Elisha and the Mauling of His Mockers

If you've got your Bible, turn with me to 2 Kings, chapter 2. 2 Kings, chapter 2. We're going to look at three verses this evening.

And the unique thing about going through the Old Testament narrative is that you have the opportunity to go step-by-step with this individual or individuals as they go through their life. Now, the Bible doesn't record every event in Elisha's life, just the things that we need to know and understand. But I get fascinated by studying Old Testament characters and reading the narrative as we begin to understand what God is doing in the lives of these people. Because really, it's not a narrative so much about Elisha.

It's a narrative about the Lord God of Israel and who He is and what He does. And when you understand that and you read the narrative, you begin to see how God wants you to understand Him and see Him in the Scriptures. And this story this evening, although it's only three verses long, is power-packed with the identity and character of the Lord God of Israel. And we will come to know that God in a unique and special way as we study the Scriptures together. Now, Elisha was the man, if you've been with us, was called by God.

And you can imagine what was going through his mind when Elijah threw his mantle upon him and was beckoned to follow him. And he did. And for somewhere between 10 and 20 years, he was a servant of Elijah. And then it came time for Elijah to depart. And Elisha was with him and he was able to understand exactly what was going on when Elijah said, Ask of me what you will and I will give it to you. And he asked for a double portion that he might experience the power that Elijah himself had because he was a successor to Elijah.

And the Lord took him up into glory and he was able to go back across the Jordan and he parted the waters. The Lord parted the waters. He used the mantle. He threw it down and talked to the Lord God of Elijah. And the waters parted. He walked through on dry ground. And he came across the sons of the prophets of Jericho who didn't really understand or believe all that took place with Elijah. Although they saw it, they saw it from a distance on the other side of the Jordan. They did not quite understand it.

They wanted to go looking for his body. Because they thought that somehow that God would throw him in a gorge, throw him in a valley someplace and leave him there. So they thought they could find him. Elisha said, No, no, no need to do that. But they insisted. So he said, Go ahead and go. They went and were gone for three days, came back and they found nothing because Elijah is with the Lord. Elisha knew that. He was done with the sons of the prophets of Jericho. And yet the men of Jericho came to him and said, Hey, the water in our city is poison.

What you see is pleasant to your eyes, but the water is poison. It's affecting everything in our city. They called upon Elisha to heal the waters there in Jericho. He did. He said, Bring me a new jar. Bring me some salt. And he threw it in the spring at the water source and purified the waters of Jericho. Great day. But now it's time to move on. And Elisha is on his journey to Mount Carmel. To get there, he has to journey upwards. He has to leave Jericho, which is below sea level and go up the mountains to Bethel, which is 3000 feet above sea level.

He's going to Bethel because Bethel is the city most mentioned in the Old Testament outside of Jerusalem. So Bethel is a very important city to the narrative. And you must understand that as you come to this portion of Scripture. Because it plays an intricate part in understanding the story of these mockers and why they were mauled to death by two bears. And so Elisha is on his journey upwards, up 3000 feet above sea level from Jericho. And Bethel is about 15 miles west of Jericho. And so he's on this journey.

And then we pick up the narrative in verse number 23. It says, 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 bald head. Go up, you bald head. 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 42 lads of their number. He went from there to Mount Carmel. And from there he returned to Samaria. Isn't it interesting that he didn't stay around and have a memorial service for the 42 lads?

Didn't stay around and talk to the parents of these 42 lads. Explain to them what took place. Maybe he did. The narrative doesn't tell us he did. So we can assume that he probably just continued on his journey. But to understand the story, you must understand Bethel. Bethel is called the house of God. It first comes on a scene with Abraham in Genesis 12 and in Genesis chapter 13.

Where Abraham would pitch his tent there and he would call upon the name of the Lord. Very important. Later in Genesis chapter 28, it would be where Jacob was. And Jacob would fall asleep and he would have a dream. And you know of the dream of Jacob in Genesis 28. Because there was a dream of a staircase coming down out of heaven. And angels ascending and descending on that staircase. And if you ask a Jewish rabbi, he will tell you that the staircase is the only way to heaven. But he cannot interpret for you what the staircase is.

