Bears in the Bible

I thought that on this chilly, autumn Sunday morning, it would be good to have a Bible reading. Please turn to Kings, chapter 2, verse 23.

"From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some youths came out of the town and jeered at him. "Go on up, you baldhead!" they said. "Go on up, you baldhead!" He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty‑two of the youths."

And the lesson here is clear. Teenagers who say rude things will be mauled by bears at the request of our mighty, peaceful and loving god.

Should, on your way home, a young rapscallion call you a name or refer to a lack of hair on your head or similar behaviour punishable by death, send me a message and I'll get a mate and we'll pop over and maul 42 of the rapscallions.