Yes, bears, two bears sent by God to rip apart 42 of the boys Elisha had cursed in God's name for making fun of him.
For me the first curious thing is like what you observed. Forty- two children? And the passage reads 42 of the boys were attacked by the bears. Which implies there were more than just 42 children present.
Secondly, where you see boomerang effect, I see the old sticks and stones adage.
A prophet of God bring teased and harassed by little kids is so insecure that he curses them in the name of the God he speaks for?
All those passages of wisdom in the OT that speak to how one should deal with bad behavior and hateful words, and there's Elisha cursing children in the name of God. And God responded sending bears to maul 42 boy children. And what's Elisha do?
He went on to Mount Carmel and from there returned to Samaria.
About extreme I think.
I'm sure there is a lot of lessons in there.
Maybe it wasn't insecurity but rather seeing the unformed not so good fruits beginning to bare... bear.. bare.
Nip it in the bud, so to speak.
If they were willing to tease and harrass a prophet of God, then maybe they had no respect for any elders.
Life was a lot harder in the OT. Lessons of judgement and consequences.
Where as in the NT we learn lessons of Mercy and forgiveness.
Kind of like eating from both sides of that fruit..
knowing good and knowing evil.
Somewhere between the two lies the silver lining.
:)
Not to the left or to the right, but strait down the middle.
Hugs
