Go Up Thou Bald Head, Go Up!

bèlla · Aug 5, 2021

An absence of discipline isn’t the lone cause of unruliness. Sometimes the parent is the problem and the child is given a poor example. If you’re meting out reprimands it always begins on top. You deal with the leader’s failure then their offspring.

Maybe the solution isn’t a pack of bears; but better training and support. The village is no more. Everyone doesn’t enter parenthood in the same place. Many repeat the past.

~bella

Confused-by-christianity · Aug 5, 2021

bèlla said:
Maybe the solution isn’t a pack of bears;

Maybe the ONLY solution is a pack of bears!!!

bèlla · Aug 5, 2021

Confused-by-christianity said:
Maybe the ONLY solution is a pack of bears!!!

It wouldn’t end there. This has nothing to do with correction. It’s Pandora’s box. Once you open it there’s no going back. Everything is fair game.

No one wants a literal reenactment of the bible. You don’t want to bring that back. It sounds nice in theory because you haven’t worked it out. They exacted justice on one another. Could you do the same?

Angry souls would gleefully grab their bag of rocks. But many couldn’t. We’ve been redeemed by Christ and follow His approach. We’re not plucking eyes or casting stones. We respond in love.

~bella

Confused-by-christianity · Aug 5, 2021

bèlla said:
They exacted justice on one another. Could you do the same?...

Confused-by-christianity said:
I shave my head with a razor.

I've heard all four "baldy" jokes from everyone that wanted to make a baldy joke.

If I had the power to summon a bear out of the woods to maul those people...I would

I'd prefer to be able to summon bears above anything else. Grizzlies probably.

We could open a thread with a poll??

bèlla · Aug 5, 2021

Confused-by-christianity said:
If I had the power to summon a bear out of the woods to maul those people...I would

Fortunately for you that isn’t possible. If their remarks are worth God’s judgment that’s sad.

Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will pay the man back for what he has done.”

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

Do not say, “I will repay evil”; wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.

Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

That’s the danger of cherry picking verses. You need to consider the whole in light of the problem.

~bella

Confused-by-christianity · Aug 5, 2021

bèlla said:
Fortunately for you that isn’t possible. If their remarks are worth God’s judgment that’s sad.

UNFortunately for me...it's not possible for me to summon bears.

The translation I use is a little different...

bèlla said:
Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will pay the man back for what he has done.”

I will pay the man back for what he has done;By sending bears to chase him!!

bèlla said:
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, summon bears and have them do it.

bèlla said:
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.

Bless those who persecute you;after your bear mauls them

bèlla said:
We respond in love.

Responding in love is for wimps who can't summon bears !!!

Bobber · Aug 5, 2021

I feel somewhat bewildered that I do see many who have Christian in their file but they're actually making light of the fact that it's actually in the scripture that it occurred. Seeing it did occur if you're a Bible believer then are you saying you're put off with this well known prophet of God? I trust you're open to study just the why of what was going on and get context. The piece in the link provides good food for thought which makes one think of Elisha in a better light than how you're viewing it.

Why would God send a bear to maul children? - The Christian Index

Confused-by-christianity · Aug 5, 2021

Bobber said:
I feel somewhat bewildered that I do see many who have Christian in their file but they're actually making light of the fact that it's actually in the scripture that it occurred. Seeing it did occur if you're a Bible believer then are you saying you're put off with this well known prophet of God? I trust you're open to study just the why of what was going on and get context. The piece in the link provides good food for thought which makes one think of Elisha in a better light than how you're viewing it.

Why would God send a bear to maul children? - The Christian Index

you mean me?

lsume · Aug 5, 2021

The Narrow Way said:
Oh! For more Elisha's today! The youth of today have gotten so out of hand and show little respect for those in authority, be they those in spiritual authority or really any other authority. That ONE instance, when Elijah cursed them for disrespecting him, and God sent bears in to teach them a lesson, served to cause them to respect him the rest of his life. You read of no more stories where Elijah was made fun of.

2Ki 2:23 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.

2Ki 2:24 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.

View attachment 303755

I think lawlessness is part of man’s legacy. Thank God for Jesus The Christ. Until Christ rules, the world will falter. Hang in there.

