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ELISHA, GEHAZI, & GREED!

During the latter part of the 1980's, Ivan Boesky, the darling of Wall Street, was sent to prison and fined $100,000,000 for "insider trading." A few years earlier at a graduation ceremony of a major university he put his stamp of approval on greed when he told the graduates: "Greed is all right. I want you to know I think greed is healthy. You can be greedy and still feel good about yourself."

If Mr. Boesky's endorsement of greed unsettles us, and it ought to, the response of the graduates is more unsettling. The graduates responded with applause and laughter and thereby certified greed as an acceptable motivating factor in the world of business. The graduates weren't disturbed by his declaration and neither was the general public. Until recently, the general public wasn't inclined to see greed as a major source of woe. Rather, like Mr. Boesky, we saw it as that which makes the world go "round." It is not a deadly sin, not even sin really, it is a virtue. Of course, the Word of God for a long long time has been trying to tell us otherwise.

Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous. Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the LORD your God is giving you. Deuteronomy 16:19 - 20
A greedy man brings trouble to his family, but he who hates bribes will live. Proverbs 17:23
A greedy man stirs up dissension, but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper. Proverbs 28:23
Extortion turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart. Ecclesiastes 7:7
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Matthew 23:25
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. I Timothy 6:10 - 11 "When money speaks, the truth is silent." Old Proverb.

Then, in 1994, greed did something that World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II failed to do. It canceled the World Series. Players went on strike believing fans would mourn loud enough to make the strike short-lived. But the paying public, those who weren't on the receiving end of all the greed, failed to lend their support to the players' less than brilliant strategy. The fans ignored baseball and went on with their lives while those who wanted a bigger slice of the economic pie picked up their gloves and went home. Yet, if you or I were to corner a baseball player from the mid-nineties, and asked him if greed was the issue in 1994 he would tell us otherwise. He'd tell us that it wasn't a matter of greed that prompted the players to strike it was strictly a matter of fair-revenue sharing. And, he would tell us that with a straight face.

The Ivan Boesky story, which was retold by Enron in 2002, which may be retold by you-know-who in 2003, which just goes to show that the long history of greed repeats itself but in a different manner, reminds us that our culture preaches and teaches that greed is indeed what makes the world go "round." These stories, and too many others, remind us that there are many who fail to see that there is anything wrong with greed. Or, at the very least, they don't act like anything is wrong with greed.
The second story, the story of professional baseball players who went on strike for a greater share of the economic pie, reminds us that we live in a culture where it is very hard to recognize greed as greed. When you live in the land of plenty, as we do, when you live in a consumer-oriented culture, as we do, when you live in the land of acquisition fantasies, as we do, it is difficult to see greed as greed. To see greed as greed in our culture, is like asking a fish to see water as water. It ain't easy.

That's what makes the story of Gehazi such a great story. It is a simple story of greed that helps us to define greed. It is also a story with a punch line more sobering than the hefty fine and prison time that Mr. Boesky received for his greed.

It reads:
After Naaman had traveled some distance, 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." 21 So Gehazi hurried after Naaman. When Naaman saw him running towards him, he got down from the chariot to meet him. "Is everything all right?" he asked. 22 "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.'" 23 "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. 24 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. 25 Then he went in and stood before his master Elisha. "Where have you been, Gehazi?" Elisha asked. "Your servant didn't go anywhere," Gehazi answered. 26 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, olive groves, vineyards, flocks, herds, or menservants and maidservants? 27 Naaman's leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants for ever." Then Gehazi went from Elisha's presence and he was leprous, as white as snow. II Kings 5:19b - 27

Here we have a holy prophet with an unholy servant. Here we have someone who was near to the righteous within the land but far from all that was right. Here we have someone who had witnessed the character and conduct of his master but failed to really see it, appreciate it, or appropriate it. Here we have the real story of Gehazi whose name means "denier" or "valley of vision." Gehazi is a man with tunnel vision for his field of vision is severely restricted by greed. All he could see was the value of what the world offered even though the values of God were being lived out before him. The glitter of the world blinded him to what really counted.

