旧约 - 列王记下(2 Kings)第2章

When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.
Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here; the LORD has sent me to Bethel." But Elisha said, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel.
The company of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, "Do you know that the LORD is going to take your master from you today?" "Yes, I know," Elisha replied, "but do not speak of it."
Then Elijah said to him, "Stay here, Elisha; the LORD has sent me to Jericho." And he replied, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So they went to Jericho.
The company of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, "Do you know that the LORD is going to take your master from you today?" "Yes, I know," he replied, "but do not speak of it."
Then Elijah said to him, "Stay here; the LORD has sent me to the Jordan." And he replied, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So the two of them walked on.
Fifty men of the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan.
Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.
When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?" "Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit," Elisha replied.
"You have asked a difficult thing," Elijah said, "yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours--otherwise not."
As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.
Elisha saw this and cried out, "My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!" And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart.
He picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan.
Then he took the cloak that had fallen from him and struck the water with it. "Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.
The company of the prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, "The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha." And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.
"Look," they said, "we your servants have fifty able men. Let them go and look for your master. Perhaps the Spirit of the LORD has picked him up and set him down on some mountain or in some valley." "No," Elisha replied, "do not send them."
But they persisted until he was too ashamed to refuse. So he said, "Send them." And they sent fifty men, who searched for three days but did not find him.
When they returned to Elisha, who was staying in Jericho, he said to them, "Didn't I tell you not to go?"
The men 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."
"Bring me a new bowl," he said, "and put salt in it." So they brought it to him.
Then 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.'"
And the water has remained wholesome to this day, according to the word Elisha had spoken.
From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some youths came out of the town and jeered at him. "Go on up, you baldhead!" they said. "Go on up, you baldhead!"
He 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 youths.
And he went on to Mount Carmel and from there returned to Samaria.
列王纪下第二章   第 2 章 

  王下 2:3> 先知门徒是些什么人? 

  2:3 “先知门徒”好像一间学校,有一班门徒围绕着知名的先知,就像以利亚或以利沙。先知学校设于全国各地,自耶罗波安作王的时候开始,力挽灵性与道德的颓败。伯特利的先知门徒曾目睹以利沙从以利亚承接了先知的圣工。 

  王下 2:8> 衣怎能打水?哪儿来的能力? 

  2:8 以利亚的外衣,是他作先知权柄的表征。 

  以利亚与以利沙所行的神迹 

  王下 2:9> 我愿感动以利亚的灵双倍地感动我吗? 

  2:9 以利沙祈求得到以利亚所得的加倍的灵(指先知的事工)。申命记 21 章 17 节有助了解以利沙的要求。按照习俗,长子可领受父亲双分的产业(参创 25:31 的解释)。他乃是要求作以利亚的后嗣或继承人──作众先知的领导人,继续以利亚的工作。不过,应许他所求乃在于神,以利亚只是告诉他,怎样才知道请求已蒙神应允。 

  王下 2:9> 我正祷告祈求的是什么?神能应承吗? 

  2:9 神应允以利沙的恳求,因为他的动机纯正,目的不是想胜过以利亚,乃是想为神成就更多的事。只要我们的动机纯正,就别怕向神求更大的事,反之,我们求神赐下大能大力时,也要检讨自己的动机,除去私心。靠圣灵的帮助,我们必然乐意如此祈求。 

  王下 2:11> 火车火马,以利亚乘旋风而上,你相信吗?今天你听闻的最奇特的神迹是什么? 

  2:11 以利亚没经历死亡就被接升天。他是圣经提到的第二位没有经历死亡的人,以诺是头一位(参创 5:21-24 )。其他先知可能没有看见神接以利亚升到天上,或者经过很长时间,也难以相信自己所见的事。不管怎样,他们总想去找以利亚( 2:16-18 )。他们找不到他的肉体,更证明了所发生的事,也加强了他们的信心。另外,从死里复活,身体被接升天的惟有主耶稣(参徒 1:9 )。 

  王下 2:13-25> 这三件神迹确定了以利沙的先知地位,是吗? 

  2:13-25 这三件事都是以利沙受命作神先知的凭证,说明他得到新的能力与权柄,作以色列先知的领袖,完全是出于神的权能。 

  王下 2:23-24> 我未必理解神的作事方式,但我知道是最恰当的…… 

  2:23-24 这一班童子(指青年人,十七岁的约瑟仍被称为童子,参创 37:2 )来自伯特利,那是北国拜偶像的宗教中心。他们或想劝戒以利沙,不要像以利亚那样痛斥他们不道德的罪。因此他们不仅是嘲笑以利沙秃头,并且是对他的信息和神的大能极为不恭敬。他们也许不信神用火车火马把以利亚接去,便冷嘲热讽。以利沙咒诅他们,却没有叫一群熊出来,是神叫这群熊出现,为要惩罚他们的冷漠不信。 

  王下 2:23-24> 我有没有嘲笑过神职人员?要小心了…… 

  2:23-24 这班青年人嘲笑神的使者而丧命,真是付出了沉重的代价。拿宗教领袖来开玩笑,历来屡见不鲜。至于忠心服事神的人,更常受闲言冷语的凌辱。每当我们对宗教领袖吹毛求疵、冷嘲热讽时,我们不但是嘲笑人,也可能是轻慢了属灵的信息。我们尽管不能同意某些领袖所犯的罪,也不要一味耻笑他们,反倒该为他们祷告。真正跟从神的属灵领袖,我们要恭敬聆听,使他们的事工得到鼓励。──《灵修版圣经注释》