以利沙行的神蹟
19 耶利哥城的人對以利沙說：「這城的地勢美好，我主看見了；只是水惡劣，土產不熟而落。」 20以利沙說：「你們拿一個新瓶來，裝鹽給我」；他們就拿來給他。 21他出到水源，將鹽倒在水中，說：「耶和華如此說：『我治好了這水，從此必不再使人死，也不再使地土不生產。』」 22於是那水治好了，直到今日，正如以利沙所說的。
23 以利沙從那裏上伯特利去，正上去的時候，有些童子從城裏出來，戲笑他說：「禿頭的上去吧！禿頭的上去吧！」 24他回頭看見，就奉耶和華的名咒詛他們。於是有兩個母熊從林中出來，撕裂他們中間四十二個童子。 25以利沙從伯特利上迦密山，又從迦密山回到撒馬利亞。
各位弟兄姊妹，平安！我們今天讀的是《列王紀下》第二章19到25節。這兩段的故事並不長，但是其中的含義卻非常深刻。我們一起來分析一下這兩段故事中的內容，以及它們帶給我們的教訓。
首先，耶利哥城的人來見以利沙，告訴他這個地方的地勢雖好，但水卻有問題，導致土地無法生產作物。以利沙讓他們拿一個新瓶裝鹽給他，然後他把鹽倒在水裡，水就被治好了。這是以利沙行的第一個神蹟，上帝透過他的手，使用鹽這個奇妙的物質將水治好。從此以後，這個地方不再是貧瘠之地，而是成為一個多產的美好之地。在基督徒的理解中，鹽象徵著防腐劑或者調味品。在《新約》之中，耶穌也告訴我們：「你們是世上的鹽。」當基督徒成為「鹽」的時候，就發揮防腐的作用，同時也調和生活的味道。
這裡以利沙的神蹟提醒我們，當上帝透過人行奇妙的事時，鹽能夠將原本不潔的惡水轉變為美好的活水。這也告訴我們鹽這個物質的奇妙性，以及基督徒身為「世上的鹽」在我們社會和國家中的重要性。基督徒的本質就是承擔起防腐劑的作用，我們的使命是防止道德的腐敗。我們應該成為能夠醫治的人，把上帝的話語和恩典帶入到這個社會當中，成為那「鹽」的角色。
接下來的故事講到以利沙上到伯特利的時候，有些少年人出來嘲笑他。這段故事聽起來可能讓人覺得殘忍，這些人只不過嘲笑了以利沙，結果上帝派母熊出來殺了四十幾個人。這件事讓許多人感到不可思議，甚至會問：上帝難道這麼殘忍嗎？當我們理解其中的背景和內容時，就會明白為什麼這件事情會發生。
首先，我們來看看「童子」這個詞。這個詞的原文其實指的是「年輕人」，並不完全是指小孩子。在中文裡，「童子」可能讓我們理解為八九歲或十幾歲的小孩子，但在原文希伯來文中，指的是年輕人。而且，這裡提到的是四十幾個年輕人。形象化來說，這可能是一大群幫派份子，他們一起來挑釁或找以利沙的麻煩。
解經家認為，這些「童子」更貼切的理解是信仰巴力邪教的青年人。這種情況經常出現在民間信仰裡，我們知道許多民間信仰的成員多半都是幫派分子。而他們對以利沙的嘲笑是一種嚴重的攻擊，他們嘲笑他禿頭。根據《利未記》13:40的背景，禿頭在當時可能被視為某種咒詛的象徵。他們嘲諷以利沙的禿頭，實際上是在攻擊他的屬靈身份。
他們還說「上去吧，上去吧」，這是在嘲笑他像他的師父以利亞一樣升天，簡單翻譯成今天的語言，可能相當於「死禿頭，去死吧」。
當你了解有四十幾個幫派青年圍著以利沙，並且用最惡毒的話語咒罵他的時候，你可能會更清楚以利沙當時面對的情況了。
這裡不僅僅是對以利沙個人的攻擊，更是這些年輕人以他們的信仰來抵抗上帝所揀選的僕人，實際上是對上帝的直接挑戰。這些年輕人更像是那些向以利亞挑戰的假先知的徒弟，依然不知悔改，反而攻擊上帝的工人。因此，當以利沙奉主的名咒詛他們時，上帝施行了審判，派母熊來殺死這些人。
上帝是輕慢不得的，而上帝的僕人也不應當被嘲笑。我們每個人，雖然被上帝所使用，依然是有缺點、不完全的人。願我們時刻謹慎自己的言語，敬畏上帝的僕人，並且謹慎面對上帝的教導，存著敬畏的心來跟隨祂的旨意。
明天我們繼續讀列王記下第三章的故事。感謝各位的聆聽。
Healing of the Water
19The people of the city said to Elisha, “Look, our lord, this town is well situated, as you can see, but the water is bad and the land is unproductive.”
