Good morning, Ref Church. Please open up your copy of the Scriptures to 2 Kings chapter 2. The title of the sermon today is Elisha's Confirmation. And just beware, I'm going to use the Hebrew pronunciation of Elisha to differentiate from Elijah. So Elijah, first prophet, Elisha, second prophet. So pick it up with me in 2 Kings 2, we're gonna read the whole chapter. Pick it up with me in verse one. And it came about when the Lord was about to take up Elijah by a whirlwind to heaven, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, stay here please, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel. But Elisha said, as the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you. So they went down to Bethel. Then the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over you today? And he said, yes, I know, be still. Elijah said to him, Elisha, please stay here for the Lord has sent me to Jericho. But he said, as the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you. So they came to Jericho. The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho approached Elisha and said to him, do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over you today? And he answered, yes, I know, be still. Then Elijah said to him, please stay here for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan. And he said, as the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you. So the two of them went on. Now fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood opposite them at a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan. Elijah took his mantle, folded it together, and struck the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground. When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you. And Elisha said, please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me. He said, you have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you. But if not, it shall not be so. And they were going along and talking. Behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire, which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven. And Elisha saw it and cried out, my father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen. And he saw Elijah no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces. He also took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and returned and stood by the bank of the Jordan. He took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and struck the waters and said, where is the Lord, the God of Elijah? And when he also struck the waters, they were divided here and there and Elisha crossed over. Now when the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho opposite him saw him, they said, the spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha. And they came to meet him and bowed themselves down to the ground before him. And they said to him, behold now, there are with your servants 50 strong men, please let them go and search for your master. Perhaps the spirit of the Lord has taken him up and cast him on some mountain or into some valley. And he said, you shall not send. But when they urged him until he was ashamed, he said, send. They sent therefore 50 men and they searched three days, but did not find him. They returned to him while he was staying at Jericho and said to them, did I not say to you, do not go? Then the men of the city said to Elisha, Behold now, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees, but the water is bad and the land is unfruitful. He said, bring me a new jar and put salt in it. So they brought it to him. He put, or he went out to the spring of the water and threw the salt into it and said, thus says the Lord, I have purified these waters. Therefore, sorry, there shall not be from their death or unfruitfulness any longer. So the waters have been purified to this day, according to the word of Elisha, which he spoke. 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, 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. Please pray with me. Father, we thank you for the beauty of your text. Lord, we thank you that your word shows us that Christ is king, that Christ is the prophet, and that he is the priest, and all our hopes are in him. Lord, we pray that you would expose this word to us, that you would show us your glory, that you would show us your loving kindness and mercy and compassion towards your covenant people. Lord, would you remind us of your goodness? Would you remind us of your justice? And would you ultimately show us yourself, Lord? Strengthen me, strengthen all of us, Lord, as we end this year and as we enter into a new year, would you sanctify us in truth, for your word is truth. We pray these things in Christ's name, amen. Now before we dive in, I wanna take a step back and lay out a biblical paradigm. This paradigm is gonna help us to understand the meaning of this text and also help us to apply this text to our lives. Let's call this paradigm the passing of the baton. We see that Elijah in this passage is gonna pass the baton to Elisha, his follower. When Elijah ascends into heaven, Elisha is gonna receive his spirit. This scene, as we read in the call to worship, is paralleled in the New Testament in Acts. When Christ ascends into heaven, his spirit is sent upon his apostles. And the apostles are empowered by the Holy Spirit to do greater works than even Christ himself did, according to John 14, 12. Think about