The Legacy of Leprosy
Devotions for Growing Christians
The Legacy of Leprosy
2 Kings 5:20 - “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..’"
2 Kings 5:27 - "‘Naaman's leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever."‘Then Gehazi went from Elisha's presence and he was leprous, as white as snow.”
The story of Naaman is well known to every Sunday school graduate. But Gehazi's story is not as well known, even though it’s actually a part of the Naaman narrative. One reason why the Gehazi part is not as well publicized is that it has such a sad ending. It's the story of a man who left leprosy as his legacy to his family. The leprosy that was miraculously lifted from Naaman settled upon Gehazi and his descendants.
Gehazi was the servant, or assistant, of Elisha, the prophet of God. It seems that Gehazi started out well. As we read 2 Kings 4 we could even say that Gehazi appears to be a model servant. Every time he's mentioned, he's doing what every good servant would be expected to do for his master. In fact, in many ways Gehazi was a partner with Elisha in the ministry. But at the end of 2 Kings 5, Gehazi has leprosy. What happened?
Gehazi committed some very serious sins. In gratitude for his healing from leprosy, Naaman tried to give gifts to Elisha. But Elisha refused to take any payment or gift, and Gehazi couldn’t resist the temptation to try to relieve Naaman of some of his all-too-available wealth! Gehazi said to himself, "As the Lord lives, I will run after Naaman and take something from him" (v20). Can you believe it - doing something wrong in the name of the Lord?!
It seems that Gehazi didn't even have much of a guilty conscience as he planned his course of action. As far as Gehazi was concerned, Naaman had come prepared to pay big money for a cure from leprosy. Now Naaman was returning to the pagan land of Syria with all that silver and gold! Maybe Gehazi thought, “Why not lighten the load a little for him as he travels back to Damascus, and keep some of that treasure in the Holy Land? So what if I have to make up a little story to exaggerate the needs of the ministry?”
Or maybe Gehazi reasoned, “Isn't this money, at least indirectly, going to be used for the Lord's work, since it’s providing for me, one of the Lord's servants? After all, I should put something away for retirement since the prophet doesn't have a pension plan! A little coverup lie isn't all that bad, is it?”
We would agree that Gehazi’s action was foolish and wrong, but why would God consider these sins so serious that He would impose a legacy of leprosy on Gehazi and all his descendants?
Gehazi's sins were serious because the testimony of the Lord was directly and negatively affected. Gehazi defiled the Lord's work. Gehazi dishonored the Lord's servant. And Gehazi distorted the Lord's gospel. Gehazi's actions were not confined to his own private world - they affected others as well. They would not only discredit the testimony of the Lord in Israel, but would also disgrace the testimony of the Lord internationally! Gehazi's sins were very serious indeed.
He defiled the Lord’s work
Gehazi defiled the Lord's work because he lied about the ministry. He told Naaman that two young prophets had dropped in on Elisha unexpectedly (v22). They were poor servants of the Lord from the backwoods country, and they needed of a little cash and some new clothes - especially there in the big city of Samaria. Nothing could have been further from the truth! It was entirely a made up story - yet it sounded believable precisely because it had to do with the Lord's work.
It's so easy to manipulate people with heartbreaking stories about a mission hospital in Africa, or the needs of children in an orphanage, or the needs of the inner city. When these stories are true, and when those who are running these ministries have true servant hearts, God can motivate His people to meet real needs and assist His real servants. But when the stories are exaggerated because the real goal is money for the wants of those who run the ministry - the Lord's work is defiled! It's always wrong to lie, but to lie about the Lord's work is defiling. Think of how the Lord's work has been defiled by the lies and exaggerations of some prominent “TV evangelists” - lies told for their own profit, made in the name of Christ!
Gehazi's legacy of leprosy should be a warning to everyone involved in Christian ministry. When big money is available from donors who want to give, as Naaman did, the temptation to get at those funds is enormous - even if it means that the truth has to be stretched or compromised! Isn't it better to "create a need" rather than lose out on an opportunity for easy funding? The money will be used in "the work of the Lord"! Lying almost seems justified because the end is what counts. Unfortunately, the end is a defiled work of the Lord - and a legacy of leprosy! How would you like to be remembered as the decision-maker who corrupted your ministry and your family because of the irresistible temptation of available money?
1 Timothy 6:9-10 tells us that "people who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." The love of money - even for ministry - defiles the Lord's work, and leads to a legacy of leprosy. The "many griefs" in this text are all part of that legacy of leprosy. The godly heritage of many Christian families has been lost because of a love of money. The fallout has not only defiles the work of the Lord - the love of money has devastating effects on the families of those involved.
