GEHAZI MOVED BY GREED

14, 15. How did Gehazi show in what he was really interested?

¹⁴ Elisha had an attendant named Gehazi who was evidently present during Naaman’s discussion with Elisha. Gehazi saw matters differently than Elisha did. He is reported as saying, apparently to himself: “Here my master has spared Naaman this Syrian by not accepting from his hand what he brought. As Jehovah is living, I will run after him and take something from him.” Gehazi was interested in material gain, in profiting from the work of Jehovah’s spirit; so spiritual matters were not the all-important concern in his mind.​—2 Ki. 5:20.

¹⁵ Naaman got off his chariot to meet Gehazi and inquired, “Is all well?” Gehazi answered, “All is well,” and then proceeded to lie to get what he was after. “My master himself has sent me, saying, ‘Look! Just now there have come to me two young men from the mountainous region of Ephraim from the sons of the prophets. Do give them, please, a talent of silver and two changes of garments.’” Gehazi lyingly involved his master Elisha and the sons of the prophets in his evil scheme.​—2 Ki. 5:21, 22.

16. What occurred when Gehazi returned to Elisha?

¹⁶ Naaman still manifested the same generous spirit he had shown Elisha earlier and said, “Go on, take two talents.” Then Naaman “kept urging” Gehazi, and so this greedy man took the two talents of silver and the two changes of garments and proceeded to deposit them in his house. Then, empty-handed, Gehazi returned to Elisha. “Where did you come from, Gehazi?” Elisha inquired. Adding another lie to cover up the ones he told to Naaman, and lyingly to conceal the truth, Gehazi replied, “Your servant did not go anywhere at all.” But, of course, Jehovah knew what Gehazi had been up to and revealed the entire matter to Elisha. And so Elisha said to Gehazi: “Did not my heart itself go along just as the man turned to get down off his chariot to meet you? Is it a time to accept silver or to accept garments or olive groves or vineyards or sheep or cattle or menservants or maidservants?”​—2 Ki. 5:23-26.

17. (a) Why was Elisha rightly disturbed? (b) What happened to Gehazi for his greed?

¹⁷ Can you imagine the horrified feeling that hit Gehazi? Why, his master knew exactly what he had done! Imagine too the righteous indignation that Elisha felt. Here he had served Jehovah’s interests in the curing of Naaman’s leprosy and had refused any financial reward for his part in this miracle. And now his servant, who was not directly involved, had gone and greedily taken something under false pretenses. Elisha, with Jehovah’s obvious backing, went on to say to Gehazi: “So the leprosy of Naaman will stick to you and your offspring to time indefinite.” And the account concludes by saying: “Immediately he went out from before him, a leper white as snow.”​—2 Ki. 5:27.

Gehazi had been serving with Elisha for some time and had ample opportunity to see how Jehovah was using Elisha and what a privilege he had in being with Elisha. But he came to desire material wealth. His greed got the better of him when he saw his master refuse all the silver and garments offered by Naaman. His desire became fertile and moved him to sin. (Jas. 1:14, 15) He schemed and conjured up a story so as to obtain some of the material things with which Naaman was returning home. He even went so far as to lie to his master, in effect lying to Jehovah, who had appointed Elisha. And what disastrous results came upon him, for he was smitten with leprosy! His greed cost him his health and the privilege he had enjoyed of serving with Elisha. We can profit from this illustration of the disastrous course of being greedy, self-idolizing. We learn that reaching out for personal gain from Jehovah’s service is a very dangerous thing and something we must avoid.​—Compare John 12:4-6.