Gehazi was a servant of the prophet Elisha but the
relationship between Elisha and Gehazi was not similar to what the relationship
between Elijah and Elisha had been. Although Elisha continued to associate with
him, Gehazi demonstrated a serious lack of honesty on one occasion, in the
matter of Naaman the Syrian, to which Gehazi received the leprosy that Naaman
had been cured of, and while Elisha was able, by means of the Holy Spirit of
God, to raise the dead as Elijah had done, in the matter of the raising of the
Shunammite woman's son, Gehazi was unable to do it even when given the use of
Elisha's staff by Elisha himself.
"the king talked with
Gehazi the servant of the man of God" 
The first mention of Gehazi in Bible History occurs when Elisha was invited to stay at the home of a woman in Shunem who recognized Elisha as a man of God. The common perception that she did so because Elisha was a hermit / loner is not correct when one considers that Elisha had a servant (i.e. Gehazi) and that Elisha associated with a "company of prophets" (e.g. 2 Kings 2:3). Elisha was simply offered those accommodations when he was in that town i.e. "I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually". (It was because of that lady's faith in God that God enabled her to have a child as she wanted. Gehazi often spoke to the lady for Elisha.
"And she answered, I dwell among mine own people."
"And he said, What then is to be done for her?"
"And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old. And he said, Call her."
"And when he had called her, she stood in the door. And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son."
"And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid. And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life." (2 Kings 4:8-17 KJV)
After the woman had her child, tragedy struck. The child died, and immediately the woman sought Elisha for help. It was Gehazi who met her on the way, but she didn't tell Gehazi what had happened; she sought to speak only with Elisha.
"So she went and came unto the man of God to
mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that
he said to Gehazi his servant, Behold, yonder is that Shunammite: Run now, I
pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with
thy husband? is it well with the child?" "And she answered, It is
well." "And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught
him by the feet: but Gehazi came near to thrust her away. And the man of
God said, Let her alone; for her soul is vexed within her: and The Lord hath
hid it from me, and hath not told me." (2 Kings 4:25-27 KJV)
Elisha sent Gehazi to the dead child, but even with Elisha's staff (it
wasn't the staff that was important, it was the Holy Spirit - Elisha had it in
far greater measure than Gehazi), the child remained dead.
"Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and
take my staff in thine hand, and go thy way: if thou meet any man, salute him
not; and if any salute thee, answer him not again: and lay my staff upon the
face of the child."
"And the mother of the child said, As The Lord liveth, and as thy soul
liveth, I will not leave thee. And he arose, and followed her.""And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he went again to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked." (2 Kings 4:29-31 KJV)
Elisha arrived a little later, and by means of the Holy Spirit, the dead child was awakened. Elisha sent Gehazi with the good news to the mother.
"And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this
Shunammite. So he called her. And when she was come in unto him, he said, Take
up thy son. Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the
ground, and took up her son, and went out." (2 Kings 4:36-37 KJV)
Gehazi did not have Elisha's great measure of honesty either. When Naaman
was miraculously cured of leprosy, Gehazi sought to personally profit from the
prophet, to which he paid a very high price - Gehazi became infected with the
leprosy that Naaman had been cured of.
"So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when
Naaman saw him running after him, he lighted down from the chariot to meet him,
and said, Is all well?"
"And he said, All is well. My master hath sent me, saying, Behold, even
now there be come to me from mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the
prophets: give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of
garments.""And Naaman said, Be content, take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and laid them upon two of his servants; and they bare them before him. And when he came to the tower, he took them from their hand, and bestowed them in the house: and he let the men go, and they departed."
"But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi?"
"And he said, Thy servant went no whither."
"And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants? The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow" (2 Kings 5:21-27 KJV)
Nevertheless, Gehazi remained a servant of Elisha thereafter.
"And it came to pass at the seven years' end,
that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines: and she went forth
to cry unto the king for her house and for her land. And the king talked with
Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the
great things that Elisha hath done. And it came to pass, as he was telling the
king how he had restored a dead body to life, that, behold, the woman, whose
son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land.
And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom
Elisha restored to life. (2 Kings 8:3-5 KJV)
At a critical time in the history of Israel, God raised up the prophet
Elijah to be His witness to the nation. Elijah had a servant called Elisha whom
God selected as the next prophet to the nation. Elisha had a servant called
Gehazi. It is an interesting study to see the contrast between Elisha and
Gehazi. 
