Whatever else we make of the detail of the story, one profound lesson must be that it is dangerous for the world and worldly powers to threaten and persecute the people of God. Even what appeared strength in numbers did not prevent the solemn outcome.

Elisha turns round and pronounces a curse, whereupon two female bears come out of the woods and maul 42 youths ( 2 Kings 2:23-24). It was a deep disrespect for the Lord’s servant. Our mind goes back to the incident in 2 Kings in which Elisha is called names by some youths. Whatever the poor state in their religion it was dangerous for the enemy to touch them. Nevertheless they were – however tenuously – among the Lord special people. These Jews of the exile were not bright and shining lights in that society for the Lord, whose name is never mentioned by them or about them. There is a warning here to the world that it is dangerous to touch the Lord’s people ⤒ 🔗 What do we make of it all? How does it square with New Testament teaching? What do we learn for ourselves today? 1. These chapters also explain to us the origins of the Feast of Purim (i.e. By any measure it is one of the goriest of Old Testament incidents. Here in chapter 9 and the few verses of chapter 10 we have the record of the day the extermination of the Jews was to take place. It has not been impressive in many ways, though it has also been a lesson in divine providence in preserving His people, however backslidden or wayward they be in the face of apparently great odds. We are coming to the end of this saga in the life of exiles in Persia.

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