this, these mere men, these mere apostles, they heal the sick. They break free from prison, they raise the dead to life. And thus, Christ passing the baton to the apostles parallels our passage today. And both of these passages are actually drawing from a former pattern. Moses, before them, the leader of Israel, also passes the baton to Joshua, his follower. So this paradigm beginning with Moses and Joshua and then moving to Elijah and Elisha builds upon itself, causing us to look forward to the Messiah and the apostles in the last day. Moses and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha are Old Testament types and shadows pointing us forward to give us a picture of Christ. And just as Elijah did miracles, Elisha is going to do greater ones, as we're gonna see in the coming chapters and today. In the same way Christ did miracles to confirm his ministry, so also the apostles do greater ones to confirm their ministry. These Old Testament patterns are embedded in the Old Testament to show us what the Messiah was going to look like. And it should be stated that these three time periods are the hotbeds for miracles in the Bible. Most people today think that miracles just happened all throughout the Old Testament and all throughout the Bible. And thus, they would conclude from that, that miracles should continue happening today. If it was like that back then, it should continue today. This would be a continuationist perspective, which we reject here at Ref Church. And the reason is, is that their central premise is wrong. Did you catch that? They assume that miracles happen all throughout the Old Testament and all throughout the Bible. However, that's not true. Miracles did not happen all throughout the Bible times. The miracles in the Bible are contained in three major periods, Moses and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha, and then of course, Christ and the apostles. Thus we should ask the question, why are these miracles limited to these three time periods and what purpose do the miracles serve? The answer is simple. Miracles are not the norm of history. Miracles appear during these three time periods in order to identify and confirm the ministry of God's messengers. Miracles highlight God's prophets in history and are signs to the community that this one is God's man. Therefore, you ought to listen to him. Miracles confirm God's messengers. And thus, this biblical paradigm laying behind our text today ought to help us as we look for application. So keep these things in mind as we unpack this. For those taking notes, we're going to examine this passage in three sections. First, the splitting of the Jordan. Second, the healing of the water. And third, the cursing of the children. Each of these sections are evidence given by the author to confirm that Elisha has received the spirit of Elijah. Elisha is now the prophet and the messenger of God. The splitting of the Jordan, the healing of the water, and the cursing of the children all prove that when Elijah ascended into heaven, Elisha truly received his spirit and thus received the prophetic office. The baton has been passed. Elisha is the bit piece of God. Now let us examine these three sections in detail. Let's begin with section one, the splitting of the Jordan. Look at verse 13 with me. He also took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and returned and stood by the bank of the Jordan. He took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and struck the waters and said, where is the Lord, the God of Elijah? And when he also struck the waters there, they were divided here and there, and Elijah crossed over. And when the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho opposite him saw him, they said, the spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha. And they came to meet him and bowed themselves down to the ground before him. And they said to him, behold now, there are with your servants 50 strong men. Please let them go and search for your master. Perhaps the spirit of the Lord has taken him up and cast him on the mountain or into some valley. And he said, you shall not send. But when they urged him until he was ashamed, he said, send. They sent therefore 50 men, and they searched three days, but did not find him. They returned to him while he was staying at Jericho, and he said to them, did I not say to you, do not go? Recall with me to verse seven of this chapter. Notice in verse seven that Elijah and Elisha stood at the Jordan River opposite of these 50 prophets. In verse eight, Elijah struck the waters and parted them like the Red Sea. And then Elijah and Elisha passed through on dry ground. Elijah here in verse seven and eight is imitating the Exodus when Moses splits the waters and the Israelites pass through on dry ground. This is Elijah's last miracle before he's translated into heaven. And in verse nine, Elijah asks, or excuse me, Elisha asks Elijah for a double portion of his spirit. And in verse 10, Elijah promises to give his spirit on the condition that Elisha sees him ascend into heaven. Then in verses 11 and 12, Elijah is taken up into heaven by the chariot and the whirlwind, and Elisha witnesses the ascension and thus receives the spirit of Elijah. Notice what happens next. Elisha then takes up this mantle and cloak of Elijah, which symbolizes the prophetic office, and strikes the waters of the Jordan in verses 13 and 14. The waters