Naaman Part 4

Naaman Part 4

Stay the course

2 Kings 5:19-27

Scripture

Does anyone have an example of a posse?

A prophet would often have many people living and studying underneath them. Elijah was no exception! He had a group of people who studied the Word of God with him. They ate together, they lived together, they did everything together!

You can imagine that there would be a lot of different types of people who would want to study under the prophet. Some would be men who earnestly wanted to be closer to God, while others might have gone to escape whatever obligations they had waiting for them at home.

2 Kings 5:19b-20 [CSB]

19b After Naaman had traveled some distance, 20 Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said to himself, “My master was too easy on Naaman, this Aramean, by not accepting from him what he brought. As surely as the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him.”

We don't know if Gehazi was a man who started out with good intentions, but what we see here is someone who became greedy over time. More than likely, being the student of a prophet wasn't very lucrative. Gehazi might have wanted just to get a little bit extra from this person who was not even an Israelite! Maybe he thought it was stealing from the bad guys, and therefore okay.

Whatever Gehazi’s back-story, the first and last time we ever hear about him is not great.

2 Kings 5:21 [CSB]

So Gehazi hurried after Naaman. When Naaman saw him running toward him, he got down from the chariot to meet him. “Is everything all right?” he asked.

Application 1

Have you ever been asked if everything was all right and the person asking knew everything was bad?

Parents do this a lot. It's like when you hear a giant crash happen upstairs somewhere and the first thing you say is, "Is everything okay?"

We know darn well everything is not okay. We just want it to be.

Naaman might have been concerned that something had gone wrong. Maybe Elijah had changed his mind from a decision he had made or had one last piece of information for Naaman to take home with him to Aram.

Whatever the case might have been, Gehazi is about to get into big trouble.

2 Kings 5:22 [CSB]

“Everything is all right,” Gehazi answered. “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 and two sets of clothing.’”

Are you a good liar? That's not really a talent you want. I've heard a lot of parents tell their young children that if they lie, their ears will turn red. This has the funny consequence of their kids covering their ears whenever they lie. Seems effective. The only problem is it is also a lie so there's some sketchy morals going on there.

Remember that Naaman had nearly 3 million dollars worth of gold and ten sets of clothing. Gehazi is only asking for two sets of clothing and one talent. Naaman had brought ten talents of silver with him. So, you might think that Gehazi isn't really asking for much.

For someone like Gehazi, one talent would be enough silver to last him a lifetime. He's asking for all he will ever need for the rest of his life. It still is a big ask.

The problem is not the amount he is asking for, it is that he is lying to do it.

2 Kings 5:23-24 [CSB]

“By all means, take two talents,” said Naaman. He urged Gehazi to accept them, and then tied up the two talents of silver in two bags, with two sets of clothing. He gave them to two of his servants, and they carried them ahead of Gehazi. When Gehazi came to the hill, he took the things from the servants and put them away in the house. He sent the men away and they left.

Story 1

A story where I thought I wasn't going to get in trouble but then totally got busted.

Application 2

It seemed like Gehazi has pulled off the perfect scam. He went out when Elijah wasn't looking. He didn't have any other prophets go with him and only Naaman's servants helped him bring the money and clothes back. It would seem like he was totally about to get away with this.

The only problem was that Gehazi had forgotten an important lesson he would have learned as a student of the prophet. God is everywhere, sees everything, and is a God of justice.

2 Kings 5:25-26 [CSB]

When he went in and stood before his master, Elisha asked him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?”

“Your servant didn’t go anywhere,” Gehazi answered.

But Elisha said to him, “Was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take money or to accept clothes—or olive groves and vineyards, or flocks and herds, or male and female slaves?

Nobody likes to get caught. Maybe your parents have said to you, "Are you sorry because you're sorry or are you sorry because you got caught?"

It's a trap. As a parent, I know there is no right answer. Just say you're sorry and beg forgiveness.

God knew what Gehazi did. God told Elisha exactly what happened.

Elisha was referencing all the things that Gehazi could have bought with the money he stole. Clothes, olive groves, vineyards, fields, etc. Gehazi was about to be set up for life. He could have bought servants for himself, bought a farm, and lived out the rest of his life in peace. Or so he thought. That's what might have happened if it were not for the justice of God.

Now things are about to get pretty bad for Gehazi.

2 Kings 5:27 [CSB]

Naaman’s leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever.” Then Gehazi went from Elisha’s presence and his skin was leprous—it had become as white as snow.

Justice is getting what you deserve. If you steal something, depending on how big it is, you either go to jail or pay a fine. When you commit a crime, you get punished.

Gehazi stole. Plain and simple. The issue though isn't that Gehazi was just a thief. He wasn't trusting in the provision of God. He was living the life of a prophet without the mindset or faith of a prophet.

What's crazy is that this pagan general had just experienced a miracle of God and had turned from worshipping an idol to worshipping Him, the true God. And yet, here was a prophet of that true God who didn’t believe God would take care of his needs.

Gehazi wanted to have a life of leisure and luxury, and he stole to get it. He did not trust that God would take care of him. He only trusted himself to take care of himself.

We do this so often! We let our greed and our pride get in the way of trusting that God is going to take care of our needs. Not our wants—though God and His grace often does give us things we don't deserve—but our needs.

God explains that He is going to take care of what we need. He will feed us and clothe us. Most of us think we need video games or tons of outfits or really nice shoes or a new iPhone, but those are things we want. They aren’t needs. God promises to take care of our needs.

The worst thing that can happen when we don't trust God is that we become like Gehazi: greedy and selfish.

This doesn't always turn into US stealing things, but it certainly could be a result of that.

The difference between Naaman and Gehazi is great. Naaman went from not believing in God to being healed by Him. Gehazi believed in God but didn't trust Him and therefore was punished by Him.

We aren't told here that Gehazi gets struck down dead. Instead he gets leprosy. Think about this. Just a few minutes before, he thought he was going to be set up for life. Now, he will have this disease for life. We're not told that the money was taken away from him. But what good is all the money in the world if you are sick on the inside and the outside?

Conclusion

What are ways you are not trusting God today? Are you concerned about how He will handle the situation? Are you anxious about a decision that's coming up?

God will take care of you. He promises He will. You are worth more than grass and sparrows and God's Word says He looks after those things.

Don't be like Gehazi. Don't take matters into your own hands instead of trusting in God. Instead, think of how you can trust that God is going to take care of you no matter the circumstances you are in.

Pray