2 Kings 5:19 – 27 “But after Naaman had traveled a short distance, Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “Look, my master has spared this Aramean, Naaman, while not accepting what he brought. As surely as the LORD lives, I will run after him and get something from him.”
So Gehazi pursued Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running toward him, he got down from the chariot to meet him and asked, “Is everything all right?”
“Everything is all right,” Gehazi replied. “My master has sent me to say, ‘I have just now discovered that two young men from the sons of the prophets have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.’ ” (A talent is approximately 75.4 pounds or 34.2 kilograms of silver.)
But Naaman insisted, “Please, take two talents.” And he urged Gehazi to accept them. Then he tied up two talents of silver in two bags along with two sets of clothing and gave them to two of his servants, who carried them ahead of Gehazi.
When Gehazi came to the hill, he took the gifts from the servants and stored them in the house. Then he dismissed the men, and they departed.
When Gehazi went in and stood before his master, Elisha asked him, “Gehazi, where have you been?”
“Your servant did not go anywhere,” he replied.
But Elisha questioned him, “Did not my spirit go with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to accept money and clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, menservants and maidservants? Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman will cling to you and your descendants forever!”
And as Gehazi left his presence, he was leprous—as white as snow.”
In the beginning, it was a great thing to be allowed to serve Elisha, the foremost prophet in Israel. Gehazi reveled in the attention and the acclaim; however, over the course of time, his enthusiasm began to fade. Perhaps Gehazi anticipated that they would be received into the best homes and that Elisha would be paid handsomely for his efforts. Surely Elisha would share any wealth he gained with his faithful servant Gehazi! But the only home into which Elisha and Gehazi were welcomed was that of the Shunammite woman. The rest of the time, Elisha and Gehazi might have to sleep in caves, stables, or airless store rooms. No! This lifestyle was not what Gehazi had anticipated when he began working with Elisha.
When Naaman was healed of his leprosy, he immediately tried to offer Elisha all kinds of riches, only for Elisha to refuse to take anything. Elisha was concerned about Naaman’s immortal soul. It was after Elisha had refused to accept any payment for the miracle that Naaman pledged to worship only the One True Living God of Israel. Had Elisha accepted money or clothing, Naaman would have returned to Syria as a pagan rather than a worshiper of the God of Israel. But Gehazi had no such scruples.
From Gehazi’s standpoint, Elisha was a fool and it was high time that Gehazi provided for himself. Perhaps Gehazi had a wife and children somewhere. Perhaps Gehazi was concerned because he was getting older and he feared that he would starve in his old age. Perhaps Gehazi was secretly planning to leave Elisha and settle somewhere comfortable. All we know is that Gehazi decided that if Elisha wasn’t going to get anything from Naaman, he certainly would.
Naaman was more than happy to give Gehazi whatever he asked, and Gehazi probably felt smug that he had not demanded all the riches that Naaman had brought with him; after all, Gehazi only asked for one talent of silver and two garments. But when Gehazi ran after Naaman to collect money and clothing, he was actually bartering his health and that of his descendants. Poor foolish Gehazi! Gehazi’s greed not only cost him his relationship with Elisha, but in addition, Gehazi and all his descendants received an everlasting generational curse of leprosy.
This story is the last time we hear any mention of Gehazi as Elisha’s servant. We must assume that Gehazi left Elisha permanently. But what a horrible thing Gehazi had brought on himself! In Israel, lepers were social outcasts and were barred from worshiping in the temple. Now Gehazi and all of his descendants were cursed with leprosy.
APPLICATION: Many of us might share Gehazi’s fears for our lives. Society pushes us to be practical – minded and to provide for ourselves. While there is nothing wrong with planning for the future, we must be careful to ask God for His plans rather than simply planning ourselves and then asking God to rubber stamp it. The fear of starving in a penniless old age is very real; it takes all the faith we can muster to trust God rather than struggling.
Prior to 2008, thousands of people trusted Bernie Madoff and his financial institutions with their hard – earned retirement savings. Few people realized that Madoff was running a 64.8-billion-dollar Ponzi scheme, in effect, robbing Peter to pay Paul. When Madoff finally confessed and things fell apart, many charities and hospitals were severely damaged. Those whose retirement savings had been lodged with Madoff suddenly found themselves forced to return to the work force merely to survive. Many who had anticipated a comfortable retirement had to drastically simplify their plans.
If we have learned nothing else from the Madoff scandal, we have learned that savings can evaporate. In Matthew 6:19 – 21 Jesus told his disciples “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Later in the same chapter, Jesus also said, “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:31 – 34)
Gehazi’s biggest mistake was his failure to trust God. Even though Gehazi lived with Elisha and traveled with Elisha, he never understood who God was or how well God could provide for him. Gehazi watched God do untold miracles of provision and healing, but yet when the temptation came to grab riches, Gehazi faltered.
Should we plan as carefully as possible for our old age? Certainly. But we must ask God for His advice rather than going off on our own and then asking God to bless our plans later. May we look to God as our ultimate Source and remember that He can do far abundantly above all that we ask or think!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to trust You, even when we are worried about aging and survival. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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