Someone once wrote that greed is a fat demon with a small mouth and no matter what you feed it, it is never satisfied. The sin of greed is rampant today, just as it was in the Bible. Judas was a prime example of the rewards that come to the greedy soul. There is one man in the Old Testament who stands out as a beacon for us today regarding the spoils that greed can bring.
It began as a fine working relationship, one with promise and plenty of joy. Elijah, one of the great prophets of the Old Testament, was succeeded by his faithful servant, Elisha, a man with even greater blessings. Elisha served the Lord well through healing and praying, befriending and teaching. Elisha had a faithful servant whose name was Gehazi.
Little is known of Gehazi, and Scripture records only a few words spoken by him. It is likely that Gehazi often ran errands for Elisha. He called on people, provided for their needs, and even assisted in some of the miracles performed by Elisha. Wherever Elisha went, Gehazi went. Life for Gehazi was good, or so it seemed.
Gehazi also had a dark side, one that we don’t see rise to the surface until one day when a seemingly insignificant incident took place. Naaman was a powerful commander of a nearby foreign army, but he was ailing and in need of serious medical attention. Naaman had become leprous, a fatal disease that struck many in Israel and the surrounding countries. Fortunately, his young Israelite servant girl directed him to the house of Elisha, a man who could provide miraculous healing through the power of the Lord. Naaman did as he was instructed and soon found himself cured of the dreadful disease. So ecstatic was Naaman that he offered to give Elisha a wealth of gifts. But Elisha refused them and sent Naaman on his way.
A few moments later, Gehazi ran to catch up with Naaman. He told the commander, “My master sent me to say, ‘Two young men from the company of the prophets have just come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver [$2000 today] and two sets of clothing’” (5:22).
What was Gehazi thinking? We know exactly what it was. He was about to make a prophet’s profit in a big way! Not only was he thinking about a quick take, it seemed he had been working on this plan for some time.
Gehazi gave the lie, Naaman gave the goods, and Elisha gave the leprosy. Elisha was angry when he heard what his servant had done, so he took Naaman’s former leprosy and gave it to Gehazi and his family. Elisha told Gehazi, “‘Naaman’s leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever.’ Then Gehazi went from Elisha’s presence and he was leprous, as white as snow” (5:27). Gehazi had wanted to share Naaman’s riches with his family. Now instead, he shared Naaman’s disease with them.
How often don’t we hear that everybody makes mistakes or that we’re all entitled to a second chance? The Lord used Gehazi to impress on us that sins like greed are not child’s play. They eat away at us like leprosy. Our society is saturated with greed. From game shows titled Greed to songs like “Give Me Money,” to entertainers and athletes earning enormous amounts of money that never seem to satisfy, we are taught the ways of a gimme, gimme lifestyle. Greed ruined Gehazi’s life, and it is still ruining lives today. Satisfying Gehazi’s greed was more important than a life of praise and service to God. We should continually seek God’s forgiveness for thoughts of greed and pray that we might replace them with the joy and satisfaction that comes with contentment. Jesus said it best, “Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15).
Prayer thought: Ask God to give you strength to fight against the sin of greed.
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