God anointed Elisha with a double portion of the anointing that Elijah had. This was God's seal of approval on Elisha's life. But before God anointed him thus, he had been tested. As in the case of all true servants of God, Elisha too was called to the ministry, while he was faithfully doing his secular duties. "Elijah found Elisha the son of Shaphat, while he was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth. And Elijah passed over to him and threw his mantle on him."(1 Ki. 19:19. Thereafter, Elisha spent many years doing menial jobs for the prophet Elijah. He was known as the one "who used to pour water on the hands of Elijah."(2 Ki. 3:11b. He did not seek great things for himself, but God had great plans for that young man. Before Elijah went up to heaven, Elisha had to be tested. And so Elijah told Elisha to stay on in Gilgal, while he himself went on to Bethel. Elisha refused to stay back but was determined to go with Elijah. At Bethel, Elijah again tried to shake off Elisha by saying that he had to go to Jericho. But Elisha stuck on like a leech. Finally, at Jericho, Elisha was tested once more in a similar way. Again, Elisha passed the test of persistence and accompanied Elijah to Jordan. It was thus that he got the double portion of the anointing - God's best for his life (2 Ki.2:1-14.
What is the message here for us? There are various stages in our spiritual development at which God tests us to see whether we are satisfied with what we have already received or whether we will press on to God's highest. Gilgal stands for the place where our sins are forgiven. "The Lord said to Joshua, `Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.' So the name of that place is called Gilgal to this day."(Josh. 5:8,9. Many Christians get thus far and stop there. Some press on till Bethel (meaning 'the house of God') - which stands for fellowship with believers in the family of God. "And Jacob called the name of that place Bethel. Then Jacob said, `This stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God's house.'" (Gen. 28:19,22. Some stop here. But a few go still further to Jericho - which stands for the manifestation of the supernatural power of God. "The people shouted with a great shout and the wall fell down flat.....and they took the city (of Jericho)."(Josh. 6:20. This is as far as most Christians ever go. Very, very few go all the way to Jordan - which stands for identification with Christ in His death, as symbolised in baptism. "Then Jesus arrived at the Jordan, coming to John, to be baptized by him."(Mt. 3:13. Very, very few are willing to walk the way of the cross - "the new and living way that Jesus has inaugurated for us through His flesh." (Heb. 10:20. But it is these few, who are wholehearted enough to press on to total death to Self, who receive the double portion - God's best. All of us are being tested today, as to what stage we will stop at.
Gehazi's Unfaithfulness
Even as Elisha had succeeded Elijah as the prophet, Gehazi could perhaps have succeeded Elisha as the next prophet, if he had been faithful. But Gehazi had to be tested first. This testing took place when Naaman, the Syrian general returned to Elisha after being healed of his leprosy. Out of gratitude for his healing, Naaman offered Elisha silver and gold worth nearly a million rupees and ten fancy Syrian suits of clothing. What a temptation for a lesser man than Elisha! But Elisha turned down the offer without a moment's hesitation. Naaman was an unbeliever and a compromiser and Elisha would receive nothing from him. The fact that Naaman was a compromiser is clearly seen in what he said to Elisha after he had been healed. He said that he was compelled to worship idols, because of his official position. Naaman knew that idolatry was wrong. But he was unwilling to sacrifice his job for the sake of the truth, just like many today. Naaman told Elisha, "In this matter may the Lord pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my hand and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon your servant in this matter."(See 2 Ki. 5:18. Elisha would not receive anything from such a man.
The early apostles followed the same pattern. "They went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles."(3 John 7. Gehazi had observed Elisha's attitude towards Naaman's money. But he felt that Elisha had been foolish to refuse what Naaman had offered so freely. He ran after Naaman therefore (just like many Indians today run after Western Christians), told a few lies and collected forty thousand rupees worth of silver and two of those Syrian suits. Elisha who could see through a crooked man easily, immediately exposed Gehazi's covetousness. He told Gehazi that since he had grabbed Naaman's money, he would get Naaman's leprosy as well. He told him, "`Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman shall cleave to you and to your descendants forever.' So Gehazi went out from his presence a leper as white as snow."(2 Ki. 5:27. Instead of getting a double portion of Elisha's anointing, Gehazi got leprosy instead. Little did Gehazi realise that he was being tested by God that day. If only he had known what tremendous issues were at stake, he might have been more careful. We have seen repeatedly, we don't usually realise when God is testing us - particularly in the area of mammon. There is a word written concerning King Hezekiah that at one time "God left him alone to test him so that he might know what was in his heart" (2 Chron. 32:31. This was true of Gehazi too. God allowed him to be in a situation where no-one was watching him. Only thus could he be tested.
