How Does Someone "steady The Ark"

[katherine the great]

That actually makes more sense.

Just sounds like spin to me.

He doesn't look anything like that guy. Bring back the Kimball story-- it is more believable.

Oh Hammer. You really are hopeless....

[MormonMason]

Just sounds like spin to me....

There are two terms there in the Hebrew. The one is an indicator of age range, which generally applies to youths from the age of 3 to the age of 17. I highly doubt that 3 year-olds were venturing out of the city to make fun of Elisha. I could see teenagers around the age of 17 doing something like that. In point of fact, the same term is used to describe Joseph in Egypt when he was 17 years of age.

The other term, is a bit misleading due to its wide range of meaning. It can be used of small or weak children. It can be used of small or weak adults. It also can be used to describe unimportant people or people of the "little" class = "lower" class. My take on it is that these 17 year old youths were of the lower class and had nothing better to do than travel around in packs and poke fun at a prophet rather than working with their families or learning from their teachers. From the way in which they "came out" it appeared to me that they were watching for mischief. They were a menace to society in my opinion, at least from the way I read the text.

The biggest problem with this text is that there is not enough information to tell us exactly what kind of people these so-called "little" children were. We cannot judge Elisha from what little information is there for us. At any rate, God heeded the prophet in his curse. That is enough for me to show that they were doing much more than merely poking fun at someone.

[Scottie]

David O. McKay

It is a little dangerous for us to go out of our own sphere and try unauthoritatively to direct the efforts of a brother. You remember the case of Uzza who stretched forth his hand to steady the ark. (See I Chron. 13:7-10.) He seemed justified, when the oxen stumbled, in putting forth his hand to steady that symbol of the covenant. We today think his punishment was very severe. Be that as it may, the incident conveys a lesson of life. Let us look around us and see how quickly men who attempt unauthoritatively to steady the ark die spiritually. Their souls become embittered, their minds distorted, their judgments faulty, and their spirits depressed. Such is the pitiable condition of men who, neglecting their own responsibilities spend their time in finding fault with others. (Gospel Ideals, p.258)

I wonder if its stepping out of our bounds to fix what we think may be a problem? Like counseling the stake president about something. I can tell him this is a problem but beyong that maybe is steadying the ark?

Yes, it certainly is a good thing JS wasn't an ark steadier and didn't try and clarify any of the doctrines of the churches of his day.

[LifeOnaPlate]

Yes, it certainly is a good thing JS wasn't an ark steadier and didn't try and clarify any of the doctrines of the churches of his day.

Had they any authority it might have mattered. ...

[Duncan]

Had they any authority it might have mattered. ...

Ya Man!

[katherine the great]

The biggest problem with this text is that there is not enough information to tell us exactly what kind of people these so-called "little" children were. We cannot judge Elisha from what little information is there for us. At any rate, God heeded the prophet in his curse. That is enough for me to show that they were doing much more than merely poking fun at someone.

It is enough for me to read it as a morality tale designed to put the fear of God (and His prophets) in the people!

[MormonMason]

It is enough for me to read it as a morality tale designed to put the fear of God (and His prophets) in the people!

That certainly is one way to put it.