one who could tell you about him? Do you despise your own salvation from sin so lightly? Do you really despise God so much that you also then despise me, his servant, the one who could preach to you the gospel of faith in God and his great plan to save sinners by the work of the future Messiah? But you see, no look, no matter how stern, could stop them from their mocking. And so third, I would like to explain to you the curse that he pronounced upon them. So he turned around and looked at them, it says, and he pronounced a curse on them in the name of the Lord. And two female bears came out of the woods and mauled 42 of the youths. That's a lot of young people. Evidently there were more than that there, but that's how many were mauled. Now we need to see here the danger of being impious and profane. Webster's 1828 dictionary says that to be impious is to not show reverence toward God, the supreme being. It is to be lacking in veneration and regard for God and his authority. It says the scoffer at God and his authority is impious. to be profane is to treat sacred things with abuse and irreverence. And we could also say that it is to treat God's servants who preach His word with contempt and mocking. It's something that God positively hates. I want you to turn over with me to 2 Chronicles chapter 36, and we want to read verses 15 and 16 Second Chronicles, chapter 36. Jenny, when you get over there, if you could read verses 15 and 16, I'd appreciate it. And the Lord, the God of their fathers, sent word to them again and again by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. But they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised his words, and scoffed at his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, and there was no remedy." Now what do you think that that means when it says that there was no remedy? There was no remedy. The Lord God of their fathers sent warning to them by his messengers rising up early and sending them because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. Isn't that an amazing verse? But it says they mocked the messengers of God and despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people till there was no remedy. What do you think that that means? Something like his patience ran out. I think that's good, Brian. I do think that that's good because we all know that with the Lord nothing is impossible and certainly He does have a remedy for all sin in our Lord Jesus Christ for those who will repent. So evidently the Lord knew in his heart that the common grace that he had showed them in sending these prophets, these ministers to them over and over again was unavailing. In other words, they were rejecting that common grace and those warnings. And so it came to the place where there was no remedy because really they were despising God himself, his word, and his messengers. It's a terrible, terrible sin. The Lord in this case saw that there was no remedy for the sins of these young men, even though they were so young. Commentators aren't agreed entirely, but most of them say that they were like young teenagers, like maybe 13 to 15 years old or so. but still they understood what mocking meant and they loved to do it. And the Lord was not under any obligation to save them, but he was under the obligation to punish them. He could punish them at that point and thus help others to understand the great wickedness of mocking and how displeasing it is to God. These young lads had never been crossed, I would assume, by their parents, who did not see it as a wrong, deserving punishment. And so now they thought there would be no consequences for this heinous sin. Ah, but there was something that God would have Elisha do, and that was to pronounce a curse on them in the name of the Lord. In other words, this was not just something that Elisha did because he was personally offended by them. He pronounced this curse because God would have him to do so. Because God infallibly declared to him by his spirit that this was what his will was for those who were so disobedient. This act of judgment upon them proceeded from Elisha's words, but it was all God's doing. Two female bears came out of the woods and mauled 42 of the youths, causing their deaths, I would assume. It says the bears tore them in pieces. That's what the original Hebrew indicates. They were torn to pieces. Only God could have providentially ordered this at that particular time, but it was not a difficult thing for him. And we need to see that young people have no exemption from the judgment of God. But even repentance is something that must be granted by God. Acts 11, 18, when they heard these things, They became silent, and they glorified God, saying, then God is also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life. Another verse that goes hand in hand with this is found in Psalm 50, verses 16 to 23, if you'll turn with me there. Psalm 50, verses 16 to 23. But to the wicked, God says, what right have you to declare my statutes or take my covenant in your mouth, seeing you hate instruction and cast my words behind you? When you saw a thief, you consented with him and have been a partaker with adulterers. You give your mouth to evil and your tongue frames deceit. You sit and speak against your brother You slander your own mother's son. These things you have done and I kept silent. You thought I was altogether like you, but I will rebuke you and set them in order before your eyes. Watch this now. Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver. Whoever offers praise glorifies me, and to him who orders his conduct aright, I will show the salvation of God. You see, with those who take a careless and profane view of God and act it out, that God says here that he will come to them like a bear and tear them in pieces and there will be none to deliver. But on the other hand, if a person will repent of careless and profane conduct and orders their conduct are right, the Lord will show them his salvation. And sometimes I think that people think that this is only stuff of the Old Testament and Old Covenant. This doesn't have anything to do with us because we're not under the law. Well, we're not under the law. We're not under that dispensation any longer. But can you think with me any place in the New Testament where an apostle talked about people being cursed with an apostolic curse? It is... That is a parallel passage, but I was thinking of 1 Corinthians 16. It says here, if anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord, come. That means in Greek, meranatha. O Lord, come. That's at the very end. Very end of 1 Corinthians. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you. my love be with you all in Christ Jesus. I find that very interesting that the apostle would talk in that way. I think that what Paul is trying to say is that the person who has heard the gospel and yet despises it by not believing in it or not thinking that he needs to believe in it. Let him be accursed if he takes issue with it and wants to try to say that it's not necessary to believe in Jesus for salvation or that they can somehow be saved by their works. Let him be accursed. Because it does relate, I think, to the passage, Jenny, that you had mentioned in Galatians 1. But even if we are an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached, verse 8, let him be accursed. As we have said before, now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be occurs. For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Jesus Christ." I just don't know exactly how to qualify, or even to qualify that statement. Yes. It does not love the Lord Jesus Christ. you think about it, and again, how impractical ways that is. But does it mean that simply that, like it says, you don't believe in the Lord, the wrath of God is on all those who do not believe. Does that mean the wrath of God, just simply that, or does it mean something else? being accursed. I think it means something else, like it's saying there in Galatians as well. In Galatians there he's addressing false people preaching a false gospel. But I think here in 1 Corinthians, he's talking about, again like I was trying to say, Those who do not love the Lord, in fact, the opposite would be true, that they really hate Him. Like those people that tried to say that Jesus had a demon, and they were opposing Him with the sin and the death. I think it relates more to that type of not loving Him. You see what I'm saying? Because obviously Christ died for sinners, And sinners don't by nature love either God or the Lord Jesus Christ. And so if we were to misunderstand this verse, we might misapply it and say then, you know, all those people that don't love the Lord that are outside of Christ, let them be accursed. Well, that's not what the, he's actually placing a curse on those who don't love the Lord here. And it appears to me to be like an apostolic curse and what he's trying to say I believe again is to those people that don't love the Lord and oppose the Lord outright as having something wrong with him or something that shouldn't be believed about him. That he's somehow not who He says He is, that is, the Redeemer of all of God's people and the Savior of all sinners. And they oppose those who preach the Gospel in that way. I think that's the way to look at that. I'm just trying to think about the book of 1 Corinthians. in the first part of it, it does, he does prove or expose. Yes, false, false preachers of error or heresy. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, those who thought they were wise, those first chapters on wisdom. I don't know, I just never thought about Yeah. Yes. But I think it does relate to our study tonight. That's why I brought it up. I wish that I had thought about it sooner, because I could have done a lot more research on it, and I probably should. But I think you're right, Brian. I think there is a context to it that needs to be looked into. First Corinthians 13 is the chapter on love, you recall. And that may set a context for what he was trying to say there. That though I speak with the tongues of men and angels and have not love, I become a sounding brass or clanging cymbal. Have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and knowledge, though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. and et cetera going on down through there. He says in 16.8, but I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost for a great and effective door has opened to me and there are many adversaries. And I think that, again, that that You know, that is a context for that verse that he, where he says, if anyone does not love the Lord, let