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Elijah respectfully asked Elisha to stay and leave him alone, but Elisha refused to leave his mentor. After Elisha demonstrated such incredible loyalty and commitment to him, Elijah offers a special gift, and that is where we see the request for a double portion.
In ancient times, a firstborn son would receive twice the inheritance from the father as compared to the other sons as well as the right of succession. Elisha would receive a double portion of the total spiritual power granted to all the other prophets under Elijah in order to fulfill his purpose as the next major prophet to lead God’s people.
Just like Moses and Joshua, we get a picture of effective discipleship. Elijah and Moses started something great that was passed on and finished by Joshua and Elisha.
And just like Israel mourned Moses’ death, Elisha grieved the loss of his mentor. He tore his clothes and cried out to God. And as he pulls his eyes away from the heavens, he looks down at the ground to see all that’s left: the cloak of Elijah. It’s now decision time because that cloak represented the mantle of Elijah’s ministry. By picking it up and putting it on, Elisha is proclaiming that he will dedicate the rest of his life to seeing Elijah’s ministry go forward.
Verses 23-24 have been confusing for many people including myself.
From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking up the path, some small boys came out of the city and harassed him, chanting, “Go up, baldy! Go up, baldy!” 24 He turned around, looked at them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. Then two female bears came out of the woods and mauled 42 of the children.
2 Kings 2:23-24 HCSB
It’s such a strange story, but it makes sense with further study. First, we can deduce from other texts that these “young lads” were not children, but most likely young men. This same phrase is used to describe Joseph at 39 years old and Solomon when he was 20. Most commentators agree they were teenagers to young adults.
Second, they were from Bethel. They obviously opposed Elisha and mocked him as a prophet of God. Their attitude toward Elisha shows their attitude toward God. Bethel was known as a place that opposed men of God and was the center for pagan calf-worship. We can conclude that these rowdy young lads were, at the very least, committed to making a mockery of the Lord.
Their taunting is a response to the fact that Elijah was taken up into the sky. They are sarcastically telling Elisha to “go on up” and follow after his mentor. They probably did not want someone like Elisha to be around Bethel because they despised a man of God who would hold them accountable for their sin. It’s possible that Elisha was bald, or that they were just mocking his receding hairline. Either way, they were intentionally trying to stir up trouble.
Elisha calls down a curse, and the Lord does the rest. Two female bears come out and maul 42 of these young men. When you consider the fact that there were at least 42 of them mocking and insulting Elisha, it’s possible that he was physically outnumbered and overwhelmed. That’s my speculation, as the text doesn’t say, but it would make sense if they were standing in his way or becoming overly aggressive with their mockery.
The moral of the story – don’t mock God’s (in this case bald) leaders!