SATURDAY, JULY 30, 2022
TEXT: 2
Kings 5:15-27
15.
Then Naaman and his whole company went back to the man of God, stood before
him, and declared, “I know there’s no God in the whole world except in Israel.
Therefore, please accept a gift from your servant.”
16. But
Elisha said, “As the LORD lives, I stand before Him. I will not accept it.”
Naaman urged him to accept it, but he refused.
17.
Naaman responded, “If not, please let two mule-loads of dirt be given to your
servant, for your servant will no longer offer a burnt offering or a sacrifice
to any other god but Yahweh.
18. However,
in a particular matter may the LORD pardon your servant: When my master, [the
king of Aram], goes into the temple of Rimmon to worship and I, as his
right-hand man, bow in the temple of Rimmon- when I bow in the temple of
Rimmon, may the LORD pardon your servant in this matter.“
19. So
he said to him, “Go in peace.” After Naaman had traveled a short distance from
Elisha,
20.
Gehazi, the attendant of Elisha the man of God, thought: My master has let this
Aramean Naaman off lightly by not accepting from him what he brought. As the
LORD lives, I will run after him and get something from him.
21. So
Gehazi pursued Naaman. When Naaman saw someone running after him, he got down
from the chariot to meet him and asked, “Is everything all right?”
22.
Gehazi said, “It’s all right. My master has sent me to say, ‘I have just now
discovered that two young men from the sons of the prophets have come to me
from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them 75 pounds of silver and two
changes of clothes.’”
23. But
Naaman insisted, “Please, accept 150 pounds.” He urged Gehazi and then packed
150 pounds of silver in two bags with two changes of clothes. Naaman gave then
to two of his young men who carried them ahead of Gehazi.
24.
When Gehazi came to the hill, he took the gifts from them and stored them in
the house. Then he dismissed the men, and they left.
25.
Gehazi came and stood by his master. “Where did you go, Gehazi?” Elisha asked
him. “Your servant didn’t go anywhere,” he replied.
26. But
Elisha questioned him, “Wasn’t my spirit there when the man got down from his
chariot to meet you? Is it a time to accept money and clothes, olive orchards
and vineyards, sheep and oxen, and male and female slaves?
27.
Therefore, Naaman’s skin disease will cling to you and your descendants
forever.“ So Gehazi went out from his presence diseased- [white] as snow.
(Holmans
CS Holy Bible)
TOPIC: SHAME
AND DEATH TO THE GREEDY
Greed is one of the causes
of corruption in our society and breeds the insecurity being experienced around
the globe. The amazing wealth of the selfish denies many others their
legitimate access to gainful employment.
The humility of Naaman led
him to recognize that there was no other god in all the world than Yahweh, the
God of Israel. While Naaman was seeking to establish deeper relationships with
the God of Israel and for his cleansing from leprosy, Gehazi, out of greed,
brought shame, curses and death on himself and his generations yet unborn. He
reasoned to himself, “My master was too easy on Naaman… as surely as the Lord
lives, I will run after him and get something from him.”
Greed presents man from
rational thinking because what the greedy pursue blinds the mind from right or
wrong. As he was running after Naaman, the spirit of the Lord was showing
Elisha the screen of Gehazi’s terrible arrangements. He told lies against
Elisha his master to win the sympathy of the man.
He got more than what he
wanted because of greed. We should avoid the sin of greed in all our dealings
in life and be contended with what we have.
QUESTION:
What led Gehazi to Naaman and what can we learn from his experience?
PRAYER: Help
me, Oh Lord, to overcome greed with an attitude of godliness and contentment as
I live one day at a time, in Jesus name, Amen.
Remain
Blessed
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