Bearable Bible Passages (Learning about Bears in the Bible...?) - Grounded Ep. 23
Where did Steve come up with the idea for this episode? It probably won't make sense to you until part way, but give it a chance! We hope that today's episode will both be intriguing and also challenging to your understanding of the Bible, God, and yes, bears.
Why? B/c just read through 2 Kings, and in chapter 2 - story about Elisah, a roaming mob of insulting young men, and two mauling bears. And it’s that biblical account that I really want to get to, but there are some other very interesting accounts in the Bible about bears, so we’re going to start in some other places first.
Actually, start - 2 Bear stories. One personal, and one in the news.
*Another (many). Great smokies, female black bear (up to 300 lbs, 5’7” - the male 900) was grabbing food off picnic tables (Yogi and BooBoo), raiding trash cans, and even stealing backpacks. Relocate. Tranquilized, enclosed truck, relocated 1k miles, 4 states away. Georgia. Attached a geolocating device.
What happened? That bear started walking. across Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina and then into Tennessee— returned to the campsite where it had been trapped. Never slowed down, just kept going (Forrest Gump bear; energizer bunny bear - keeps on walking).
That female bear walked 1k miles, 4 states. How? Hidden GPS? Rand McNally atlas? (remember?). How?
Had never been. Didn’t see. Couldn’t smell. Was drugged and inside an enclosed truck. How?
And the ans is - we have no clue.
Proposals - maybe able to follow Celestial or magnetic cues. (How?). Nobody knows! With all our science, physics - we just don’t know.
***Bible - we are fearfully… and here we might note that even the the bears, animals of the world are fearfully and wonderfully made. (all kinds of animal migration that defies explanation). Glorifying the God who conceived and created it all.
So two bear stories. Debbie’s & mine, and the female energizer bear.
But what about bears in the bible? Are there any? Yes indeed.
*14X. However, most are not the animal, but the action.
1.Action? Yes, sometimes the word Bear - Bear one another
Burdens. You will bear much fruit. That’s the action. Not the animal. Bearing much fruit has nothing to do with bears.
But what about the animal in Bible? Are there any bears - the animal - in the bible? Yes.
Bears in the life of David.
(1 Samuel 17:34-35) David wants to fight goliath. You can’t, you’re a boy.
But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear (not boo-boo) came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it.
Whoah! Supernatural. Imagine grabbing a lion, a bear by the fur and killing? Bears fast. Powerful. A man can’t. How? Supernatural. (God does things through me that are humanly impossible. I can kill the giant). (David at sight and sound - giant).
(1 Samuel 17:36) Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. Lions - reminded of “lions and tigers and bears, oh no.” - Dorothy.
*Supernatural. David - “I am supernat empowered to kill unkillable things.”
More - Ans how come can do that.
(1 Samuel 17:37) The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”
The Lord. David knew it wasn’t him. God. David trusted God… Gave glory to God.
Bears in the life of David. And there’s still another use of the word Bear in the Life of David.
But this one likens David to a bear.
(2 Samuel 17:8) Absalom (3rd son of King David)
“You know your father (David) and his men; they are fighters, and as fierce as a wild bear robbed of her cubs. Besides, your father is an experienced fighter; he will not spend the night with the troops.
-So here David is likened to a bear. David is bear like. That is, David is a fierce fighter, a fierce warrior - like a wild bear..
-I just want to say - I’m really liking David. Interesting man.
*Musician (temp - N). So david was..
*And yet fierce as bear. David is a manly man. David is not soft. David’s not quintessential “nice guy. Just nice. Just affirm everybody.
Musician/warrior. (And D, I will remind you, David prefigures, pre-pictures JC).
So bears in the life of King David.
But are there more bears in the Bible, Bears that are not connected with the life of Kind David?
Yes. quite a few more. Wisdom lit. Exs:
3.(Proverbs 17:12) “Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool bent on folly.”
4.(Proverbs 28:15) Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a helpless people. Selah.
So there’s more… But that’s enough.
But now I want to come to that Bear - two bears - in the Bible that I mentioned earlier
And that’s going to bring us into the life and times of the OT prophet Elijah. Start w/ Elisha: Man of God. Prophet. Was supernaturally, mirac taken up -
2 Kings 2 - 1Now when the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind.
2 K 2 - 11And as they (e and e) still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire (runner - Eric Liddell) and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
So pic that. This is what they saw, and this is what God did….
And Elijah Did not pass go. Did not collect $200. Went up. (Die first? Die later?).
*OK, so Elijah went up. Where are the bears?
23He (Elisha) went up from there to Bethel, and while he was going up on the way, some youths came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!” 24And he turned around, and when he saw them, he cursed them in the name of the LORD. And two she-bears came out of the woods and tore (Niv - Mauled, NKJV - Mauled, NASB - Tore up) forty-two of the boys. 25From there he went on to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.
Two things problematic for some people.
1 - he cursed them in the name of God. Cursed them, for a little mocking, taunting? Over the top?
2 - she-bears - tore 42. Of course, we are to understand, didn’t just happen. No co-incidence. Providentially sent by God.
Over the top. God of the OT? Andy S right - unhitched from the OT?
*Bethel - the center for Apostacy). Wicked and idolat in Israel.
*Boys. 42 killed, but 42 of them. So more. How many? Don’t know. 50?
Boys out roaming in a pack. Not well governed at home. What kind of parents allow? Yeah, you’re getting the picture.
These guys are out roaming around in a mob, looking for something to do, looking for trouble.
*Baldy. Was bald? Mocking God’s prophet. Mocking the man of God.
*Go up - Mocking Elijah. They had heard about…
Equiv = Mocking Jesus’ ascension.
*Mocking Prophet = Mock God.
*Just that the God of Isr sent… (if not get that - too tinged with modern sensibilities of “nice.” Modern notions of God - supremely Nice. And you are forgetting that it is a fearful thing to fall…
*So two bears in life of Elisha. Any more bears?
(Isaiah 11:7 - new heaven and earth) The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together (picture), and the lion will eat straw like the ox. (herbivorous)
*Some - metaphor - reconciliation b/t enemies now, in this NC age.
*Others - New heavens and new earth.
Wherever you place it – it’s to the Glory of God.
So bears in the Bible. And before we go, one more reference to bears - modern culture, children’s songs:
If you go down to the woods today, You're sure of a big surprise
If you go down to the woods today, You'd better go in disguise.
For every bear that ever there was, Will gather there for certain,
Because today's the day, The Teddy Bears have their picnic.
"The Teddy Bears' Picnic" is a song consisting of a melody written in 1907 by American composer John Walter Bratton, and lyrics added in 1932 by Irish songwriter Jimmy Kennedy. Reflects our fascination with - Bears. B/c amazing creatures, created by a vastly more amazing creator God.
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