Jesus interpreted the staircase in John 1 verse number 51. When he told Nathaniel that you will see the Son of Man. And you will see angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man. And every Jew would know about that scene in Genesis 28 about Jacob. Jacob would say when he woke up from his dream that this is, I've seen, the gate to heaven. This is the house of God. He called the place Bethel, the house of God. And so it became a very prominent place in Jewish history. But over time, after David dies and Solomon his son becomes king.

Solomon disobeys the word of the Lord. For the Lord God said he was not to marry foreign women, but he did. He married hundreds of them. And the Lord God said you can't do that because if you do, they will turn your heart away from me. And they did exactly that. They turned Solomon's heart away from the Lord. And so when Solomon died, the kingdom was divided. The kingdom was in turmoil. And two kingdoms were in the south and ten were in the north. The two in the south were run by Solomon's son Rehoboam.

And the ten in the north were run by a man by the name of Jeroboam. And Jeroboam wanted to make sure that those in the northern kingdom did not be influenced by those in the southern kingdom. Judah and Benjamin, they were called Judah. His tribe, the ten, were called Israel. And so he built two altars. One in Dan, which is the most northern part of Israel. If you've been with us to Israel, we went to tell Dan. You can still see the altar that was built by Jeroboam there even to this day. Where he put a golden calf and there they were to go and worship that golden calf.

He also set one up in Bethel. And also set a golden calf up there. And he would tell his people they didn't have to go to Jerusalem to worship God. They could worship at Dan or Bethel, the house of God. But it became a place of idolatry, a place of iniquity. So it's so that in Hosea chapter 4 verse number 15, God changed the name of Bethel to Beth-Avon. No longer is it called the house of God. It's a house of wickedness, a house of deceit, a house of evil. So the Lord God changed the name. It's like when the Lord came and he cleansed the temple in John chapter 2.

He said you made my father's house a den of thieves. At the end of his ministry three years later, he cleanses the temple again. But he doesn't call it my father's house. He says your house has been left to you desolate. It's no longer my father's house, it's your house. Because my father's house is a place of prayer. You've made it a den of iniquity. And your house now has been left to you desolate. So what the Lord God does in the Old Testament is he renames Bethel Beth-Avon. No longer is it the house of God, it is a house of evil, a house of deceit, it's a house of wickedness.

Very important to the story. You know unfortunately there are churches today that began well. They could truly be called the house of God. God was truly honored there. God was worshipped there. God was the supreme being in that church. God was honored, lifted up and glorified in that church. But over time things changed like we saw in Revelation 2 and 3. Churches become cold like at Ephesus. They begin to compromise like Pergamum. They begin to be corrupted like Thyatira. They become a corpse like Sardis.

They become counterfeits like Laodicea. That digression of the church, the downgrade of the church. And that's what's happened in many churches today. They began well but they have ended poorly. So poorly that God condemns them and God calls them to repent. And that's what took place in the land of Israel. That's why we tell people it's so important that you choose a church that truly represents God. That truly honors God. That truly lifts God up and puts Him on display. Because where you go to church determines everything about the future of your life.

It is the most important decision you will ever make as a believer. What church you attend. What church you invest in. Where you go. Because what you hear is going to make or break you in your life. If the Word of God is not held up in high esteem. If the Word of God is not preached. If the Word of God is not lived out by those who preach and teach the Word of God. Then there is going to be all kinds of problems in the people of the church. Because they follow the leadership. Remember Jeroboam did evil in the sight of the Lord.

He led the nation into sin. He was the leader of Israel. He led them into sin. And Elijah and Elisha come on the scene when Baal worship is at its apex. It's all over the place. And Elijah has been called by God to turn the course of a nation. Well he's gone home to be with the Lord. And it's just now Elisha. And Elisha picks up the mantle. And it's his turn to turn the course of a nation. It's his turn to preach the truth. It's his turn to live the truth. It's his turn to point people in the right direction.

So Elisha now is on the road to Mount Carmel. To get there he must journey through Bethel. During his journeys there are three things or two things that happen. There is a mocking of Elisha. And then there is the mauling of those who mock him. And then we want to determine the meaning of what this story really means for you and me today. But it begins with the mocking. These lads. Don't think that Elisha is walking by some school yard. And there are these kids, these little kids that are there behind the fence.

