Like Eve eating the apple from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, Elisha might not have thunk through his thought when he asked Elijah for a double share of his spirit and to be his successor. He found out quickly just what that meant and I think even realized what a thing he had done! After he sees the chariots and whirlwind take Elijah away, he shouts out (v. 12), “I see them. Woo hoo! I see them, God.” Ok, he didn’t say that, but he did sound pretty excited. But then, he tears his clothes in distress. I think he may have had a “what have I done exactly” moment there. His first test of his new “powers” is parting the river like he’d seen Elijah do. After a bit of smart-mouthery, he gets his way and moves on to bigger and better things, like clarifying the water for the whole of Jericho. Well done. But just as Elisha is doing good things, he goes and sicks two bears on a group of boys from town for calling him baldy. Elisha seems to have a little mean streak in him! Can you imagine the headline? “Bears maul boys in woods for calling prophet baldy, 42 die”
Writing prompt: report it
Write a news report about Elisha’s encounter with the boys.
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