You'll note that the story is picked up with Naaman, the Syrian commander who had been cured of leprosy, having traveled "some distance." This tells us that Gehazi didn't simply want the goods of the world, he wanted them badly. Badly enough to travel "some distance" to get them. Such is the power of greed, it demands far more of us than it ever gives in return.
But the story really began in Gehazi's mind for it is clear that he had been giving the "lost opportunity" to acquire wealth a great deal of thought. You will recall that Naaman had offered to reward Elisha for his services. This VIP from Syria had brought with him "ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of clothing." Now, having been cured of leprosy, he was ready and willing to give what amounted to 750 lbs of silver and 150 lbs of gold plus ten outfits from the original Robinsons-May to Elisha. He even urged the prophet to take it. Elisha, however, refused to take the goods, or the bait. Perhaps he knew that all that glittered was not worth possessing. Then too, he didn't serve God for personal gain. Nor did he want to do anything to communicate otherwise. Or maybe, he didn't want to give Naaman the notion that God's favor, i.e. his cure, was something that could be purchased my man. Naaman had been blessed because he had repented of his pride and had been obedient to the word of God as given through Elisha. To blur that reality by accepting a gift would have been a disservice to Naaman. Gehazi, however, wasn't thinking of Naaman. He was thinking about himself. He was thinking that it would be nice to have some well-tailored clothes. He was thinking about what he could do with one fist full of silver and the other of gold. He was thinking that there was nothing wrong with accepting a gift from someone who had more than enough to go around. After all, it wasn't a bribe. It was a gift that the giver was eager to give away. It was simply Naaman's way of saying "thank you."

To convince himself, Gehazi discounted those around him. He discounted Naaman by saying "this Aramean." In essence, he said this guy was just a foreigner; an illegal alien hardly worthy of consideration. Who really cared about what impression this visitor went away with in regard to Israel or the God of Israel? It was not going to make one iota of difference regardless of what this Aramean thought about us or God. Likewise, he discounted Elisha by second-guessing his decision. He felt that Elisha was too soft on Naaman. He felt that the blessing this man received from the hands of Elisha, even though it wasn't really from the hands of Elisha, but through his hands, should cost him a few shekels. In short, Gehazi convinced himself that greed wasn't greed at all. It was just the right thing to do. It was simply payment for services rendered and received!
In the end, he decided to run after the goods. To obtain them and to hold on to them, to do what his imaginative mind told him was right and his conscience told him was wrong, Gehazi had to:
- Slip away from Elisha.
- Run down Naaman's chariot.
- Dream up a plausible story to tell Naaman.
- Receive the goods as if they meant nothing to him.
- Accept the offer of help even though it posed a problem.
- Get rid of the two UPS servants before Elisha saw them.
- Act as if nothing had happened.
&
- Look Elisha in the eye, and lie to his face.

This exercise in greed must have sounded easy enough as Gehazi considered the wealth that could be his with very little effort. But, when he got right down to doing the dirty deed, he discovered that Satan, as well as the flesh, never makes wrongdoing as easy as it sounds. Sinful behavior, behavior motivated by the desires of the flesh, always takes you further than you ever intended to go, always cost you more than you wanted to pay, and always gives you far less than what was initially promised. You will note, for example, that Gehazi never wore his newly acquired outfits for Elisha, I suspect, sent them back to Naaman by overnight express.

Greed happens when you want something so badly that you are willing to deceive and/or hurt others in order to obtain and keep the object of your desires. In this case, it is clear that Gehazi had to deceive and hurt both Naaman and Elisha. He first discounted them, and then he hurt them by damaging the relationship of trust that existed between them. But worst of all, Gehazi hurt himself. Greed afflicts those who are greedy more so than those who are victimized. Yes, Gehazi took advantage of Naaman who simply wanted to reward those who had helped him. And yes, he certainly ruptured the trust between himself and Elisha. The fractured relationship would take a long time to mend. But Gehazi's soul was damaged when he willfully decided to go after the goods. His soul was marred for no longer could he come before God with his head held high and find rest. No longer did he have the joy of the Lord that was once his for he had willfully disobeyed God. No longer did he have a quiet conscience that commended him. It now raged against him. And no longer could he do the work of God for he felt unworthy to do what he was called to do by God.

Finally, I want you to note something about Elisha that is characteristic of all the prophets. Whether you look at Elijah, Elisha, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, or any of the minor prophets you will note that they all see things better than the rest of us. They see the present and the future with utmost clarity. They see what no one else is able to see. They seem to have X-ray vision that sees far beyond what the average man in the streets sees even though that man or woman might be very intelligent. Prophets simply see better than anyone else!

That was certainly the case here. Elisha saw everything that took place in that spot in the road where Naaman got down and met with Gehazi. He saw it and was grieved by it. When Gehazi returned and lied to his face, Elisha was compelled to confront him with the truth and to sentence him and his descendants to the misery of leprosy. To his credit, Gehazi didn't object to the sentence. He didn't whine about it. He must have figured that the sentence matched the crime. Indeed, J. Vernon McGee defines greed as leprosy of the soul. If he is right, and I believe he is, Gehazi gives us an accurate picture of just how awful greed is for it disfigures our soul.

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