Looking at this guy walk by. And they decide to say a few words to them. That's not what's happening here. These are truly lads, young lads. They are between the age of 12 and 30. It's the same word used of Joseph when Joseph was 17 years of age. Same word used of Solomon when Solomon was a father. And the same word used of Rehoboam when Rehoboam was a king of Israel. So these aren't little kids. These are teenage boys. Teenage individuals. Maybe some of them were females. I don't know. But they were young lads.

They were young men. And they were a part of this city. Who had been, listen. Who had been taught the idolatrous teaching of Baal worship. They were not for God. They were anti-God. They weren't for truth. They were anti-truth. Remember, they come from Bethel. They come from a city that's the house of evil. The house of wickedness. The house of deceit. It's no longer the house of God. These citizens of this city have rebelled against the truth of God. They have rebelled against the word of God. Remember, Baal worship was everywhere.

Idolatry was rampant in the land. It wasn't just kind of interspersed here or there. It was everywhere. And because it was everywhere, Elisha, as the prophet, was to speak the truth of God. Well, these young lads were raised in an environment that was filled with evil and wickedness. It wasn't like they were taught the truth of God's word. It wasn't like they were held accountable to the authority of God's holy word. These were individuals who had been taught the evils of idolatry. And so they were anti-God.

That's why you hear them say what it is they say. It says that they came out and they truly mocked Elisha. They scorned Elisha. They ridiculed Elisha. They made fun of Elisha. They made fun of his appearance. They called him a bald head. Now, you've got to remember that gray hair was the crown of glory for an old man. And baldness was a symbol of disgrace. And Elisha wasn't a real old guy. He was maybe in his mid-30s, maybe mid-40s. He wasn't really old. And so maybe he had some premature balding.

But this is always one of Satan's tactics anyway to make fun of someone's physicality. Someone's abnormality. To make fun of someone to discredit them in the eyes of others. And that was part and parcel to what they were doing in their mocking his physical appearance. But it went way beyond that. It went way beyond his physical appearance to the spiritual reality of what had happened to his master Elijah. That's why they used the phrase, go up. Go up. Because everybody by now had heard the story of Elijah.

Remember, there were 50 sons of the prophets in Jericho who had seen Elijah go up in a whirlwind. And although they didn't understand exactly what had taken place because they wouldn't believe Elisha they had the testimony that Elijah had gone up and was gone. And so when Elisha approaches Bethel, the house of wickedness, the house of deceit they go to him and they mock not just his appearance but they mock his belief and the truth of God. In reality, in mocking Elisha, they mock God. Because Elisha is the prophet of God.

Remember the story in Luke chapter 10? Luke chapter 10, where Jesus sends out the 70. He says to them in verse number 16 of Luke 10 The one who listens to you listens to me and the one who rejects you rejects me and he who rejects me rejects the one who sent me. If they receive you, they receive me. If they reject you, they in turn are rejecting me the one who has called you as my representative to a lost world. That's why Christ said over in the book of Acts, the ninth chapter when Saul was persecuting the Christians He said, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?

And he said, who are you Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. Well, wait a minute. Jesus is in heaven. How can Saul be persecuting Jesus? Because Jesus made it very clear. If they reject you, they reject me. If they persecute you, they persecute me. If they receive you, they receive me. What they do to you as my child, they are doing to me. So here was Elisha, the prophet of God. And on his way to Mount Carmel, he is going to pass through Bethel which used to be the house of God, but no longer is.

It's now a place of apostasy. Where once it was a place of dependency and loyalty and commitment and worship. Now it's become a place of iniquity, idolatry and apostasy. And so now he's on his way. These lads, 42 of them come out of that arena, that city, that area. And they don't believe what Elisha believes. They don't believe in the one true God of Israel. They have been involved in idolatrous worship and being led by parents who have led them into idolatry. And so therefore, they don't believe anything that Elisha believes.

They are anti-God. They are anti-prophet of God. And they come out to mock him, to make fun of him, to ridicule him. They had contempt for the truth of God and for the man of God. Now note, they did not refute the divine act of Elijah going up. They just ridiculed the divine act of Elijah going up. Which is the classic way apostates ridicule the faith. They don't deny the fact that it happened. They just ridicule the fact that you believe it happened. And that's what they were doing. They were ridiculing and mocking and scorning Elisha.