divide to the left and to the right, and Elisha crosses over on dry ground, just like the Israelites. The splitting of the Jordan is Elisha's first miracle, which is paralleling Elijah's last miracle. This miracle testifies that Elisha is the prophet of God. There's no vacancy in the office. Elisha is the bit piece of God. Moreover, Elisha's miracle also answers his own question. He asked this question, where is the Lord, the God of Elijah? Now Elijah may be gone, But the God of Elijah is very present still. And this is evidenced in the dividing of the waters in verse 14. That's the context for our passage. Now look at verse 15. And notice who has been watching all these events happen. Notice verse 15 says this, then the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho opposite him saw him and said, the spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha. These sons of the prophets who were mentioned back in verse seven have witnessed all these events. They saw Elijah strike the waters and then divide. They saw Elijah translated up into heaven. And they saw Elisha take up the mantle and then strike the waters and divide the Jordan again. They saw the miracle and then thus they declare that the spirit of Elijah now rests on Elisha. Do you see they believe in their hearts and they confess with their mouth that Elisha is the prophet of God, which drives them towards Elisha to meet him and to bow down to him in honor. They recognize and they show reverence to God's ordained office. They understand that God's ordained offices deserve honor. Here, in essence, they are practicing the fifth commandment, which states this, honor your father and your mother, Exodus 20, verse 12. Now the Westminster Catechism, question 124, asks this, who are meant by father and mother in the fifth commandment? And in response, they answer, by father and mother in the fifth commandment are meant not only natural parents, but all superiors in age, and gifts, especially as by God's ordinance, are over us in place of authority, whether in family, church, or commonwealth. In other words, what is the catechism saying? Well, it's saying honor God's ordained positions. From the family sphere, to father and mother, to the ecclesiastical sphere, pastors and elders, to the civil sphere are governing authorities. The Scriptures call us to honor all those God has placed in authority over us. Let's take a moment and let's sit here for a second. Church, you are called to honor all those God has ordained over you. You should think of your parents, you should think of your pastors, You should think of your governing authorities as the ordained counsel that God has placed for you. Imagine a courtroom scene with counselors that are seated all around you. You're in the middle and God has placed each and every one of these people in positions of honor so that they might guide you throughout your life. They are God's ordained counselors for you, for your good. And thus, you have a duty towards these people, you have a duty to show them honor. In the Westminster Catechism, question 127 asks this, what is the honor that inferiors, not in value but in rank, so inferiors, the subordinates, owe to superiors? And again, not in value but in rank. The answer is this. The honor which inferiors owe to their superiors is all due reverence in heart, word, and deed. prayer and thanksgiving for them, imitation of their virtues and graces, willing obedience to their lawful commands and counsels, due submission to their corrections, fidelity to, defense and maintenance of their persons and authority, according to their several ranks and the nature of their places, bearing with their infirmities and covering them in love. that they may be an honor to them and to their government. Church, did you catch all that? I would encourage all of you all this afternoon to look at question 127 of the Westminster Catechism and meditate on it. It's so rich. And to contemplate and to come up with a list of how can we better apply these principles. How can we better honor our governing authorities? How can we better honor our pastors and our elders? How can we better honor our parents that God has given us? Consider how you might have a better demeanor of reverence in heart and word and behavior towards your superiors. Examine whether you're praying and giving thanks for those that God has placed over you. Are you imitating their virtues and graces? Are you willingly obedient to all their lawful commands and counsels? Do you willingly submit to their corrections? Are you faithfully committed to them? Church, do you recognize the nature of their ordained offices, that God has placed them there? God has given them honor, therefore they're due honor. And this is an area that you can grow in. Honestly, this is an area that all of us can grow in as a church. May this new year bring about in us a greater love and a greater obedience to God's law. not because we're saved by God's law, but because we've been saved to walk in the good works that the Father has prepared for us. May this coming year be a time that our lives would greater reflect the glory of the King. Thus the actions of the sons of the prophets in verse 15 exemplify how we ought to honor God's ordained leaders. And here we see a specifically, this is an ecclesiastical leader. This is a church leader, he's a prophet. Okay, now let's look at verse 16. The sons of the