7/4/10 - Elisha 1 - 2 Kings 2:23-25

RESPECT IS NOT OPTIONAL

Elisha had been the assistant to Elijah the prophet for years. He had followed him from place to place. He had seen his miracles. He had learned from his words. And when Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind, it was Elisha who had been separated from him by the fiery chariot and horses from heaven. It was Elisha who had been left there holding the former prophet’s cloak in his hands. It was Elisha who then parted the Jordan River with that cloak and crossed over on dry ground. And it was Elisha who took over the enormous responsibility of being God’s main prophet for the entire land of Israel and the leader of the company of prophets who were being trained during that time. If anyone was “worthy” of honor, if anyone had earned a little bit of respect among the people, it was Elisha. He was, perhaps, the most well-respected person in the entire land of Israel. But as he was traveling to the city of Bethel one day, Elisha was treated as an object of harsh and irreverent ridicule by a group of children who should have known better. “Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some youths came out of the town and jeered at him. ‘Go on up, you baldhead!’ they said. ‘Go on up, you baldhead!’ He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths. And he went on to Mount Carmel and from there returned to Samaria.”
Was this punishment too harsh? It was certainly swift and irrevocable; there’s no doubt about that! But was it cruel? Was it cold? Was Elisha just getting revenge in the heat of the moment? Was he on a power trip and wanted to prove to these disrespectful little boys that you don’t mess with God’s prophet? Or was the punishment just? Was it right? Was it exactly what Jesus himself would have done in the same situation?
We know from Scripture that God is undeniably a merciful God. He is a compassionate and a patient and a loving God. Even to disobedient children. But the Lord is also a God who does not tolerate insubordination. He is a God who has always taken it personally when one of his representatives on earth is disrespected. Consider the story of Aaron and Miriam that we heard earlier this morning. These two leaders of the Israelite nation were bad-mouthing their brother Moses. And the Lord did not take kindly to their words. Because Moses was his prophet! Moses was his chosen instrument to lead his people out of Egypt, through the desert, and up to the border of the Promised Land. And the Lord didn’t want his chosen one to be spoken against. And so because of their defiance, Miriam was struck with leprosy until Moses interceded for her and she was healed.
But of course that is not the only instance in which the Bible speaks about the respect and the honor our God wants for those he has placed in authority. Listen to his command to the Old Testament Israelites in Exodus 21:17: “Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.” That punishment might sound a little too severe to fit the crime, but God wanted to make it clear: even the parental authorities he has placed in a home deserve the same kind of honorable treatment he demands for himself. And that respect is not just due to those who are Christians, those who are believers. It is supposed to be given to unbelievers in those positions as well. When the people of Israel were going into exile to the heathen land of Babylon, these were the instructions that the Lord had for his nation: “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper” (Jer. 29:7). Pray to the Lord for the government that would take them into exile? Seek the success of a foreign nation that would destroy their city and burn God’s temple to the ground? Yes! The Babylonians would be their new governmental authorities. And the Lord expected the Israelites to live under that ungodly king just as if they were living under the rule of some of the godly kings of Judah.
And so the punishment that resulted from Elisha’s curse on the boys was not too harsh. It was keeping right in line with the Lord’s words and the Lord’s actions throughout Scripture; he demands respect from his people for those who represent him in this world: civil leaders, spiritual leaders, and leaders of the home. Respect is not optional. God insists that we respect those in any kind of authority just as we would respect God himself.
In the Japanese culture, respect for one’s superiors is a big part of their every day life. When a person takes a new job or enrolls in a school or is accepted into an organization of any kind, the unwritten social system of sempai and kohai comes into effect. The sempai is the elder or more experienced person in the relationship. The new employee or the new student or the new member is the kohai. The kohai honors, respects, and obeys the sempai. And the sempai in turn teaches and mentors the younger or less experienced individual. Even the language that the kohai uses with his/her sempai is different that the language used with others. It is purposely formal and polite and respectful in every way. And although that relationship within the Japanese culture is interwoven into different aspects of their lives, it is hardly analogous with anything we have in our country today.
It’s true that there are mentors and advisors and others who have gained our respect. But rarely do we treat someone like the kohai treats their respective sempai. There is an independent spirit within an American’s heart. A free, self-sufficient, almost rebellious attitude that is nurtured in this country. “No one is worthy of my respect automatically! No one is going to demand anything from me no matter who they are or where they went to school or what title they hold or how old they may be! I don’t have to listen to anyone if I don’t want to! And I am equal to or even better than anyone I meet!” Isn’t that the typical American thought process, especially among the younger generations? Especially on a day like today?
