The Greed of Gehazi (2 Kings 5:20-27)
The Greed of Gehazi
2 Kings 5:20-27
Still studying the section of the miracles of Elisha,
This morning our story takes a strange and unexpected turn.
We still see a miracle, but it is one that is very unnatural.
For this miracle does not occur to bless a life, but to curse it.
This miracle is not for the purpose of deliverance, but for bondage.
It is a miracle meant to serve as punishment.
What we see is that Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, is cursed
That he and his descendants forever will wear the leprosy of Naaman
That is a stiff judgment poured out.
But it is far from the only time things like this happen in Scripture.
On the mild side,
• Zechariah was mute for about 10 months until the day of John’s birth.
• Saul of Tarsus wore blindness for 3 days before the scales fell from his eyes.
On the severe side:
• Nebuchadnezzar eating grass like a cow for 7 years…
• Ananias and Sapphira being struck dead for lying to the Holy Spirit…
• Lot’s wife being turned into a pillar of salt…
And from each of those judgment type miracles, we learn valuable lessons.
• Zechariah teaches us not to doubt God…
• Saul taught us to pay attention to the truth…
• Nebuchadnezzar teaches us to humble ourselves…
• Ananias and Sapphira teach us not to lie to God…
• Lot’s wife taught us to flee the world without regret…
And therefore you get the point.
Incidents like this serve as vivid reminders and illustrations
To warn us against specific sins that people committed.
Gehazi is no different.
Here was supposedly a man of God.
Just as Elisha was the servant of Elijah and his eventual successor,
Now Gehazi is the servant of Elisha and is expected to one succeed him.
But Gehazi was not up to the task.
He had a certain wickedness in him that rendered him unfit
To ever fill those shoes of prophecy and ministry.
That wickedness was a greedy and covetous heart.
Such wickedness is forbidden among the servants of God.
Paul wrote of preachers:
1 Timothy 3:2-3 “An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money.”
Peter wrote of shepherds:
1 Peter 5:2 “shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness;”
And so this morning, Gehazi becomes a vivid illustration of
The dangers of pretending to be a minister for God
While harboring a covetous heart.
Jesus said it very clearly:
Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
And we will see that this is certainly the case for Gehazi,
The servant of Elisha.
There are three divisions in our text this morning.
#1 THE DESIRE OF GEHAZI
2 Kings 5:20
And at this point, you remember the story from last week.
After Naaman was cured of his leprosy
He desperately tried to pay Elisha for his services.
2 Kings 5:15-16 “When he returned to the man of God with all his company, and came and stood before him, he said, “Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel; so please take a present from your servant now.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will take nothing.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused.”
Naaman wanted to pay Elisha,
But Elisha would not take money for this miracle.
His goal was not to get rich, his goal was to bring glory to God.
And for whatever reason, Elisha (although a poor man) knew that God would be better glorified if Naaman were healed for free.
What now becomes apparent to us, is that during that conversation,
Gehazi can’t believe what he is seeing.
• It is bad enough that Elisha has let this Naaman escape from his grasp…
• Worse still that Elisha has actually cured this general who had defeated Israel…
But now, Elisha even refuses to plunder the man…
It is obvious that Gehazi is in total disagreement with Elisha’s decision.
In fact verse 20 gives us insight into Gehazi’s thought process.
“But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, thought, “Behold, my master has spared this Naaman the Aramean, by not receiving from his hands what he brought”
It is clear that Gehazi was taken back by the treasures Naaman brought,
And he saw this as a great opportunity to get more comfortable in life
So Gehazi has an idea.
“As the LORD lives, I will run after him and take something from him.”
And in one small decision,
We instantly see the heart of Gehazi revealed.
He reminds us of Simon the Magician
Who thought he could buy the Holy Spirit from Peter.
Acts 8:20-23 “But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! “You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. “Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. “For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.”
Until that point Simon had seemed genuine,
For he believed the preaching of Philip and was even baptized.
However on this one occasion the true intention of his heart was revealed
And Peter called him a fraud.
So it is with Gehazi.
Until now, he seems to be suitable side kick to Elisha
Until his greed gets the better of him and he is revealed a charlatan.
LET US SAY IT VERY CLEARLY:
There is no room for covetousness or greed in the redeemed heart.
We as believers are adamantly told not to love this world, let alone desire it.
1 John 2:15 “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.”
John saw the desire for worldly riches and comforts
As an indicator of an unredeemed heart.
IT WAS OBVIOUS TO JOHN THAT SUCH PEOPLE HAVEN’T DIED TO SELF.
• They are too comfortable here…
• Their heart is here…
• Their desires are here…
And therefore they are not children of God.
It is therefore by no mistake, that much of the Bible
Deals with the topic of greed, coveting, and wealth.
It started on Mt. Sinai with the final of the 10 Commandments which says:
Exodus 20:17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
The Psalms came along and said:
Psalms 49:10-12 “For he sees that even wise men die; The stupid and the senseless alike perish And leave their wealth to others. Their inner thought is that their houses are forever And their dwelling places to all generations; They have called their lands after their own names. But man in his pomp will not endure; He is like the beasts that perish.”
The theme carried into the prophets as Isaiah would say:
Isaiah 5:8 “Woe to those who add house to house and join field to field, Until there is no more room, So that you have to live alone in the midst of the land!”
Then Malachi would echo:
Malachi 3:8-9 “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. “You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you!”
When John the Baptist came on the scene he simply told people to repent.
When those to whom he preached wanted him
To be more specific in regards to what they should do, this is what he said:
Luke 3:10-14 “And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “Then what shall we do?” And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.” And some tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.” Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.”
It is by no coincidence that each thing John spoke of
Had to do with money.
John understood that if God could get a hold of person’s wallet,
He could get control of a person’s heart.