him be accursed. Paul really did get a terrible amount of opposition in his preaching from people who did not love the Lord and who really despised him as an apostle and those who are with him. If Timothy comes, see that he may be with you without fear, for he does the work of the Lord as I also do. Therefore, let no one despise him, but send him on his journey in peace that he may come to me for I am waiting for him with the brethren. I think evidently there must have been, you know, a lot of men who were in the churches, really, who Paul was not sure of as to whether or not they truly had the interests of the gospel at heart. That's my impression, anyway. When he speaks like that, if Timothy comes, see that he may be with you without fear. I mean, why would Timothy need fear if he was at Corinth? Unless there were people who were suspicious of Paul and his authority. Yeah, I think, I know that that's, in this context of the early church, that there was a lot of people that took advantage of it as sort of a religion, a place to get power and authority and monarchy and all kinds of reasons. Yeah. The Jews, Judaizers and all of them seemed like everywhere. Yeah, there certainly were and, you know, the warning, I think it's, I think that when it says, if anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed, I think that it could be issued as a general warning if the letter was read publicly at Corinth and those people who were listening would then be able to understand that Paul had the apostolic authority. to be able to place a curse like that upon anybody who didn't truly love the Lord. In other words, they weren't really sincere believers who were trying to do the right thing, but they're people who, like you were saying, were grasping for power or position or whatever they were trying to get and didn't have a sincere love of the brethren or of Paul himself, for that matter, and those with him. Do you find anything there in Thomas Scott, Jenny? Yeah, well, this is in his notes on verses 21 to 24. He says, an amanuensis, is that right? Somebody writing the letter. Had written the rest of the epistle, but the apostle thought proper to add what follows with his own hand. and to unite a most solemn warning with his affectionate salutations that it might make the deeper impression, whatever gifts, knowledge, eloquence, or eminence any man possessed, if he did not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema, maranatha. If he had not a cordial affection and love to the person, salvation, precepts, cause, glory, and people of Christ, he was and would be accursed until and when the Lord should come. though not an open enemy to him and his cause. If his conduct proved this, let him be separated from the Church as an accursed thing devoted to destruction, and in case he did not afterwards believe, repent, and believe with that faith which worketh by love. Christ himself would execute this awful sentence when he came to judge the world. But in case it could not be proved or was not suspected by men, yet it was known to the Lord, And he who had not genuine love of the Savior certainly abode under the wrath of God, and would at last sink into utter destruction as a sacrifice to his justice. For he must be an enemy to the holy perfections and righteous government of God, an unhumbled, impenitent sinner. And an unbeliever under the covenant of works and the curse of the law, he must be destitute of all truthfulness, incapable of spiritually performing any good work, and unfit for the employment and pleasures of heaven, who under the profession of Christianity did not love the Lord Jesus Christ, or who apostatized from that profession. Yeah, that's pretty much what we've discussed here over the last few minutes. Yeah, it's the person under the pretense of being a Christian has come into the church and crept in unawares, so to speak, and doesn't have a sincere love of Christ or the Brethren, let him be accursed. I think that's correct. I think that is correct. It's a warning. given to those who might be there at Corinth, you know, acting that way in their heart and mind, and yet other people not really understanding what they were like, not really loving. I can see, with all the miraculous gifts they had, how people would be attracted to them. Oh, yeah. Yeah, that's good, Brian. Yeah, they would see that miracles, well, Well, if they did, they had to sign the gifts or what? They had all those gifts, yeah. That would draw. That could. I imagine it did. And especially when he had to give them that chapter on love right in the midst of their gifts. You know, they're between 12 and 14. It makes a lot of sense to think that that would be the case. And that ties together with what is said there at the end about Anyone not loving the Lord Jesus, let him be accursed. Any other comments or questions? Okay. O God, let all men praise thee, let all the nations sing. In every land let praises and songs of gladness ring. For thou shalt judge the people in truth and righteousness, and through the earth the nations shalt thy just rule confess. O God, let people praise Thee, let all the nations sing. For earth, in rich abundance, to us her fruit shall bring. The Lord our God shall bless us, our God shall blessings send, and all the earth shall fear him to its remotest end. Amen. Amen.