prophets, yes, honor Elisha and believe, but they are also a bit confused. Notice this. They seem to think that Elijah's body has been carried away by the Holy Spirit to some place, either on some mountain over there or in some valley someplace. Now they could think that Elijah is still alive and he's in one of these places, but it's more likely that they think that Elijah's soul has been taken and his body has been discarded in one of these places. And if that's true, then their motive would be they want to find his body in order to give him a proper burial. This is a good intention. They want to find Elijah's body in order to show him honor by giving him a proper burial, proper resting place. And I put forward to you, this would be one example, this is one application of how we can honor our superiors by giving them a honorus or a proper resting place. However, the sons of the prophets here, notice again, they're confused, which is evidenced by Elisha's response at the end of verse 16. He says, you shall not send. But in verse 17, these men double down and urge him unto the point of shame. Figuratively, they figuratively press on him until the situation becomes so shameful that he just gives them what they want. You've probably had those situations. And all of a sudden, he allows them, he permits them to send out the search party. The search party goes out, And they searched for three days and they do not find Elijah. Notice the number three there. Three is a number of completion. So we should see that as they went out, they searched a complete amount of time and they did not find Elijah. Elijah was gone. He had been translated into heaven. And then in verse 18, the men returned empty-handed while Elisha was staying in Jericho. And Elisha said to them, did I not say to you, do not go? You see, Elisha knew what had happened. He saw it, he bore witness to it. Elijah was gone. Elijah had been translated into heaven and Elisha was now the prophet of God. That's section one. the splitting of the Jordan, which is the first sign that confirms Elisha's new office. Now let's look at sign number two, the healing of the water. Look at verse 19 with me. Then the men of the city said to Elisha, behold, now the situation of this city is pleasant, as my Lord sees, but the water is bad and the land is unfruitful. He said, bring me a new jar and put salt in it. So they brought it to him. He went out to the spring of water and threw the salt in it and said, thus says the Lord, I have purified these waters. There shall not be from their death or unfruitfulness any longer. So the waters have been purified to this day, according to the word of Elisha, which he spoke. It should be noticed that this scene here parallels another Old Testament scene. Can you think of it in your mind? Yes, it's Exodus 15. In Exodus 15, just after God parts the waters and the Red Sea splits and the Israelites walk through on dry ground, the Israelites, actually in Exodus 15 there, they come to a place called Marah. And there, it's called Marah because the water is bitter and undrinkable. So Moses cries out in Exodus 15 to the Lord, and the Lord shows him a tree. Moses takes the tree, throws it in the waters, and the waters become sweet. The Lord healed the water. And in that text, in verse 26, the Lord declares this to them after He heals the water. If you give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all of His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put upon the Egyptians. For I the Lord am your healer. And some, the Lord says this, if Israel obeys God's law, they're going to receive blessing. but if they break God's covenant, they're gonna receive curses. Now Elisha's scene here parallels Exodus 15. He has just divided the waters to the left and to the right and walked through on dry ground. He now comes to a city in which the water is bad, and he too is about to do a miracle in order to confirm his priesthood, or I should say his prophethood. Now look back at verse 19 again. The men of the city, that is Jericho, tell Elisha that the city is pleasant or good. That is, that the city is doing well overall. But there's a problem. The water in Jericho is bad and the land is unfruitful. The word for bad denotes that the water is harmful. Instead of being a refreshing drink to the earth and to their bodies, the water is harming them. Rather than giving life, the water is bringing about death. And we know this by the end of verse 19. Notice where it says the land is unfruitful. The natural effect of bad water is that the land does not produce. You could say the land is barren. But the word here for fruitful in Hebrew is actually factative. And now what that means is this, that it's not referring to the state of the grounds, but rather to the state that the ground causes. If you have a NASB 1995, look at your footnote. Look at the footnote for verse 19. Notice what it gives you there. It says, it causes barrenness. I put forward to you, this is the better translation. It's not that the land is barren, which it is, but it's more than that. It's actually that the land is causing barrenness. It's causing unfruitfulness in the women and the animals and the vegetation of Jericho. The land is keeping the women from getting pregnant and or causing miscarriages. Ref Church, do you see Jericho is under the curse of God? Now, I want you to think about that for a second. Why is Jericho under the curse