The Greed Of Gehazi

THE GREED OF GEHAZI

2 KINGS 5:20-27

A few years ago in Boston, the bodies of two elderly women were discovered in their small apartment. They had died a few days earlier. An autopsy revealed malnutrition was the cause of death. But hidden in the mattresses and sewn up in pillows and draperies was nearly $200,000 in cash! The ladies died because they didn’t use what they had to meet their daily need for food. In reality the bottom line was greed killed them.

One cannot read the Bible without finding incidence after incidence where men wanted that which wasn’t their’s. In the Garden of Eden, Eve coveted the forbidden fruit and brought sin and death into the world. At Ai, Achen coveted some gold, silver and expensive garments and brought defeat to a nation and death to himself and his family. Ahab coveted Naboth’s vineyard and committed murder in his attempt to grab what belonged to another. David coveted Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife, and as a result brought the sword of God into his household for generations. Judas was motivated by a covetous heart. Annanias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Ghost because they were covetous. -Alan Carr

In this chapter, we see the little maid who was used of God in the healing of Naaman, and now in these verses, we see Gehazi who is trying to use God.

James Hastings wrote, “We might call him the Ananias of the Old Testament.

Rev. George Barlow wrote, “Gehazi was the Judas Iscariot of the Old Testament

This morning let us look at the things that Gehazi did that led to his awful punishment at the end of this chapter.

I-NOTICE THE DESIRE OF GEHAZI: 20

But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: but, as the LORD liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him.

Naaman, a Syrian soldier, had many servants, and we read how wise and good they were, v. 13. Elisha, a holy prophet, a man of God, has but one servant, and he proves a base, lying fellow.

Elisha, his master refused Naaman’s treasures, but he coveted them, he desired them. v. 20. His heart (says bishop Hall) was packed up in Naaman’s chests, and he must run after him to fetch it.

ILLUSTRATION: Donald Trump said “you can’t be too greedy.” On the other hand Jesus Christ put Greed together with evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, eagerness for lustful pleasure, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness.

ILLUSTRATION: Dr. Ken Trivette shares the following story. "On the night of November 16, 1930, Mrs. Henrietta Garret, a lonely 81 year old widow died in her home in Philadelphia, and, unwillingly, started the most fantastic case of inheritance litigation in history. She had failed to leave a will, or no will was found to her $17,000,000 estate; a mystery still unsolved. She had expertly handled her financial affairs since her husbands death in 1895 and therefore many felt that she must have realized that without an will, her fortune would become involved in legal battles. Although, Mrs. Garret, at the time of her death, had only one known relative, a second cousin, and less than a dozen friends; attempts to prove relationship to her and claim a part of her estate was made by more than 26,000 persons from 47 states and 29 foreign countries, represented by more than 3,000 lawyers. In their efforts to obtain her estate, there were those that committed perjury, faked family records, changed their own names, altered data in Family Bibles and concocted absurd tales of illegitimacy. As result, 12 were confined, 10 received jail sentences, 2 committed suicide, and 3 were murdered. I wonder how many would have admitted they were guilty of covetousness? Or greed.

II-NOTICE THE DECISION OF GEHAZI: 21A

So Gehazi followed after Naaman

Notice, that Gehazi’s covetousness caused him to ‘secretly’ follow after Naaman. His desire was to obtain or to take away from Naaman something that belonged to Naaman.

At first, he had a desire, a thought, now he decides to put it into action. Now he is rushing to Naaman to get his loot.

ILLUSTRATION: There is a painting of a gold coin rolling down a street and a huge crowd is running after it. Then you see a man on a horse coming up behind the crowd going full speed. His family is trying to hang on, then you notice he is pushing his wife away to lessen his lode so he can get more speed and get the coin. I wonder today are you living for the temporary or the eternal. (Knight Illustration)

Yet there are those who have made wise decisions concerning material things.