Articles
Surely It Wouldn't Hurt
“…As the Lord lives, I will run after him and take something from him.” (2 Kgs. 5:20)
Our eyes and stomachs can get us into trouble. We can fool ourselves into thinking that what we desire is not wrong. It can be easy to justify or rationalize to where we have reached the point of no return. We have given over to the sin of greed and lust of the flesh. This is what happened in the case of Gehazi, servant of Elisha.
Gehazi enters the Scriptures as an obedient servant to one of the greatest prophets in Israel, Elisha. We see him in the account of a Shunammite woman who had a son that Elisha raised from the dead through the power of God (cf. 2 Kgs. 4:12ff). Next, Gehazi is present in dealing with a high-ranking official for the king of Aram (cf. 2 Kgs. 5:1ff). Naaman was captain of the Aramean army but had a serious condition, leprosy. This condition to an Israelite would mark them as being unclean to the rest of the nation. Imagine having a pagan leper approach a righteous man of God. One would assume that the leper would be dismissed. However, we have a demonstration of God’s grace and mercy even among this Gentile.
After this man was made clean, Naaman realized that he needed to make a life change. He had been cleansed on the outside, but he needed to be made pure on the inside as well. Naaman knew that he could not worship the way he had been because he acknowledged that there was only one God—the God of Israel. This man of great prominence from Aram wanted to present gifts to Elisha for the healing that he received, but the man of God refused. This is where the account takes an ironic turn of events.
Elisha didn’t want or need anything from this man. The prophet’s payment or provision came from the Lord. No one would or should have known this better than Gehazi. Nevertheless, he chose to disobey his master. It shouldn’t baffle us that one would concoct such a story to gratify one’s desires, which Gehazi did. He outright lied to get what he wanted and then tried to cover it up. This type of behavior should not surprise anyone. Solomon wrote, “That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecc. 1:9). What is amazing is that he thought that he could somehow have this matter go unseen by Elisha. Elisha gave him a chance to confess the transgression, but Gehazi did not admit to his act of disobedience. As we see in the conclusion of this narrative, Gehazi ends up suffering from leprosy. The irony in this situation was that Gehazi was unclean on the inside even though he was supposed to be morally pure. He received a just punishment for his sin.
Jesus has given us a warning, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions” (Lk. 12:15). Furthermore, we are admonished in God’s word not to crave the things of this world. John wrote, “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever” (1 Jn. 2:15-17).
We can learn many things from Gehazi’s poor choices. One, be content with what we have been given (cf. Heb. 13:5). He was in the service in the Lord, but he was dismissed, and we have no knowledge of him repenting (2 Kgs. 5:27). Second, we cannot hide anything from the Lord. Gehazi foolishly thought that he could get away with what he had done. On Judgment Day, everything will be brought to light that we thought was hidden (cf. Lk. 8:17; 1 Cor. 4:5). Finally, we need to make sure that we are washed from the inside out. Our appearance must be pure before the Lord. He is the only one that can cleanse us! (cf. Psa. 51:2; Heb. 10:22)