And so they continue to mock. Now note, text says, when he looked behind him. That's very important. Because they didn't come to meet him. He had to look behind him because they were coming from behind him. Maybe they were coming from the woods. We know that where Bethel is, there is an area, a wooded area next to the city. And maybe they came out from the woods. Maybe they were waiting for Elisha. We don't know that, but we do know that he was walking toward Bethel. But he had to look behind him because they were coming from behind.

They did not meet him face to face. In other words, they were sneaking up behind him. And it wasn't 3 or 4 or 5 or 6. It was 42 of them. It was a lot of people. And he would have to turn and look behind him because the verbal abuse was designed to lead to physical abuse. How do we know that? We know that Jezebel had killed the prophets of God. So when Elijah shows up on the scene, he now becomes a prophet. And all the other prophets have been killed except for the ones that were hidden. And Jezebel wanted them all to be killed.

Jezebel wanted Elijah dead. So the killing of prophets was an everyday occurrence. It wasn't something that happens just every once in a while. It was a regular occurrence to get rid of the prophets of God. So it wasn't like they were just going to come up and make fun of him and let him move on. There was behind the verbal abuse a design to sneak up behind him. To capture him. To abuse him in some way physically. Maybe even to kill this man. This man's life was in danger. And so he turns and he looks behind him.

And he sees these lads. And what does he do? It says, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. It doesn't say anything other than that. He cursed them in the name of the Lord. Now you could say, why didn't Elisha, the prophet of God, how come he didn't turn the other cheek? I mean after all, isn't he God's representative? Or how about this? How about Elisha return good for evil? And he burning coals upon their head and put them to shame. Because he would return good for their evil. How come he didn't do that?

Because you see, the critics will say, Well, you know, God didn't really demonstrate the kind of loving character that he needed to demonstrate at this time toward these youths. These lads. And they will begin to criticize Elisha as a prophet of God. Not truly representing the patience of God. The love of God. The goodness of God. The kindness of God. Oh, but he did. And I'll let you see that in just a few moments. He turns and curses them in the name of the Lord. It does not tell us that he said anything to them about bears in the woods.

Doesn't say that. In fact, all we know is that he cursed them. He damned them in the name of the Lord. And turned around and walked on. And probably didn't even wait to see what God was going to do. And so you move from the mocking to the mauling. That's good, isn't it? The mocking to the mauling. And it says, we look behind him. He saw them. He cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up 42 lads of their number. Now think about that for a moment. Two bears.

Two female bears come out of the woods. And they tear to shreds 42 different young people. How, pray tell, does that ever happen? Do you mean to tell me that these bears came out of the woods. And one would gather up 21 and the other would gather up another 21. And they would gather them all together as they were running along. Chasing them down. Gathering them all up. Putting them on their backs. Holding them all together. So they got all 21. Then mauled all 21. And the other one did the same. Don't you think that if there's 42 different people.

And there are two bears. That once one bear got one person. What do you think the other 41 did? Or the other 40. Because let's just say one bear got one kid. And another bear got another kid. What did the other 40 do? They run. They disperse all over the place. They don't all run in the same direction. They scatter everywhere. So you tell me how two bears maul 42 kids or young people at one moment. Only by the power of Almighty God. That's the only way it can happen. The bears are not supernatural.

They're just bears. And Elisha didn't do anything. Why didn't God just have fire come down and consume them? He could have done that. Just come down and burn them up. Elijah did that. Elijah called fire down from heaven. And killed the soldiers that came to get him. And burned them all up. Then another group of soldiers came. And he called fire down from heaven. Burned them up too. Why didn't he just burn them up? Or why didn't the Lord just have the ground open up. Swallow them up. And just cover them up.

And be done with it. Why is it these two bears would come out. Tear to shreds. 42 young people. All of them screaming. All of them yelling. Being ripped limb from limb. As their flesh was being torn apart. Blood being splattered everywhere. Why would God do that? Why would God do that? Why not just zap them with fire and be done with it? Why leave a bloody mess all over the land. Outside of the house of wickedness. Or the house of evil. Why would God do that? Because God was sending a message. God was sending a message.

To those involved in iniquity. Those involved in idolatry. Those involved in apostasy. God was sending a message. Through the mauling of 42 different young people. Some would say, wow. Couldn't he send a message a different way? Let me tell you something.

God sent the message to Elisha and Elijah. All throughout their ministry. As they spoke the word of the Lord. But very few people ever truly listened. We know. We know that God did this for two reasons. Number one, for the safety of Elisha.