Gehazi and ministry
I imagine that Gehazi could not
believe his eyes when he saw a confirmed dead person walk among the living or
participated in miraculously feeding hundreds of people, but he had a front
seat, observing from close quarters the ministry of one of the most amazing
prophets of Israel. Yes, Elisha had received a double portion of God’s Spirit (2 Kings 2:9),
and the rabbis were quick to point out that Elisha performed twice the number
of miracles of his predecessor Elijah.2 Clearly, by requesting a
double portion of Elijah’s spirit, Elisha invoked Deuteronomy 21:17, which details that the
firstborn son would inherit the double portion of the other sons’ inheritance.
We recognize this request as another quick glimpse into the character of Elisha,
the servant of Elijah.3 Humble and, I imagine, somewhat overwhelmed
by the task ahead, Elisha realized that a double portion of the Elijah-spirit
was needed to face the challenge.
Gehazi’s relationship to Elisha was
similar to the previous relationship Elisha had with his master Elijah. He was
a wandering apprentice. He was there when Elisha visibly demonstrated that the
God of Israel was the completely Other and not to be compared to Baal,
Moloch, or Asherah. Actually, Gehazi suggested to Elisha that one of the
greatest needs of the Shunamite woman was a child as she was barren (2 Kings 4:14, and it was also
Gehazi who later ran ahead of Elisha to lay his master’s staff on the face of
the dead boy. Gehazi was close to the action, showed initiative, had been
trained by one of the best, and was seemingly ready to move forward.
Naaman’s
story
A young Israelite girl, nameless as
she remains, pointed the powerful Aramean courtier—facing not only a medical
emergency but even more so, social isolation and oblivion—to the prophet in
Israel. Gehazi must have also been present when the Aramean general, Naaman,
knocked on Elisha’s door, even though the biblical text does not mention him by
name until we reach the sad anticlimax of the narrative in 2 Kings 5:20.
Perhaps he was the messenger Elisha sent out with the simple order for Naaman
to go to the Jordan and wash in it seven times (2 Kings 5:10). He must have been impressed by the fact that Elisha’s
ministry was about to move to a higher level. More visibility and prime time
action appeared to lie just ahead. The knock on Elisha’s door that day meant
that Elisha was not just another local player anymore but had moved on to
become an international celebrity.
Naaman’s initial reaction to
Elisha’s messenger was not favorable. He was upset—and rightly so. Here came,
as it were, the national security advisor of the powerful Syrian king, and he
was shown no special courtesies. He did not even get a face-to-face
conversation with the miracle healer. A simple one sentence message was all he
got.
Naaman did not like the looks of the
muddy Jordan (which, outside the rainy season, is not a very impressive river)
and was ready to return home, angry, upset, and frustrated. Fortunately, he had
a loyal crew of staff members who encouraged him to try—and try he did. Seven
times he plunged himself under the water. Six times, as he looked at his hands
and arms, his hopes were dashed. But the seventh time was different. He was
healed—wonderfully made whole again. Immediately he set out to pay tribute (and
some hard-earned riches) to Elisha and confess his new-found faith. This time,
he finally met the prophet personally and Elisha guided him gently and
patiently into further truth. No, he did not want (or need) any of Naaman’s
wealth. He was content to see God’s initial plan for Israel working: being a
light to the nations that would attract so much interest and cause individuals
and people to come in order to find out about this God who resided in Zion.
Gehazi’s
story
Gehazi, however, was not content.
Secretly he followed Naaman, running to catch up with the thankful Aramean. A
story was quickly fabricated and—to his delight—he received two talents
(roughly 150 pounds, or 68 kg) of silver and two sets of clothing. Life was
good. He would never, ever again have to worry about food for tomorrow.
Returning to Elisha’s home, Gehazi sought to cover his tracks. I imagine he
went into the house whistling and looking particularly innocent as he reported
back for duty.