of God? Well, take your Bibles and turn with me to Joshua chapter six. Turn with me to Joshua chapter six, verse 24. And as you're turning, recall that Jericho is the first city that the Israelites take in their conquest. You guys know the story, right? It's famous. They march around the city seven times. On the seventh day, I think they march around seven times. All the walls fall down. Israel comes in and destroys the city. But most people, they leave out this one detail. Look at verse 24 with me. They burned the city with fire and all that was in it, only the silver and gold, the articles of bronze and iron, and they put it into the treasury of the house of the Lord. However, Rahab the harlot and her father's household and all she had, Joshua spared. And she lived in the midst of Israel to this day, for she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. Then Joshua made them take an oath at that time saying, Cursed before the Lord is the man who rises up and builds the city Jericho. With the loss of his firstborn, he shall lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son, he shall set up its gates. Thus Jericho is destroyed, and whoever rebuilds it is gonna lose his firstborn son and his youngest son. Now Jericho remained in ruins all the way throughout the Old Testament until the reign of King Ahab. Turn with me now to 1 Kings 16. Pastor Jerry preached on this a couple months ago. So 1 Kings 16, verse 33. And as you're turning there, notice that there was this curse on Jericho. It was supposed to remain in ruins. It was not supposed to be rebuilt. So pick it up with me in 1 Kings 16, 33. Ahab also made the Asherah. Thus Ahab did more to revoke the Lord, the God of Israel, than all the kings of Israel who were before him. In his days, Hael, the Bethelite, built Jericho. Uh-oh, it's not good, bad news. He laid its foundations with the loss of Abiram, his first son, or his firstborn, and set up its gates with the loss of his youngest son, Segub, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by Joshua, the son of Nun. Ref Church, do you see? Under the reign of King Ahab, Hyle the Bethelite comes and rebuilds Jericho. And ultimately, Hyle receives the curse of God. He loses his firstborn son and his youngest son because he's rebuilt the city that was supposed to remain in ruins. It was supposed to be a witness for God's glory. However, he rebels and builds it in rebellion. And this happened to fulfill the word of Joshua the prophet. Now look back at our text today. So turn back to 2 Kings 2. At this point, I believe it is safe to assume that Jericho, the city that was not supposed to be rebuilt, the city built by wicked and rebellious men, had a curse upon it. And ever since its rebuilding, the water would have been bad, and the land would be causing barrenness. That is, until one day when Elisha the prophet comes to heal the land. Look back at 2 Kings 2, verse 20. He said, bring me a new jar and put salt in it. And they brought it to him, and he went out to the spring of water and threw salt in it and said, thus says the Lord, I have purified these waters. There shall not be from here death or unfruitfulness any longer. You see, Elisha asked for this new jar with some salt in it, and to be fair, I think it's safe to say there's not enough salt in that jar to really make a difference to all the water in Jericho. This is a miracle, this is not a crunchy remedy. So this is a miracle that ultimately Joshua is going to do. The men of the city bring it to him, he takes the jar of salt, he throws it into the source of the water where the water's coming out of, And Elisha speaks, as the prophet of God, Elisha speaks, thus saith the Lord. He declares the waters are healed, they're pure. No more death coming from them, no more barrenness, no more miscarriage coming from these waters. The Lord healed the waters, the Lord mended the waters. The water of Jericho, by the hand of Elisha, the Lord lifted the curse. Even though it was a city built by wicked men in rebellion against the king, the Lord healed it, healed the water. And the curse of Jericho was gone. Elisha was declared to be the prophet of God. Elisha was confirmed as the prophet of God. Elisha is following after the pattern of Moses here, and both these men are picturing for us what the Messiah would look like when he came. And if you remember, Jesus, when he came, he came bringing living water. Jesus, who would tell the woman at the well in John 4 this, everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst. But the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life. Church, Jesus the Messiah has brought about better water than Elisha. Elisha's water brought about physical life. Jesus's water brings about eternal life. Ref Church, are you parched today? At the end of this long year, are you thirsty? Are you longing for something to drink? Come to Jesus and drink freely. Drink freely from the waters of life. For whoever drinks of this water will never thirst again. Now to close this section, the author interjects a comment in verse 22. He states this, so the waters have been purified to this day according to the word of Elisha, which he spoke. Thus, the author here is testifying to the validity of this story. This actually happened. And actually, if you go to Jericho today, you too will see that this city nowadays is a city of great fertility and great fruitfulness. And I bet if you went and tasted the waters, it may just be a little salty still. Thus Elisha is confirmed as the prophet of God. This is the second sign that confirms his prophethood. His miracle and his words as he speaks on behalf of God validate, they confirm his office. Let's move to section three, the cursing of the children. I know this is the section everybody came to hear. Look at verse 23 with me. 