Elisha is a prophet of God. He has just started his ministry. He is part of the waters of the Jordan. He has healed the waters in Jericho. He hasn't done much yet. But he's going to do a lot. God's got a great plan for Elisha. His ministry is not over yet. And so the safety of Elisha is at stake. And God's going to protect his own. Now remember.

Elisha doesn't speak bare. Here, Barry, Barry, Barry. Come on out of the woods, guys. We got some work for you to do. Got food. Got dinner for you. Come on, Barry, Barry. He can't speak bare. He didn't know how to communicate with bears. And I bet you say that he had no idea what God was going to do when he cursed the lads. He had no idea what God was going to do. God did what he was going to do because God did it. Which, by the way, lets you know that not only the safety of Elisha was at stake, but what happened was sanctioned by the Lord God of Israel himself.

Because God did it. Elisha didn't do it. Elisha just cursed them. In his mind, he cursed them and damned them to an eternal judgment. But he didn't have the idea that at that moment they were all going to die. But they did. Because he didn't beckon the bears to come out of the woods. God did that. God moved the bears. God caused the bears to capture, I guess, 21 kids each. And I guess they would not have to have a meal for a while because they were filled for quite a few weeks afterwards. But the bottom line is that blood was splattered everywhere.

Limb from limb they were ripped. Heads over there. Arms over there. Hands over there. Feet over there. The flesh was just ripped apart. They were torn to shreds. As a testimony to those who mock the truth of God. Who will not believe in the word of God. So what's the meaning by all this? You have the mocking. You have the mauling. So what? What's the meaning behind all this? Because this really is a miracle of God. This just isn't a tragedy, although it's tragic. This is a miracle of God for two bears to kill 42 people in one foul swoop.

This is a miracle of Almighty God. So once again you see Elisha. He comes on the scene. And what follows Elisha, the man of miracles, is another miracle. So what is the meaning behind all this? What does this mean for us? How do we come to understand this story in light of who we are? And what God is doing? What God did and what God is doing even as we speak. It's important to understand that amidst all the shrieks and all the screams and all the cries and all the tears. And I'm sure, I'm sure the people of Bethel heard the screams.

They would have had to have heard them. They weren't dying silently. Bears don't rip people apart silently. They do it ferociously. So I'm sure that the people of the city would hear the screams. They would run to the place and see the blood. Elisha just kept on walking. He did not stay around. He was gone. He was on a mission. So he didn't stay around to explain to the people of the city. Well, you know, I was walking by. These guys were making fun of me and making fun of my God. And so I cursed them and God called the bears out of the woods and killed them.

As far as we know, they have no idea how their children were torn apart from limb to limb outside their city. But it took place because God in His sovereignty designed it to happen in this way. What is the meaning of all this? Very simple verse. Be not deceived. God is not mocked. For whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap. There is no if clause in that statement. Then say, be not deceived. God is not mocked. But if, no, there is no if clause in the statement. Be not deceived. God will not be mocked.

For whatever a man sows, that will he also reap. Do you know that throughout the history of Israel, and I began to write them down today or yesterday, God, although things were changing, He would remind people that the laws that He had set were still in effect. The example was in Leviticus chapter 10. After the tabernacle ministry began, Nadab and Abihu decided to offer up strange fire and God killed them. To let everybody know that just because the new ministry had begun with the tabernacle, the worship of God still remains a priority and how you worship me still matters.

And Nadab and Abihu decided to worship God their way, not His way. And God said, you know what, that's it, you're dead, you're gone. Just let everybody know that the laws have not changed. You read on a little further. And you realize that in Joshua chapter 7, as they began to embark on a new land, the land of Canaan, with a new generation of people. And God said, don't take any spoils from Jericho because it's under the ban. And Achan did and Achan was found out and they lost the battle. And when Achan was found out, he was stoned to death, he and his family.

And then he was burned to death. I mean, he was doubly dead. Stoning wasn't good enough. He had to be stoned and burned because God says, listen, just because you're embarking on a new land doesn't mean there are new laws.

