14以利沙說：「我指着所事奉永生的萬軍耶和華起誓，我若不看猶大王約沙法的情面，必不理你，不顧你。 15現在你們給我找一個彈琴的來。」彈琴的時候，耶和華的靈就降在以利沙身上。 16他便說：「耶和華如此說：『你們要在這谷中滿處挖溝； 17因為耶和華如此說：你們雖不見風，不見雨，這谷必滿了水，使你們和牲畜有水喝。』 18在耶和華眼中這還算為小事，他也必將摩押人交在你們手中。 19你們必攻破一切堅城美邑，砍伐各種佳樹，塞住一切水泉，用石頭糟踏一切美田。」 20次日早晨，約在獻祭的時候，有水從以東而來，遍地就滿了水。
摩押人敗遁
21 摩押眾人聽見這三王上來要與他們爭戰，凡能頂盔貫甲的，無論老少，盡都聚集站在邊界上。 22次日早晨，日光照在水上，摩押人起來，看見對面水紅如血， 23就說：「這是血啊！必是三王互相擊殺，俱都滅亡。摩押人哪，我們現在去搶奪財物吧！」 24摩押人到了以色列營，以色列人就起來攻打他們，以致他們在以色列人面前逃跑。以色列人往前追殺摩押人，直殺入摩押的境內， 25拆毀摩押的城邑，各人拋石填滿一切美田，塞住一切水泉，砍伐各種佳樹，只剩下吉珥‧哈列設的石牆；甩石的兵在四圍攻打那城。 26摩押王見陣勢甚大，難以對敵，就率領七百拿刀的兵，要衝過陣去到以東王那裏，卻是不能； 27便將那應當接續他作王的長子，在城上獻為燔祭。以色列人遭遇耶和華的大怒，於是三王離開摩押王，各回本國去了。
各位弟兄姊妹，平安！今天我們要讀的是《列王紀下》三章14節到27節，也就是昨天下半場戰爭的故事。昨天我們提到，原本以利沙不打算理會以色列王，但因為約沙法王是一個好王，所以以利沙願意為了約沙法與他們說話。他要求他們找一個彈琴的來，當琴聲響起時，上帝就對以利沙說話。
在這裡，上帝通過以利沙啟示他們，要他們在谷中到處挖溝，然後上帝會用水把這些溝渠填滿。此外，上帝還給了一個特別的命令，就是要攻破所有的城池，砍伐樹木，塞住水泉，並且用石頭毀壞所有的良田。這個命令其實與上帝在《申命記》裡面關於戰爭的指引不同。在《申命記》中，上帝要求戰爭時盡可能減少破壞，不要隨意砍伐樹木或破壞土地。但這次，上帝卻要他們徹底破壞敵方城池。
在第20節，上帝果然行了神蹟，原本非常乾旱的摩押地，竟然從以東流來了水。這件事為什麼特別呢？因為以東在南邊，而摩押在北邊，水竟然從以東流過來，這是一個非常奇妙的現象，因為水逆勢而行。如果你讀英文版的話，這裡通常會用驚嘆號來表明這是一個神蹟。這些水的出現，既不是自然現象，也不是人力所為，必定是上帝親自的作為。
而摩押人在這個時候看到這一切，心生貪念，以為是以色列人和猶大人自己內鬥，滿地都是血，所以他們趁機前來搶奪。然而，當他們靠近時，以色列人便正式發動攻擊，戰爭非常順利地進行。以色列人一路擊退摩押人，將他們打回到京城吉珥哈列設。
當以色列人在戰爭中取得巨大勝利，眼看即將消滅摩押人，摩押王在最後無法突圍的時候，做了一個可怕的決定——他將原本要繼承王位的長子獻祭了。這是一個極為震撼的行為。
當我們讀到這段經文時，《和合本》記載的是「遭遇耶和華的大怒」，但在其他版本中，有的譯作「遭遇了大怒」，應該指的是摩押人的憤怒。摩押王的這一舉動激起了他們的極端反擊，讓他們陷入了一種「拼死一戰」的決心。正因如此，以色列聯軍中的三位王看到了這種情勢，最終決定停止戰鬥，撤軍回到自己的國家。
而且我們需要注意到，以利沙的預言並沒有說上帝要他們滅絕摩押人。當我們回顧歷史時，我們知道摩押人其實是來自於以色列的先祖亞伯拉罕的姪兒羅得和他女兒所生的後代，因此摩押人與以色列人有一定的血緣關係。在這件事情上，摩押的處境和行為可能只是在避免被以色列徹底征服。上帝在這裡展現了祂的憐憫，並沒有讓以色列人把摩押人完全消滅，而是給他們留了一條生路。
這一場原本不是出自於公義而是私慾的戰爭，在三王撤軍之後就結束了。從這場戰爭中，我們可以看見以色列的王已經沒有把上帝放在心中。約沙法王，作為南國猶大的王，還稍微記著上帝的事情，但整體來看，兩國的王都逐漸偏離了上帝的道路，不再看重祂的誡命。因此，隨著時間的推移，這兩個國家逐漸走向衰亡。四百多年後，北國以色列和南國猶大都被外來的強敵所滅，這是他們偏離上帝的後果。
這也提醒我們，當一個國家或領袖漠視上帝的律法和旨意時，最終會陷入混亂和敗亡的境地。偏離上帝的道路，不僅會影響個人，也會帶來整個國家的滅亡。
感謝各位的聆聽，我們明天繼續閱讀第四章，一次聽以利沙的五個神蹟。
14Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord Almighty lives, whom I serve, if I did not have respect for the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not pay any attention to you. 15But now bring me a harpist.”
