Omission

There are times when I read the lesson that I stray from the marked text and read in between the citations or before or after a block, just to see what happens that the Lesson Committee didn't think pertinent. Sometimes addition inspiration comes; other times, a good chuckle and shaking of the head. This week we have an example of the latter, though it is more morbidly funny than actually hilarious. From the Section II, we read of the story of Elisha and Elijah where Elijah is taken up by the whirlwind. After Elisha parts the waters with Elijah's mantle, he goes back to Jericho, and sons of prophets acknowledge that the spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha. Great. Continuing on, however, we read about Elisha being taunted by little kids. Let's tune in and see how this man of God, whom the spirit of Elijah rests upon, handles it:

23 ¶ And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. 24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.

AHHHH!!! He took offense to being called bald, and as retribution cursed the children and caused two she bears to eat 42 of them (HHGttG anyone?). Like I said, morbidly funny. A different era to be sure…