The Fourth Wall - Day 26

2 Kings 5

20 But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, the man of God, said to himself, “My master should not have let this Aramean get away without accepting any of his gifts. As surely as the Lord lives, I will chase after him and get something from him.” 21 So Gehazi set off after Naaman.
When Naaman saw Gehazi running after him, he climbed down from his chariot and went to meet him. “Is everything all right?” Naaman asked.

22 “Yes,” Gehazi said, “but my master has sent me to tell you that two young prophets from the hill country of Ephraim have just arrived. He would like 75 pounds of silver and two sets of clothing to give to them.”

23 “By all means, take twice as much silver,” Naaman insisted. He gave him two sets of clothing, tied up the money in two bags, and sent two of his servants to carry the gifts for Gehazi. 24 But when they arrived at the citadel, Gehazi took the gifts from the servants and sent the men back. Then he went and hid the gifts inside the house.

25 When he went in to his master, Elisha asked him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?”
“I haven’t been anywhere,” he replied.

26 But Elisha asked him, “Don’t you realize that I was there in spirit when Naaman stepped down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to receive money and clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and cattle, and male and female servants? 27 Because you have done this, you and your descendants will suffer from Naaman’s leprosy forever.” When Gehazi left the room, he was covered with leprosy; his skin was white as snow.

Yep. This is a difficult text. But man, Gehazi was really trying to pull a fast one on Naaman and on Elisha, and Elisha wasn’t having it at all!

It was a pretty sneaky thing to do, and incredibly greedy on the servants part. God does not need rewards from us for the good he has done in our lives. When we give an offering of thanks, it is not because God needs it, rather, it is the sacrifice we make as thanks for what he has done for us. Never let a church say that God demands your gifts or God needs your gifts. Your gifts are an incredible response of grace for the love and mercy God has shown you. We should always give from the overflow, rather than giving from a demand that comes to us from anyone.

This is the reality of working and living in faith. We believe that God’s provision will take care of everything that we need. And I have found, over the last 30 years of ministry, that God has always been gracious, although rarely on my own timeline. We are blessed to have the opportunity to trust God year after year to provide for what his people need through the church. And I am always grateful for your gifts to the church.

I actually think that I have had those Gehazi moments when I thought I needed to chase someone around in order to get the gifts that they were willing to share. I think that Elisha had the right idea from the beginning. He knew that God provided all that he would need, so he turned down the gifts that Naaman brought. In doing so, he was reminding Naaman, that this God who had healed him was not a transactional God. But a God of love and forgiveness.

1. Have you ever chased a gift? How did that make you feel? 
2. When you give, do you give out of obligation or joy? 
3. How can you give from the overflow of grace you have been given? What would that look like?