He dishonored the Lord’s servant
Gehazi also dishonored the Lord's servant. He lied about Elisha. In concocting his story about the prophets in need, Gehazi actually put false words into the mouth of Elisha. He told Naaman that Elisha had told him about the two young prophets who had come from Ephraim, and that Elisha had told him to go to Naaman with this need. Putting words into the mouth of Elisha certainly gave the story more credibility, but this story slandered the prophet of the Lord. That was a serious sin.
Not only did Gehazi lie about Elisha - he lied directly to Elisha. When Elisha asked Gehazi where he had been, Gehazi responded without hesitation, "Nowhere!" (v25). God was giving Gehazi one last chance to repent and tell Elisha what a terrible thing he had done. If Gehazi had confessed his sin to Elisha right then, the situation could have been rectified, and we would have had a wonderful story of repentance and restoration! But Gehazi compounded his sin with a cover-up.
How do we react when we have fallen short of God's standards in some area, and we are gently confronted by a fellow believer who asks us, in essence, "Where have you been?" How often does our pride - and our need to "always be right" - cause us to compound our sins by rationalizing our actions, or attempting to cover them up? The Bible is warning us here that while God is always seeking to restore us, if we refuse to humble ourselves to His restoring process, we have chosen His judgment!
Dishonoring the Lord's servants is a sin that's very easy to commit. In most churches or ministries, the Lord's servants do a lot of the "up-front" work, and are therefore subject to a lot of criticism. Criticism of the Lord's servants is dangerous. Let's be especially careful that our comments do not put words that were never actually spoken into their mouths! Lying to or about anyone is a sin. Lying about a servant of the Lord is a particularly serious sin, however, because it's not only the Lord's servant who is dishonored - the Lord Himself is dishonored!
God may have to remove those who continue to misrepresent and criticize His servants from their church or area of service. Sometimes it is quite obvious when God steps into the situation and disciplines with the "leprosy of Gehazi." God does not allow the sin of dishonoring His servants to be masked indefinitely. The "mark of Gehazi" not only renders the believer unclean to serve the Lord, it reminds fellow believers that dishonoring the Lord's servants brings serious consequences! The legacy of leprosy becomes God's warning to every potential Gehazi.
He distorted the Lord’s gospel
In addition, Gehazi's sin was serious because it distorted the Lord's gospel. The gospel is God's good news. God's good news is that salvation and all of his gifts are free! Isaiah 55:1 says, "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost." By taking money, Gehazi distorted the good news that God's gift of healing is free.
Moreover, Gehazi caused the spiritual picture in this story to be distorted. The free gift of cleansing from the fatal disease of leprosy pictures the truth that salvation, God's cleansing from the fatal disease of sin, is a free gift! "For the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23). Gehazi's greed distorted the great truth that "It is by grace that you are saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8).
As a result, when word rippled out in Damascus about Naaman's cure, the good news was distorted. The servants who were with Naaman would have told the story about the miraculous cure, but when they were asked "How much did it cost him?" they would have reported that a price was paid. They may have emphasized that the life-saving cure cost Naaman only $300 pounds of silver - such a deal! But they couldn’t say, "It was free!"
The truth that all Naaman had to do was humble himself and obey the Lord God of Israel was lost. The good news of God's free gift was distorted. How sad!
And what a warning for us to avoid the Gehazi syndrome. Many unbelievers think that Christians are always asking for money. Bigger and better buildings for "the Lord's work," and bigger and better salaries for "the Lord's servants." When unbelievers observe our constant requests for money “for the Lord,” the distorted idea that God's gifts are not really free after all is enhanced.
Elisha's question to Gehazi should be a further warning to all of us, "Is this the time to accept money, or to accept clothes, olive groves, vineyards, flocks, herds, or menservants and maidservants?" (v26).
Even though Elisha nipped the problem of Gehazi in the bud, its effects would be far-reaching. Questions probably began to be raised immediately about Elisha’s ministry - both his methods and his message. Think of all the labor and heartache for Elisha as he labored to undo this distortion of the Lord's gospel. And Gehazi’s legacy to his own family was far worse than mere physical leprosy. A distortion of God's good news was also part of his legacy!
Gehazi's legacy of leprosy should make us more aware of the seriousness of sins that negatively affect the testimony of our Lord Jesus Christ. Defiling the Lord's work, dishonoring the Lord's servants and distorting the Lord's gospel are very serious sins indeed. They bring God's necessary discipline on individuals who commit these sins, and they result in negative fall-out in the family for generations to come.
Don't leave behind a “legacy of leprosy”!
- Dave Reid