Jesus is my Superhero · Aug 5, 2021

I think people make a mistake when they judge someone from a different era based on today's expectation of behavior.

LaSorcia · Aug 5, 2021

Jesus is my Superhero said:
What are those? Hair combs?

Meat shredders, like for making Buffalo chicken dip.

Jesus is my Superhero · Aug 5, 2021

Meat shredders, like for making Buffalo chicken dip.

Cordless meat grinder for camping.

dzheremi · Aug 5, 2021

public hermit said:
So, your hoping for a holy man that will curse children, who in turn will be torn to pieces by bears? Doesn't that strike you as extreme? Or, is it okay since it's in the bible? smh

This is normally where I'd say "But, Public Hermit, nobody takes the story that excruciatingly literally! It's about children being torn to pieces by bears, for goodness' sake!", but then I read the OP's reply, and nope...this is clearly not a normal thread. Not at all.

bèlla · Aug 5, 2021

dzheremi said:
This is normally where I'd say "But, Public Hermit, nobody takes the story that excruciatingly literally! It's about children being torn to pieces by bears, for goodness' sake!", but then I read the OP's reply, and nope...this is clearly not a normal thread. Not at all.

It's a devotional. We're meant to look to God and be inspired. You'd better believe we're running to Him.

~bella

Bobber · Aug 5, 2021

dzheremi said:
This is normally where I'd say "But, Public Hermit, nobody takes the story that excruciatingly literally! It's about children being torn to pieces by bears, for goodness' sake!", but then I read the OP's reply, and nope...this is clearly not a normal thread. Not at all.

I'd say at least read my link in Post 27. There's no need defaulting all the time to I don't believe this or I don't believe that especially when you haven't studied what happened in historical context.

dzheremi · Aug 5, 2021

Bobber said:
I'd say at least read my link in Post 27. There's no need defaulting all the time to I don't believe this or I don't believe that especially when you haven't studied what happened in historical context.

"All the time"? I don't recall ever having interacted with you before now, so I don't know where this characterization is coming from.

And I read your link. I greatly prefer my own tradition's way of looking at things as found in, e.g., Fr. Tadros Y. Malaty's Patristic Commentary series covering both the OT and NT when I want to know the historical bounds within which something has been understood in the Christian Church, but to each their own.

bèlla · Aug 5, 2021

Jesus is my Superhero said:
I think people make a mistake when they judge someone from a different era based on today's expectation of behavior.

We aren't judging God's servant. We're addressing the modern want for punishment using methods from that period. Just because God permitted him to do it doesn't mean we should do the same. Christ's rebuke of Peter's actions is telling.

Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword.

~bella

TedT · Aug 5, 2021

The Narrow Way said:
Not extreme at all. Obviously their parents never taught them what they should have learned when they were younger....so it's better they learn respect and change their ways rather than go on as they have been and be lost.

I doubt it was bad parenting causing disrespect for elders... it was part of their religious war with these young men being faithful to their parents and attacking YHWH's servant.

TedT · Aug 5, 2021

public hermit said:
Children being mauled by bears is not commensurate with calling someone "baldy."

The word for children is also used to young men not yet married. If we can speculate about their ages without proof, we can also speculate about other things...

How did 42 get killed? Why did they not run away? Perhaps because they were armed and thought they could fight the bears? And if 42 died, how big crowd was here in the first pace? Easily 3 times that many may have gotten away.

So we have an implication that almost 100 young men who were armed went after GOD's prophet, telling him to "GO UP!" that is, to go be with his dead mentor, that is, to say, "Die!" but they should have been ignored because they called him a baldy?

Telling the story badly...which version fits the context of the times of religious war better?

TedT · Aug 5, 2021

Confused-by-christianity said:
probably valuable to get an academic qualification in the reading of the bible.

The story quoted - I don't understand it. It doesn't make sense to me. Why is it there, what does the author want to tell you?

I wonder if there is a degree in ancient literature that explains the meaning of stories like that?

It was a time of religious war, not a harsh discipline of unruly 8 year olds.

Go Up Thou Bald Head, Go Up!

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