by Ronnie Reese

Created on: September 20, 2009   Last Updated: September 30, 2009

Greedy Gehazi

In the book of 2nd Kings as you read in chapter 5 you stumble into a character who had a real problem with temptation. The man's name was Gehazi. And Gehazi was trapped in the temptation that comes from covetousness.

Naaman, the commander of the armed forces of the enemies of God's people had been stricken with leprosy. He and his wife had as their servant a young girl who had been kidnapped by his army during one of their conquests. This little maiden informed Captain Naaman that her people had a prophet named Elisha who would pray to the true God in Heaven and deliver him from his leprosy. Well, Naaman had tried all the Syrian gods and none of them seemed to help so he decided to go pay a visit to this Israelite prophet named Elisha. He brought along with him quite a bit of wealth as he probably had when going to the Syrian prophets and their heathen gods before this.

Captain Naaman was then healed after dipping down into the Jordan River 7 times. He then offered these gifts to Elisha. But Prophet Elisha told him to keep his gifts. He had not healed him. It was the Lord.

Taking God's Credit and the Syrian Goods

But Elisha's servant, Gehazi, beheld the luxurious gifts offered and temptation and covetousness got the best of him. Quickly, he slipped out of his master's quarters shortly after Captain Naaman left to go back to Syria. He took a shortcut through the woods and caught up with the captain's entourage.

"Is everything all right?" asked the captain.

"Yes, everything's okay," Gehazi returned. Then Gehazi told a lie that involved his master needing a talent of silver and two festal garments. Naaman gladly gave this and of course Greedy Gehazi gladly took it.

Now you'd think he would have thought about what he was doing a time or two before he would have done something like that. I mean, here you are the servant of a prophet, the Lord's prophet. Like he isn't going to know what you're up to.

So there he stood before Elisha and his master asked him, "Where have you been, Gehazi?"

It was like he was giving him a chance to come clean. But he didn't take it.

"Your servant went nowhere," he lied.

Elisha continued, "Did I not go with you in spirit when the man turned from his chariot to meet you?" Was it a time to accept money and garments, etc.?"

Then the man of God pronounced a curse upon his servant.

"Because of your greed, Gehazi, the leprosy of Naaman shall cleave to you and to your descendants forever." Gehazi watched as the curse took place before his very eyes. He observed as his skin turned as white as fresh fallen snow. Yes, he had the silver and the garments of temptation. But he also had the curse and passed it onto his family forever!

Exodus 20:17 says, "Thou shalt not covet anything that is thy neighbor's...."

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