TEXT:- 2ND KINGS 5
15 Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.”
16 The prophet answered, “As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.” And even though Naaman urged him, he refused.
17 “If you will not,” said Naaman, “please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord. 18 But may the Lord forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I have to bow there also—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant for this.”
19 “Go in peace,” Elisha said.
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.”
21 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.
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[d] 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 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.
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—or olive groves and vineyards, or flocks and herds, or male and female slaves?27 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.
This is the story of a man called Naaman (A Leper) who
brought a gift the man of God (Elisha).
The bible told us in verse 16 that the servant of the Most
High God never collect the gift Naaman brought to him. But there is a man who
happens to be the Son of the Prophet and that’s no one than Gehazi. When Gehazi
saw that his master rejected the gift Naaman brought, He felt disappointed by
His master.
In verse 20, Gehazi made it up in his mind to frame up his
master to run after Naaman to collect the gift from him on his way back to his
destination and He did so.
I wonder in those days what Elisha was looking for around
that made him to find out that Gehazi is not in the vine yard, maybe He went
out to buy GALLA and BIG COLA then or to buy recharge card, I would have asked
that is there no other person in the house He could sent out to get that for him.
But in verse 25, when Elisha saw Gehazi; He asked him that “Where is He coming
from” but to Gehazi; He was surprised and wonder that ‘How did His master get
to know that He is not in the premises’, but I’m sure that Gehazi might have
lied to Him about what He as gone to do. But He never knows in Verse 26 that
the Spirit of His Master (Elisha) is always with Him where ever He goes.
In the same verse, Elisha asked him a question that, “Is
this the right time for you to run after money (Just as many run after money
today to convent what belong to millions of people to be theirs alone), Cars (you
want Range Rover sport, Ford Ranger, Lamborghini, Pooch and so on), Garments (you
want to put on the best wears ever), Houses, Business etc?
Come to think of it, let’s see what happened to Gehazi in
verse 27, immediately at the spot; Elisha placed a cause on Him, and what really
is the cause that Elisha (His master) placed on Him (Gehazi). Elisha commanded
the sleekness on Naaman which is Leprosy to leave Naaman who doesn’t know what
is really happening between them and cleave to Gehazi and it was so. Naaman got
his healing automatically and Gehazi was sent out of the midst of the brethren
and He began to leave in the bush all the days of His life.
Hear this, Many people are more like Gehazi who ran and seek
after the things of this world and this is the main reason why many are in one
problem, dungeon, tribulations or the other just like Gehazi who ended his
journey by living the rest of his life in the desert. Many are also living
their life in the desert thinking they are enjoying life because of what they
involve themselves into.
Many run after money
Many run after riches
Many run after wealth
Many run after power
Many run after fame
Many run after beauty and fashion, which shows that they have totally forgotten a portion of the bible which says “SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS AND ALL THIS THINGS SHALL BE ADDED UNTO YOU” Matthew 6:33
This portion of the bible is not saying I will give you life
and I will not give you money nor riches, nor wealth but He said all shall be
yours till eternal which means forever.
Hear this, the bible said “Come unto me all ye that are
thirsty; come for water, Ye that has no money; come and buy you wish and desire
of, eat and drink wine and milk without money and without price”. Isaiah 55:1
Now, the question to ask yourself is “What am I running
after?”.
Is it not going to put me in trouble or will it lead me to
glory?
Exercise this, Check up your life and ask yourself am I in a
desert or in my Palace? If not, give totally to God your life now, surrender to
Him, Make it right up to Him, tell Him to have mercy on you and total
forgiveness of your sin (all the atrocities you have committed), now tell him
to always direct your path and it shall be so.
Look here; do not deceive “Ye who covereth his sin shall not
prosper”. But now, I decree and declare that “because you have made up your
heart to follow Christ; you shall begin to prosper from henceforth now in Jesus
name. Amen