It’s one of those stories in the Bible that is striking at first, that such an event really happened, and then forever memorable in its lesson for us learn and apply. After Elijah had ascended into heaven, Elisha was going up to Bethel, when “some youths came from the city and mocked him, and said to him, ‘Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!’ 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 forty-two of the youths” (2 Kings 2:23-24).
What are the lessons that we need to learn? Well, first and foremost, don’t make fun of bald guys! Ok, maybe that’s not the primary lesson for us to grasp, but it’s in there somewhere. The crucial message that we need to take from this account and convey to our children is the much-needed admonition to respect their elders. This precept is taught in 1 Peter 5:5, “Be submissive to those who are older” (see also 1 Timothy 5:1-2). Let’s teach our children the all-important lesson of honoring those who are older! And, to watch out for female bears if they don’t!