Today, of course, happens to be the Fourth of July: Independence Day. A great day, an exciting historical event, a patriotic festival of red, white, and blue; parades, fireworks, and apple pie. It is a date we celebrate every year to commemorate our autonomy from British rule in 1776. But our Independence Day is an event that is largely due to the breaking of this command from our Lord about respecting authorities. Whether the British rule was fair or not, whether the people in this country were treated well or not, the government of England was still in the position of authority. And many of our national forefathers rebelled, they revolted - it is called the American Revolution, after all. Now God certainly used that event for the good of his people; there are many benefits that the Lord has given us through the past actions of those first colonies. But the situation itself did not come about in the most God-pleasing of ways.
And so it is fitting for us to talk about the scriptural principle of respecting our leaders on a day like today. We look back with disappointment on the way things were handled in and around 1776, but we also take the opportunity on this holiday to show respect to the government we are currently under because of it. We are filled with pride for the country we are a part of and we show proper reverence for those who lead our country - even and especially the president himself.
Yes, even and especially the President of these United States. And those who we have elected to the other ruling bodies of our government. And those on the state and city levels. And those we would call “employers” and those who are our parents. God has placed all these people into positions of leadership and we are to give them respect, without exception. Because when it comes right down to it: it doesn’t matter who they are; it doesn’t matter what they say; it doesn’t even matter what they do. Whether you like them or not, whether you agree with them or not, whether you voted for them or not, whether they are Christians or not… the Lord asks that you give them honor and respect. Because “He who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.” (Romans 13:2)
When we make fun of those in authority, we are making fun of God’s chosen representatives. When we deride their character to others, we are deriding the wisdom
of the Lord’s decision. When we mock their demeanor, their words, their abilities, we are placing ourselves among the 42 children who are mocked one of God’s own, “Go on up, you bald head! Go on up!” The Lord doesn’t think the degrading jokes are funny. The Lord doesn’t consider defiant actions as bold or noble. The Lord does not look with favor on those kinds of words or attitudes - done in public or behind closed doors. He demands that we respect those he has chosen to lead and, as Romans says, those who do not “will bring judgment on themselves.”
It was during the time of the Passover and, as always, Jesus traveled to Jerusalem with his parents for the event. But this time, as his parents started to head back to Nazareth after the Feast was over, Jesus, unbeknownst to them, stayed behind in the temple courts. He was only 12 years old. And when his mother and father finally found him after three days of searching, Scripture says that Jesus was “sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.” Jesus, of course, was the Son of God even at the age of 12. He didn’t have to sit at the feet of instructors who were sinful human beings. He didn’t have to listen to their misguided wisdom and clouded reasoning. But Jesus gave them respect anyway; he honored those who were “above” him. And then in verse 49 of the same story we see him giving his heavenly Father the respect he was due as well: “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” Jesus told his parents. But our young Savior also honored and obeyed his earthly mother and father at the same time: Luke says that “He went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them” (Luke 2:46,49,51). This is a great story that encapsulates Jesus’ obedience to his Father’s commands and the respect he gave to those in leadership positions.
Throughout Jesus’ life he respected those in authority because he knew we wouldn’t; he knew we couldn’t even if we wanted to. And not only did he respect those in authority, he willingly suffered disrespect by those same people! He stood before the high priest on Good Friday morning and did not condemn him or rebuke him even when the high priest ordered that Jesus’ be struck in the face. Our Lord then stood before King Herod and silently took his mockery and derision without a word of protest. Christ stood before Pilate, and although Jesus patiently displayed to the Roman ruler the honor he was due, Pilate condemned the King of kings and the Lord of lords! Pilate used the authority given to him by God to murder God! Pilate made the decision to crucify the one who deserved nothing but honor and thanks and glory and praise! If there was anyone who deserved respect, it was Jesus. But he never demanded it. He never eve expected it. And instead he took on humiliation and disgrace and shame. Because you deserved it. You were supposed to be dishonored and disrespected. You were supposed to be disgraced. We all should have been shamed and condemned, but instead we will all be glorified. We will be given honor in heaven because Christ was dishonored here. We will be the recipients of respect and glory in Paradise because Christ kept that command while he lived here. We will end up receiving all of the benefits although Christ did all of the work.
And so how do we thank him for that? How can we praise our Lord for the eternal life he has secured for us? Well, we’ve been talking about one of the ones this entire time: “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men” (1 Peter 2:13). “For the Lord’s sake” obey the leaders of this world. Listen to them. Honor them. Respect them. They are God’s representatives even if they don’t act like it sometimes. And when you do honor and obey them, when you do give them the respect that the Lord demands - especially when they don’t deserve it - the Lord is pleased. He is praised. His name is glorified through the ways you treat those on this earth. And we have so many opportunities to glorify his name, don’t we? Thousands of government officials, employers, those who outrank us in age, our spiritual leaders, our advisors, our parents… What a blessing it is to have so many ways to thank our God. What a blessing it is to be able to show respect to our Lord himself through the respect we show to others every day. And on this day, especially on this day, thank the Lord for what he has given us through this country, but also praise the Lord by respecting those who lead us in it.
Amen.

“May the name of our Lord Jesus Christ be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” - 2 Thess. 1:12