Which is of course what Jesus said:
Matthew 6:21 “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
That is also why when Jesus came on the scene
Much of His teaching had to do with covetousness and greed as well.
Luke 6:24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full.”
TURN TO: Luke 12:13-21
Jesus said to “be on your guard against every form of greed”
Jesus saw greed as a sin that would steal your heart from God.
He saw this world as the ultimate harlot to lead you to be unfaithful.
That is why James wrote:
James 4:4-6 “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
James would then give a grave warning to those
Who had spent their lives in pursuit of worldly riches.
James 5:1-6 “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.”
And so it is apparent that there is absolutely no room
For greed or coveting or love of the world in the redeemed heart.
It is apparent that regardless of one’s religious exterior,
When such sins are present a person has not been redeemed.
It was this that exposed the Pharisees.
Matthew 23:25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence.”
Even James said, when such greed or ambition is present,
It is evidence of evil not redemption.
James 3:14-16 “But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.”
On the flip side,
• It was the disciples who left everything to follow Jesus…
• It was Abraham who left Ur looking for a better city, a heavenly one…
• It was Zaccheus who gave back all his stolen wealth…
• It was John the Baptist whose very lifestyle condemned the world…
Throughout the Bible we reminded over and over again,
That covetousness, greed, love of the world, and things like this
Are not indicators of a redeemed heart,
But are instead indicators of a person still in love with the world.
That is precisely where Gehazi is.
Despite his position as Elisha’s servant…
Despite his record of service in the ministry…
Gehazi’s greed exposes him as a fraudulent prophet,
Worthy of judgment.
And so first we see Gehazi’s desire.
#2 THE DECEPTION OF GEHAZI
2 Kings 5:21-25
Is it any wonder that Gehazi moves from greed to deception?
Certainly not!
DECEPTION IS NOTHING FOR A HEART CONTENT WITH GREED.
Gehazi wants this wealth so bad that he will lie to get it,
And that is precisely what he does.
(Verse 22) “He said, “All is well. My master has sent me, saying, ‘Behold, just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothes.'”
And once again we see that he has more characteristics
Of a false prophet than a true one.
Peter and Jude described false prophets.
2 Peter 2:3 “and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.”
Is that not what Gehazi is doing to Naaman?
He continues:
2 Peter 2:14-16 “having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children; forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but he received a rebuke for his own transgression,for a mute donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet.”
Jude would sound a similar alarm:
Jude 16 “These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage.”
And this is precisely what sort of behavior we see from Gehazi.
Luke Achan in the old testament,
His heart goes after worldly wealth and he is not happy
Until he can deposit it in a safe place for later enjoyment.
His desire has now born disastrous fruit as it has led him into deception.
The Desire of Gehazi
The Deception of Gehazi
#3 THE DISCIPLINE OF GEHAZI
2 Kings 5:26-27
Now it is time for Gehazi to become and example
To any who would follow in his foot steps.
He goes in very innocent manner before Elisha
As though he is still a righteous man.
But “the eyes of the Lord move to and fro”
And God chose to reveal to Elisha all that occurred.
And therefore Elisha immediately confronts the greed of Gehazi.
(Verse 26) “Then he said to him, “Did not my heart go with you, when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Is it a time to receive money and to receive clothes and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and male and female servants?”
Some would say, that Elisha is too hard on Gehazi,
For Gehazi did not ask for olive groves or vineyards
Or sheep or oxen or servants.
But you and I know, it was just a matter of time.
GREED NEVER SAYS ENOUGH.
Ecclesiastes 5:10 “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is vanity.”
In fact in Proverbs we see some modern day symbols of greed.
Proverbs 30:15-16 “The leech has two daughters, “Give,” “Give.” There are three things that will not be satisfied, Four that will not say, “Enough”: Sheol, and the barren womb, Earth that is never satisfied with water, And fire that never says, “Enough.”
Greed is contagious.
There is no satisfying it, and so Elisha knew that
Two changes of clothes was just the beginning.
It would grow and eventually he would even fall into the sin of Ahab,
Who would kill a man for a vineyard.
And Elisha calls his servant on his sin.
“Is it a time to receive money…”
Elisha was trying to set Gehazi straight,
That our aim is not to get rich, nor to be comfortable.
Our aim is righteousness in our own lives and in the lives of others. We long to see God glorified.
But we certainly do not do what we do
For the purpose of getting rich.
This is no time to be concerned about wealth.
WHEN IS THE TIME?
Revelation 22:12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.”
Matthew 6:20 “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;”
There is a time to store up treasure, and that time is eternity.
Gehazi had missed the point.
He had fallen miserably because of his greed.
And now comes his discipline.
(Verse 27) “Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever.” So he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.”
Remember, when you want the world,
You did not get to pick and choose which parts you receive.
This world has many things that sparkle and catch the eye.
But this world is also fallen and beset with many labors and hardships.
Be careful when you want to attain the world, for that is what you might get
Gehazi received Naaman’s riches,
But he also received Naaman’s disease.
And not only Gehazi, but all his descendants.
No doubt Gehazi would now learn to hate this life
And look forward to the next one.
And so the proverb is certainly true for Gehazi:
Proverbs 21:6 “The acquisition of treasures by a lying tongue Is a fleeting vapor, the pursuit of death.”
AND FOR US, WE GAIN A VALUABLE LESSON.
There is no room for greed in the Christian life.
And attaining the world is now glorious prize.
1 TIMOTHY 6:3-19
Could Paul make it any clearer?
• Don’t have wealth? – Don’t crave it, rather flee from it!
• Have wealth? – Share it!
“storing up for [yourselves]
The treasure of a good foundation for the future,
So that [you] may take hold of that which is life indeed.”