The laws are still the same. Whatever a man sows, that will he also reap. You must still do what I tell you to do. Just because you're in the land of rest, the land of Canaan, doesn't mean my laws have changed. Then you have the story in 2 Samuel chapter 6, when David brings the ark. And the ark is beginning to fall and Uzzah puts his hands on it and God kills him. Because God said don't touch the ark in Numbers chapter 4. And just because it was being moved, it was being brought by David to be the center of worship, doesn't mean that God's laws change.

When God says don't do something, he means what he says. And every once in a while, God's going to just send out notice.

I am still in charge. The wage of sin is still death. Be not deceived. God will not be mocked. Whatever a man sows, that will he also reap. So when you come to the New Testament and God begins the church, because now the church is going to be the spokesperson for the Messiah. And early on in the church, you have two people, Joanne and I asked Sapphira, who come and they sell the proceeds from the sale of their land. And they give money to the church. And they probably gave a lot of money to the church.

And Peter asked them at two different times, did you sell your land for this much? And they lied. God killed them in church. And when Sapphira shows up, having been to the mall to shop with all of her new proceeds, and comes with her new hat, and new dress, and new outfit, thinking she's all fine and dapper going to church, and Peter asked her the same question, and she too lies, she now dies in church. Because God says, listen, just because it's now the church age, doesn't mean my laws have changed.

They're still the same. You still cannot lie to the Holy Spirit. But, and these people, they were big givers to the church. And God still killed them. Because they lied. Isn't it a good thing that God doesn't kill you when you lie? Or don't give to the church? Who knows who'd be here on Sunday? We'd find out quick, wouldn't we, who gave and who didn't give? But see, the bottom line is, God's laws don't change. The wage of sin has always been death. It's never changed. In fact, with Elisha and his ministry, you would think that this would be a wake-up call to the city of apostasy, the city of deceit, the house of wickedness.

It wasn't. You would think that people would say, you know what, maybe we better start worshipping the true God. Maybe we ought to turn our lives around. After all, all of our kids are dead. They've been thrown all over the field. Maybe we better turn our lives around and start worshipping Elisha's God, the true God of Israel. But it didn't faze them. It didn't change. In fact, the attitude displayed by these young people, all 42 of them, is spread throughout the land of Israel. So much so that eventually the fall came to Samaria and Judah when the Lord God said in 2 Chronicles 36, And the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by his messengers.

He just kept sending warnings and warnings and warnings, messages, messages, messages. He just kept sending his prophets. So much so that the Lord would tell a parable about this. In the Gospel of Luke, the Gospel of Matthew, he would tell a parable about how the Lord God kept sending prophets. Jerusalem became known as the city that kills the prophets. It's like a big placard outside of Jerusalem. The city that kills the prophets. The city of peace was the city that killed the prophets of God. The messengers would come.

They'd preach the message. They would come and they would do warning signs, but the people didn't listen.

They didn't listen. So it says, But they mocked, this is 2 Chronicles 36, 15 and 16, But they mocked the messengers of God. They despised the word of God. They scoffed at his prophets Until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people. Till there was no remedy. And that's what Proverbs 29, 1 says. When God says, A man who hardens his neck after much reproof will suddenly be broken beyond remedy.

And here it was lived out in Israel. They mocked the messengers of God. They ridiculed the warnings from God. They did not adhere to the miracles of God. Nothing changed them. They were so steeped in idolatry, So steeped in iniquity, So steeped in their apostasy, That no matter what was said to them, No matter how it was said to them, No matter how it was presented to them, They continued to mock the messengers of God. They continued to scoff at the word of God. Till God said, that's it. I'm done.

There is no longer a remedy for you. You see, that's still true today. That is still true today. There comes a time where God says, You can mock all you want.

You can ridicule all you want. But if you continue to sin Against the light of the truth, Hebrews 6 says, you come to a place Where it is absolutely impossible To renew you to a place of repentance. God shuts off the light. God shuts off the opportunity. And there's never an opportunity For you to repent. You are broken beyond remedy. God sent warnings. God sent prophets. God gave his word, sent messengers. Because God wanted his people To know the truth. That's why. That's why the Bible says, In Romans 11, verse number 22, Behold, stand amazed At the goodness And the severity of God.

