2 Kings 2:17

They urged him. The sons of the prophets insisted upon having their way. They kept up their insistence to such lengths that Elisha finally grew weary of refusing their petitions. There are times when persistence is a virtue, but there are also times when it is weakness and folly. It is never wise or right to persist in wrong. When Elisha revealed the facts the young men should have accepted them and been content.

He said, Send. When one is insistent upon having his way, there are times when even a prophet of the Lord, or God Himself, will no longer say No. Not willingly, but reluctantly and against his better judgment, Elisha finally gave his consent. By their own investigation, which Elisha knew would be futile, the sons of the prophets would have the opportunity of learning for themselves the facts in the matter. Far better it would have been to accept those facts as Elisha revealed them.

Found him not. They sought three days, only to discover how wrong they were and how right was the word of Elisha. There are easy ways to knowledge and wisdom, and there are ways that are hard. Often youth learns its lessons only the hard way. It is never the part of wisdom or prudence to refuse the testimony of facts or to go contrary to the counsel of a prophet of God.