FAQ

For a proper understanding of this account, it is best to consider its broader context.

The events take place in Jericho, where Elisha's independent prophetic ministry begins. First, the inhabitants of the city suggest to Elisha that they send fifty men to search for Elijah, who had been taken up into heaven. Elisha says that this is pointless, but the townsfolk do not believe him; eventually, they pestered the prophet so much (the Septuagint suggests a word that can be translated into modern language as "wearied him with their urging") that he agreed.

In this situation, we see the profound distrust of the people of Jericho toward Elisha. By that time, the city had existed for over 7,000 years, and its inhabitants had seen it all; they do not believe in Elisha's prophetic calling and consider him merely Elijah's disciple who decided to "show off" in the absence of his teacher; perhaps they do not believe at all... Despite all this, the prophet performs a very important miracle for the city in Jericho, providing it with a spring of wholesome water. But even this did not move the townsfolk either to trust or to gratitude. The contemptuous mockery of the children testifies that the general mood in the city had not changed.

Accustomed to heroes, the city did not honor Elisha with any gratitude; if even a word had been spoken in the square in honor of the prophet, the street boys would certainly have been there... One way or another, it did not occur to anyone to stand up for the insulted prophet. In this context, the children express the unbelief and ingratitude of the entire city, and the prophet's curse is directed not so much at them as at the city as a whole.

It must be said that ingratitude in general is highly destructive; it is one of the most grievous and dangerous spiritual maladies. In essence, the curse merely states this fact: the ungrateful city is separated from God by a deep abyss...

It is also worth adding that all this takes place in profound antiquity; one cannot expect the prophet to "turn the other cheek," as the Lord commands in the New Testament. Elisha, firstly, knows the price of unbelief and ingratitude, and, secondly, is a man of his time. In accordance with the norms of the Old Testament, he pronounces a curse. And then it turns out that his word, like the word of any person, possesses real power in the world. The city's separation from God, stated and confirmed by the prophet's curse, finds concrete expression in the fact that the blind force of nature (in this case, she-bears) falls upon the townsfolk.

There is absolutely no reason to think that, as you write, "God sent" these she-bears. Sitting on the clouds, minding His own business, and then suddenly hearing Elisha's curse, and deciding to "send bears"... An absurd picture... But in the described story, there is no one who would call out to God for help, who, to use colloquial language, would "let Him" into the situation. The hearts of the townsfolk are far from God — this is evident from their attitude toward the prophet and the miracle. And the prophet himself, an Old Testament man, acts according to the measure of the Old, and not the New Testament.