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, 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. Now, this is one of the most controversial texts in all the scriptures. I know a man who was rebuffed before by an unbeliever. This unbeliever, of course, pointed to this text and said, if that's your God, the God who's gonna murder innocent children, I want nothing to do with him. However, that's not the situation here. This story is way more complex than that. And I wanna take some time to unpack that. First, notice the location. Look at verse 23 with me. That should mean something to you. So even though Bethel means the house of God, Bethel was anything but the house of God. Recall that Jeroboam had placed an idolatrous calf in Bethel when there was the dividing of the tribes and first kings. The people in the city of Bethel are not like Jericho. Jericho, the people are believing, and Bethel, the people are rebelling. They're idolaters. They're worshiping this calf, that Jeroboam. They had accepted it, and they're living idolatry, and they've been doing this for a long time now. They are wicked idolaters. And notice the fruit of their wickedness seems to have produced these young, wicked lads. Further evidence of their wickedness can be found in 2 Chronicles 16, verse 15. You don't have to turn there, I'll read it for you. In verse 15, the chronicler says this. The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent word to them again and again by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. but they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised his words, and scoffed at his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, until there was no remedy." You see, the Chronicler establishes that this is no one-time occurrence. Rather, this is the regular pattern of the people of Israel. The Lord continually and regularly sent his word by his messengers because he had compassionate mercy towards them. But Israel continually mocked these messengers. They continually despised his words and scoffed at God's prophets. Israel did this again and again and again. And the parents and their offspring mocked the prophets of God. They spit on God's word. That should offend you. Thus, our text here is just one marble in a box full of marbles. It's one piece of evidence in a large scathing case against Israel. They forsook God. They hated God's prophets. They mocked God's messengers. but God is showing them mercy still. Look at God's merciful compassion. He continues to send his messengers like Elisha to call them to repentance. Now look at verse 23 with me. Elisha, as the prophet of God, is being sent to call Bethel to repentance so that they might receive the mercy of God. And all Bethel needs to do is say, Lord, you're right, we've sinned against you, and then to turn from their calf worship to the living God. However, instead of that response, Elisha is met by the first youth group. This pack of folly, this gang of fools, this brood of young vipers comes out of the city and mocks the prophet of God. Actually, let me put this more starkly. They mock the merciful compassion of the living God. They make fun of God's messenger with this continual annoying taunt. Go up, you baldy. Go up, you baldy. When I hear that refrain as they're mocking the prophet as he approaches the city, I can't help but to picture that scene in the Christmas story. Do y'all remember the scene when Ralphie finally gets his gun and he shoots, and of course he shoots his eye out, right? And as he's standing there holding his eye, or actually he's on the ground, he's holding his eye and he hears the continual refrain that's been told to him throughout the movie, right? The frame goes something like this. You'll shoot your eye out, you'll shoot your eye out. And of course, what did he do? Well, he shot his eye out. That is the annoying refrain that these young lads have chosen for the merciful compassion of God. Go up, you baldy. Go up, you baldy. Elisha, at this point, turns, sees their rebellion. He sees their wickedness and curses them in the name of the Lord. And then out of nowhere, God's curse comes upon them. Two female bears come out of the woods and rip the boys. The 42 boys, they shred them to pieces. church, God is just and God will punish sin. Sin always has consequences. Your sin always has consequences. Let's consider their sin a little further. First, let's consider the circumstances of these boys. These young foolish lads find themselves apart from their parents among other fools. And the saying rings true, when the blind leads the blind, they all fall in the ditch. These foolish children needed the wisdom of godly parents. Children of Ref Church, listen to me. Children of Ref Church, listen. You need your parents. You need their wisdom. God has given you parents in order to train you in the ways of God, in the ways of the Lord. Thus, you're called, children, to honor and obey your parents. Now, parents, listen to me for a second. Your children need you. There's