Behold, stand awestruck At the goodness and the severity of God. Now the word severity, Translated means to cut off. Okay? Very important. Because in the context, You have to understand that God's goodness Is always in operation. Because when you sin, you're still living. You're still here. You came tonight. You sinned today. But you're still alive. Even though the Bible says, The wages of sin is death, But the gift of God is eternal life Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The unique thing about that is that When we sin, we still live. Because that's the goodness of God. So Paul says, behold, stand amazed At the goodness and the severity of God. And the word severity means to cut off. In other words, behold the goodness of God. Because once the goodness of God is cut off, You will now experience the wrath of God. You see, God is always wrath. Like God is always love. Like God is always mercy. There's never a time where God is not wrath. But because of his goodness being bestowed upon people Who deserve his wrath, When that goodness is cut off, They experience his wrath.

They experience death. That's why the Bible says in Psalm 9, Verse number 16, The Lord is known by the judgment he executeth.

The Lord God of Israel is known By the judgment that he executes. In other words, you know God for who he is Based on how he judges mankind. Because the psalmist says in Psalm 96 and Psalm 98 That in faithfulness and in righteousness God judges mankind. He doesn't do it in unfaithfulness. He doesn't do it in unrighteousness. He does it righteously. So even in his judgment Of the mauling of 42 young people, It was righteous judgment. It was holy judgment. Because the goodness of God had been cut off.

Now behold the wrath of God. The severity of God. And that's what they experienced. That's why it's imperative That you and I come to understand What the apostle Paul said. Knowing the terror of the Lord, We persuade men. Paul says, I know the terror of the Lord. So we commit our lives to persuading men To believe in the gospel, To understand Jesus Christ. Because he, as he said to the Thessalonians, As Paul said to the Thessalonians, Delivers us from the wrath to come. There's coming a day where it's called The day of wrath, right?

It's a certain event, it's a cataclysmic event. It ends up in a climactic event With the lake of fire. But think about it this way. Forty-two young people Being sprawled all over the forest By two bears because that's what God designed Is horrific. But what's more horrific than that? To die and end up in hell forever. Because in hell there is weeping And gnashing of teeth. There are screams that nobody hears. When the forty-two began to scream, I'm sure their parents and their friends Could hear them scream.

But in hell, no one hears your screams And no one cares that you scream. As you grind your teeth, As you become so entrenched over the fact That you had the opportunities to repent And did not repent, Because hell is filled with the memories of earth, Heaven has no memory of earth, But hell is filled with memories of earth Of all the opportunities you had to respond And did not. How you might have ridiculed and mocked The God of truth And did not respond by way of repentance. This miracle in 2 Kings Is truly a wake-up call for people Who have not given their lives to Christ And to understand that the Lord is best known By the judgment he executes.

He is a righteous God. He is a holy God Who bestows mercy and grace and kindness Every single moment of every single day. He's a God of patience and long-suffering. But when that patience runs out, He no longer is long-suffering. As he was in the days of Noah, And the world was destroyed except for eight souls. As he was in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah, And they were destroyed with fire and brimstone, His long-suffering ran out. It does run out. That's why Paul says, Stand amazed at the goodness and the severity of God.

From this story, We need to realize that God is serious about sin. He's really serious about sin. He doesn't take those who mock his messengers And his truth lightly. I mean, he takes it seriously. He doesn't just mess around with those kind of things. And although Paul says in Romans chapter 2, These words, very severe words, He says, But to those who are selfishly ambitious And do not obey the truth but obey in righteousness Nothing but wrath and indignation. Paul says there are people that are storing up wrath For the day of wrath.

They have not responded to the truth. They have not repented of their sins. They have not given their lives to Christ. They really believe the lie that Satan has told. They adhere to that lie. And maybe they were one day a part of the house of God, But now they truly are a part of the house of deceit, The house of wickedness. And they truly never had given their life to Christ. May it be that we, as God's spokespeople, Would preach the gospel, Tell the truth to people, Because God is still serious when people sin.

He never takes sin lightly. It's an offense to His holy character. And while He might not deal with it today, He will deal with it someday. Because be not deceived, God is not mocked. For whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap. Let's pray. Father, we thank You for Your Word. Lord, we thank You for the brevity of Your Word. And in that brevity, we realize the enormous truth That You want us to understand. And our prayer, Lord, Is that we, knowing the terror of the Lord, Would persuade men of the truth of God.

They might experience the grace of Almighty God To be saved from their sins. That they might experience the goodness of God That leads to repentance. They might experience new life in Jesus Christ, our Lord. And rejoice forever in the presence of God. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.