While the harpist was playing, the hand of the Lord came on Elisha 16and he said, “This is what the Lord says: I will fill this valley with pools of water. 17For this is what the Lord says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink. 18This is an easy thing in the eyes of the Lord; he will also deliver Moab into your hands. 19You will overthrow every fortified city and every major town. You will cut down every good tree, stop up all the springs, and ruin every good field with stones.”
20The next morning, about the time for offering the sacrifice, there it was—water flowing from the direction of Edom! And the land was filled with water.
21Now all the Moabites had heard that the kings had come to fight against them; so every man, young and old, who could bear arms was called up and stationed on the border. 22When they got up early in the morning, the sun was shining on the water. To the Moabites across the way, the water looked red—like blood. 23“That’s blood!” they said. “Those kings must have fought and slaughtered each other. Now to the plunder, Moab!”
24But when the Moabites came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and fought them until they fled. And the Israelites invaded the land and slaughtered the Moabites. 25They destroyed the towns, and each man threw a stone on every good field until it was covered. They stopped up all the springs and cut down every good tree. Only Kir Hareseth was left with its stones in place, but men armed with slings surrounded it and attacked it.
26When the king of Moab saw that the battle had gone against him, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen to break through to the king of Edom, but they failed. 27Then he took his firstborn son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him as a sacrifice on the city wall. The fury against Israel was great; they withdrew and returned to their own land.
Dear brothers and sisters, peace be with you! Today, we will be reading from 2 Kings 3:14-27, which continues the story of the war we discussed yesterday. As we mentioned, Elisha initially had no intention of speaking to the king of Israel, but because King Jehoshaphat of Judah was a good king, Elisha agreed to speak for his sake. He requested a musician to play, and when the music began, God spoke to Elisha.
In this passage, God, through Elisha, revealed to them that they should dig ditches throughout the valley, and God would fill them with water. Additionally, God gave a special command: to destroy all the cities, cut down the trees, block the springs, and ruin the fertile fields with stones. This command differed from the war instructions in Deuteronomy, where God instructed them to avoid unnecessary destruction, particularly not to cut down trees or damage the land. But this time, God ordered total destruction of the enemy’s resources.
In verse 20, God performed a miracle: in the drought-stricken land of Moab, water came from Edom. Why was this remarkable? Because Edom is to the south, while Moab is to the north, meaning the water flowed against the natural direction. In English translations, this is often marked with an exclamation point to emphasize that it was a miracle. The water’s appearance was neither natural nor man-made; it was clearly the work of God.
When the Moabites saw this, they became greedy, thinking that the Israelites and Judeans had fought each other and spilled their blood, so they came to plunder. However, when they approached, the Israelites launched their attack. The war went smoothly, and the Israelites pushed the Moabites back, all the way to their capital city, Kir Hareseth.
Just as the Israelites were about to claim total victory and defeat the Moabites, the Moabite king made a horrifying decision—he sacrificed his firstborn son, the heir to his throne. This shocking act had a profound impact.
When we read this passage, the Chinese Union Version (和合本) says they "encountered the Lord’s fierce anger," but other versions suggest it was simply "fierce anger," likely referring to the Moabites' extreme fury. The king’s action triggered a desperate last stand from the Moabites, leading to a fierce counterattack. Seeing this intensity, the three kings of the allied forces decided to retreat and return to their lands, ending the war.
It is also important to note that Elisha’s prophecy did not indicate that God intended for the Israelites to completely annihilate the Moabites. When we look back at history, we know that the Moabites were descendants of Lot, the nephew of Israel’s patriarch Abraham, meaning there was a blood relation between the Moabites and Israelites. In this situation, the Moabites were likely trying to avoid complete destruction, and God showed mercy by not allowing the Israelites to wipe them out entirely, leaving them a way out.
This war, which stemmed not from righteousness but from selfish desires, ended with the three kings withdrawing. From this war, we can see that the kings of Israel had already stopped putting God at the center of their hearts. Although Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, still remembered God to some extent, both kingdoms’ kings were gradually straying from God’s path and no longer valued His commandments. Over time, this led both nations to their eventual downfall. Four hundred years later, both the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah were conquered by foreign powers—this was the consequence of their departure from God.
This also serves as a reminder to us that when a nation or its leaders disregard God’s laws and His will, it will eventually fall into chaos and destruction. Straying from God’s path affects not only individuals but also brings about the downfall of an entire nation.
Thank you for listening, and tomorrow we will continue by reading Chapter 4, where we will explore five miracles performed by Elisha.
Comments