this common lie going around that your children need more social time. They need more time with their peers, you know? They need more time to express themselves. Parents, it's a lie. Children do not need more time with fools. They have enough. They don't need more folly. They're born with enough folly bound up in their bosom, enough to damn them to hell if they don't learn some wisdom. They need your wisdom. God has placed you as parents in their life to impart godly wisdom, to train them in righteousness, to train them in the way of the Lord. Your duty is to train them in godliness. Your duty is to drive out their folly with the rod. Parents, your children need your wisdom. They need you. And God has given them to you to train them in the way of the Lord. They are stewardship. This is your duty, parents. Obey the Lord. Parents, obey the Lord by training your children in the ways of the Lord. This is one way that we can obey God, by training our children and offering them to them. Second, let's consider the particular sin of these boys. These young lads are dishonoring the Lord's anointed. They're breaking the fifth commandment. Notice, they are not honoring the ordained of the Lord as the sons of the prophets were in Jericho. The Westminster Catechism, question 128 asks this question. What are the sins of inferiors against superiors? So inferior in rank, again, not in value, but what is the sin of someone who is subordinate or in submission to their superior? What's the sins? And the answer is this. The sins of inferiors against their superiors are all neglect of the duties required toward them, envying at, contempt of, rebellion against their persons and places, and their lawful councils, commands and corrections, now listen to this carefully, cursing, mocking, and all such refractory and scandalous carriage, as proves a shame and a dishonor to them and to their government. Thus you heard it there, right? Mocking is dishonor towards a superior. In their mocking, these young boys are dishonoring Elisha, the prophet of God. They're breaking the fifth commandment. They're rebelling against the living God. Children, listen to me again. Children, are you there? Be warned, do not dishonor nor disobey your parents. Be afraid of speaking wicked words, for God hears what you say. Honor those God has placed over you, or else you will bring God's judgment upon you. Ref Church, all of us, be warned. All of you, do not mock those whom God has placed over you. Honor your parents. Honor your pastors. Honor your governing authorities. Do not neglect your duties to them. Do not envy them. Do not hate them. Do not rebel against them, either their persons nor their positions. Listen to their lawful counsels. Heed, heed them in your chest, their lawful commands. Receive their lawful corrections. Do not curse them. Do not mock them, but rather, honor, honor, give weight to them, show them reverence in word, deed, and in heart to your superiors, or else you will bring God's judgment against you. Third, let's consider the consequences of these boys' sin. The dishonor of the Lord's anointed brought about a temporary judgment, which ought to have been a warning to the people of Bethel. that this temporary judgment on the boys was only pointing forward to God's eternal judgment upon them. Notice these two shepherds rip the boys pieces to pieces, leaving no piece left unripped. Church, God will not be mocked. God will get glory, and if you choose to stand in His way, He will get glory over you. Commentator Matthew Henry writes this, God must be glorified as a righteous God that hates sin and will reckon for it. Let the hideous shrieks and groans of this wicked, wretched brood make our flesh tremble for the fear of God. Let parents that would have comfort in their children train them up well and do their utmost betimes to drive out the foolishness that is bound up in their hearts. Church, God will be glorified. God will get justice. God will repay every sin. Let this story be a warning to you. Now look at verse 25, last verse. And then Elijah went up from there to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria. In conclusion, let's bring this sermon full circle. Elisha is confirmed to be the prophet of God by his three miracles here. When Elijah ascended into heaven, Elisha receives the spirit of God. And this paradigm points us forward to Christ and his apostles. Just as we read in our call to worship, Christ has ascended into heaven. He's seated at the right hand of the father. And he has sent forth his spirit on his apostles who have done great miracles that ultimately confirm their apostleship. And actually they did greater works than Christ himself. And these miracles confirmed the position of the apostles who died for what they wrote. They died testifying that Jesus was the fulfillment of all these Old Testament prophecies, that Jesus was the greater prophet than Elisha, that Jesus has come bringing better waters, waters that will bring forth to eternal life. Jesus is the greater prophet. He's the greater priest. He's the greater king. Christ has made atonement for our sins, so if you feel conviction today, I would encourage you, run to Christ, confess your sins, and rest in Him. Drink from the living waters that spring forth to eternal life. Thus, if you can hear my voice today, for those listening, I invite you to drink, drink deeply of Christ today, and be healed, church.