Elisha asked only one pointed
question: “ ‘Where have you been, Gehazi?’ ” (2 Kings 5:25, NIV), and as Gehazi continued to spin his distorted view of
reality (we may also safely call this a lie), Elisha confronted him with
reality. How could he have hoped that his master would not be aware of this—a
master who had intimate communion with the Creator and Sustainer of the
universe, raised the dead, fed the hungry and poor, and knew what a gentile
king whispered in his bedroom suite (2 Kings 6:12)? Even if he had thought that he could trick Elisha, how
could he have hoped to sidestep the Lord, the One in whose name Elisha
performed all these miraculous acts?
Elisha asked Gehazi a pointed
question that has been asked many times over the centuries: “ ‘Is this the time
to take money, or to accept clothes, olive groves, vineyards, flocks, herds, or
menservants and maidservants?’ ” (2 Kings 5:26, NIV).
It was not, and the divine judgment upon Gehazi was immediate and far-reaching.
His greed attracted Naaman’s leprosy and cost him his privileged front-row seat
in God’s wonderful demonstration of signs and wonders.
Our
story-Lessons to learn from Gehazi
I am an ordained minister, have been
a professor of Old Testament and ancient Near Eastern studies, and now work as
an editor of a religious magazine. Over the last decades I have, at times,
noticed that familiarity with the Holy can lead to Gehazi-like attitudes (and
sometimes actions). I confess, I have never witnessed a response as immediate
as that of 2 Kings 5 but would argue that this misguided familiarity with God’s
holiness often leads us away from the focus of our ministry.
We pray all the time, publicly and
privately, and it may be that prayer has lost its mystery.
We open Scripture (in order to
preach or teach) all the time, publicly and privately, and it may be that God’s
Word has lost its wonder and power.
We witness (or hear about) God’s
transforming power all the time, and it may be that we have become sarcastic or
even cynical.
Have you noticed the Gehazi syndrome
in your ministry lately? Have you felt that God, the Holy God of Scripture who
worked in the life of His people and sacrificed Himself in Jesus, has become
somewhat stale and perhaps even boring?
I sure have, at times, felt this way
and would like to share four elements that helped me re-discover the wonder,
power, and majesty of this Holy God who has called me into His service. Perhaps
some may be helpful to you as well.
1. Remember your first love for
Jesus. Recall (and recount) how He called you into His ministry. No, this
would not be to raise your profile or show your congregation that you are
better than they are but rather a reminder of where you have come from and that
your ministry is nothing outside of God’s call. I wonder if Gehazi ever stopped
to remember the time when Elisha invited him to serve the God of Israel. He
surely must have been awed then.
2. Block out time for personal
prayer. Keep a prayer journal and keep writing in and reading it. I found
this one of the key elements needed for avoiding the Gehazi syndrome. When we
talk and listen to the Creator of the universe and our personal Savior, our mouths
must drop open in awe and wonder. He truly cares—even about wayward, tired
servants who may have momentarily lost their way. Writing our prayer journeys
helps us remember our utter dependence upon this Holy God. Was Gehazi so busy,
looking at the stock market and watching the economic indicators or the vital
statistics of Elisha’s ministry, that there just was not sufficient time for
personal prayer—and silence before God?
3. Find a prayer partner to whom
you will be accountable. This should be a person you trust and who loves
the Lord. Be open about your struggles. At this moment, you can let down your
guards—and feel safe about doing it. Unfortunately, our sense of position and
hierarchy keeps us, sometimes, from finding a ministerial colleague who could
serve as a prayer partner. Can I really pray about everything that worries me
with my pastor colleague from across town or in the office next door? I wonder
if Gehazi felt a bit like that—especially with the schools of the prophets
around.
4. Stop periodically thinking
about your ministry and plotting new ways to advance the kingdom. This is
not your kingdom, but the Master’s. While He wants us to be creative and
mission-driven, He wants even more for us to spend quality time with Him. Step
back for a moment of reflection, and let God do the planning and plotting.
Judging from Gehazi’s careful action after returning with the gold and
clothing, he must have been quite a gifted planner and plotter—perhaps too much
so.
Wrapping
it up
I am grateful Scripture is full of
imperfect people that often mirror me quite well. I am also grateful Jesus,
Himself, took the time to refocus during His busy ministry years and told His
disciples to “ ‘come . . . and . . . rest’ ” (Mark 6:31, NIV). Besides the physical rest, it seems they needed to
“process” and recalibrate.
As I am trying to avoid the
Gehazi syndrome of becoming (overly) familiar with the Holy, I recognize that I
may need a similar complete stop and turn around in my own life. What about
you?
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