20“Bring me a new bowl,” he said, “and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him.
21Then he went out to the spring and threw the salt into it, saying, “This is what the Lord says: ‘I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive.’ ” 22And the water has remained pure to this day, according to the word Elisha had spoken.
Elisha Is Jeered
23From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some boys came out of the town and jeered at him. “Get out of here, baldy!” they said. “Get out of here, baldy!” 24He 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 boys. 25And he went on to Mount Carmel and from there returned to Samaria.
Dear brothers and sisters, peace be with you! Today, we are reading 2 Kings 2:19-25. These two stories are not long, but their meanings are very profound. Let's take a closer look at the content of these stories and the lessons they bring us.
First, the people of Jericho came to Elisha and told him that although the land was well-situated, the water was bad, which made the land unproductive. Elisha told them to bring him a new bowl with salt, and then he poured the salt into the water, and the water was healed. This was the first miracle performed by Elisha, where God used his hand, along with salt—a remarkable substance—to heal the water. From that point onward, the land was no longer barren but became a productive and beautiful place. In Christian understanding, salt symbolizes both a preservative and a seasoning agent. In the New Testament, Jesus also said, "You are the salt of the earth." When Christians become "salt," they preserve and enhance the quality of life.
Elisha’s miracle here reminds us that when God works through people, salt can transform polluted water into living water. This also teaches us the wonder of salt and the importance of Christians as the "salt of the earth" in our society and nation. The role of Christians is to be a preservative, preventing moral decay. Our mission is to bring healing by carrying God's word and grace into society, fulfilling the role of being "salt."
The next story describes Elisha going up to Bethel, where some young men came out and mocked him. This story may seem harsh at first—how could these young men mock Elisha, and then God sent two bears to kill forty-two of them? Many people find this story puzzling, even wondering if God is really that harsh. But when we understand the background and context, we can see why this event occurred.
First, let's examine the term "youths" or "young men." In the original Hebrew, it refers to young men, not little children. In Chinese, "童子" might make us think of small children around eight or ten years old, but in the original Hebrew, it refers to young men. And here, we are talking about over forty young men. To visualize, this might resemble a group of gang members coming to provoke and harass Elisha.
Biblical scholars suggest that these "youths" are more accurately understood as young men who worship Baal, part of the Baal cult. This kind of situation often appears in folk religions, and we know that many of their followers are often gang members. Their mockery of Elisha was a serious attack—they mocked his baldness. According to Leviticus 13:40, baldness in that context could be seen as a curse. Their mockery of Elisha’s baldness was actually an attack on his spiritual identity.
They also said, "Go up, go up," mocking him as if he should ascend to heaven like his master Elijah. In modern terms, their words might be equivalent to saying, "You bald man, go die!"
When you understand that there were over forty gang members surrounding Elisha, cursing him with the most vile language, you might better grasp the situation Elisha was facing.
This was not just a personal attack on Elisha but represented a resistance to God’s chosen servant and, in essence, a direct challenge to God Himself. These young men were like the disciples of the false prophets who had previously challenged Elijah—they remained unrepentant and attacked God’s worker. Therefore, when Elisha cursed them in the name of the Lord, God executed judgment and sent two bears to kill them.
God is not to be mocked, and neither are His servants. Even though we are flawed and imperfect, being used by God, we must always be mindful of our words, reverencing God's servants, and handling God's teachings with care. Let us always approach God’s will with a heart full of reverence.
We shall continue to read the story of 2 Kings Chapter 3. Thank you all for listening.
Comentarios