Insight for Living

Bill Meyer: What happens when temptation knocks and nobody's watching? Today on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindoll uncovers a forgotten biblical character whose name you may not have heard, but whose story speaks powerfully to modern desires. Gehazi stood in the shadow of a miracle-working prophet. In his support role, he was trusted completely and given access to everything.

Then came a moment of choice that would alter his life forever. From his series called Fascinating Stories of Forgotten Lives, Chuck exposes the subtle monster of secret greed and reveals how rationalization can make wrong choices feel perfectly justified.

Chuck Swindoll: I want you to look at a story that appears at the end of Second Kings chapter five. It is an account of a helper who got greedy. The early part of the chapter is the story of a man who was cleansed of leprosy. His name is Naaman. In fact, you will see in verse 14, he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan according to the word of the man of God. That's a reference to Elisha the prophet, the man of God.

And Naaman's flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. He came and stood before Elisha and he said, "Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel. So please, take a present from your servant now." Look at Elisha's answer, verse 16. He said, "As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will take nothing."

Gehazi thought, "Behold, my master has spared this Naaman the Syrian by not receiving from his hand what he brought. As the Lord lives, I will run after him and take something from him." So Gehazi pursued Naaman. I count four volitional acts in this passage in verses 21 to 25. First, he pursued the source of the goods, all on his own by the way. Not one word of prayer, not a passing thought given to what might be thought by the Syrian or by his Lord. He pursues the source of the goods.

Second, he lied to cover his tracks. When Naaman saw one running after him, he came down from the chariot to meet him and said, "Is all well?" And he answered, "All is well." And then he worked up the courage to lie. "My master has sent me saying, 'Behold, just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothes.'"

Now you see the guy is creative. By now, his imagination has given him room to build a story. All was not well. The master had not sent him. There had not been two needy prophets or sons of prophets. These things were not going to be for someone else. It sounded so spiritual, by the way, to say that these were seminary students. "These are sons of the prophet and you know how those guys are. They never have enough."

You see, the whole story is reprehensible because he uses his office, his spiritual role, to play on the heart of a secular mind. And that often works. "You know how needy these sons of the prophets can be, right? Hey, why not give them some of the silver and some of the gold and, my, wouldn't a new sport coat look great on those young men?"

I have to talk directly now about something I love very much, and that's the ministry. But those of us in ministry need to learn that it is a convenient place to prey on people's emotions. It is easy to play up the sacrificial part of our calling to secretly have our hand out, always expecting the other person to pick up the tab, to buy lunch, to pay for the ticket, to get the gas, to bankroll the weekend. The ministry is a great place to manipulate goods and money from other people. Beware of that tendency.

Always beware of the possibility of secret greed, even though you may at the moment deny it. Remember, it is a smoldering ember ready to burst into flame. Now the third thing I notice when we come back to the story is that he acted deceitfully. Watch what happens. Naaman said, "Be pleased to take two talents," and he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags and two changes of clothing and gave them to two of his servants, two of Naaman's servants, and they even carried them before him.

"Here, men, take this. That man has lived long enough under the burden of need. Let's serve him. Let's give him." I'm sure Gehazi had spiritual-sounding words of how grateful he was and how pleased these sons of the prophets would be once they saw this surprise gift that was brought back to them and on and on. By now, he's beginning to believe his own stuff. That's the way deception is.

Elisha would never approve of what was happening and you'll catch a note of that as you read on. Verse 24, when he came to the hill, he, that's Gehazi, took the presents, that is those things that were given, from the other men's hands. You see, he said, "I'll take it from here." Interestingly, when he came to the hill, why? Because Elisha might see them. Somebody might notice the transfer of goods. And he's deceitfully covering his tracks.

He took them from their hand and I'm sure he embraced them and I'm sure he thanked them and gave them a blessing. And they left and notice what happens. He deposited them in his house. There's no sons of prophets that will ever get these things. He sent the men away and they departed. He knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that Elisha would never approve of what was done. He knew that would bring a frown and castigation, so he carried it all out secretly.

Another word of application. Being an assistant, being a partner or a team member with someone whose influence is widespread carries with it a trust, a loyalty. So that whether he or she is absent, there will be no reason to suspect you of deception or taking unfair advantage of your position. It's another reason to live an accountable life. It's another reason to keep short accounts. It's another reason for staying very close to the one you're serving, for checking your motive, analyzing reasons why you're doing what you're doing.

Now fourth, in the fourth act, his volitional acts, he finally denied the truth before one who had trusted him. He went in and stood before his master and Elisha said to him, "Where have you been, Gehazi?" Reminds me of my mother years ago when I came back from a wild evening with two friends. And I learned how to open the door without making the little latch snap because she could awake with the falling of a feather.

So I learned how to come in. I take my shoes off and I would turn the back door and I would slip in. Sometime I'd slip and sleep in the living room so she wouldn't hear me walk down the hall to drop in bed. And I came in one evening. I had, well, it was Halloween night. I might as well confess it all since we're into this. A couple of friends of mine and I had an English teacher that we could have gotten along a lot better without, we felt.

She lived only two blocks away, and so we bought a half a dozen eggs down at the local convenience market and we—it's hard to confess this before the whole world here, but I'm doing it. We hid out in a field across the street from this, our English teacher's house, and we counted to three and we jumped up and we slung those eggs. It was a direct hit. It was wonderful. Window, front door, two on the roof, two on the side.

To my amazement, her husband was lying in wait and he came out the front door and I heard the blast of a shotgun. Yeah. I set a new record in the 100 meters that night. I jumped a fence the next day I couldn't even climb over and I came panting in the house and my mother said to me, "Charles, where have you been?" Which was sort of like the fourth member of the Trinity asking me that same question.

I knew that she knew I had been up to no good. It's that kind of statement there. Now you're wondering what happened and I know that I'll have to say it later on. So the next day she made me go back with bucket and scrub brush and hot water to wash down the eggs that had begun to dry on the house. Humiliating experience. I'll never forget it. I wish that had ended all of my escapades, but it didn't.

Of course, she's dead now, so I have a way I can go on and live my life. But every once in a while, I still hear her words, "Where have you been, Charles?" "Where have you been, Gehazi?" And he said, "Me? Nowhere." That's the same thing I said that night. "Me? Nowhere. I just took a walk around the block." Servant went nowhere. He had the gall to lie to Elisha.

How could he do that? Listen to me. Once a man lies to himself, he can lie to anybody. Lying to a superior is not difficult if you have learned to lie to yourself. That's why rationalization does such a terrific work within us. That's how secrets are cultivated. That's how ministers of the gospel can preach on Sunday and sleep around during the week. That's how you can play with the treasury of the company and at the same time give an account for all of its financial dealings.

It's all part of the process of secret lies and deception and greed. We have the ability to do that and our mouths can say things that our minds know in fact are lies. And some get so good at it they could pass a polygraph with their lies. But Elisha is not fooled. The consequences that follow are tragic. "Your servant went nowhere." I'm sure Elisha put his hand up as if to say, "Be quiet. Did not my heart go with you when the man turned from his chariot to meet you?"

Right now, can you imagine the feelings of Gehazi? I mean it was as if the Goodyear blimp had been up taking pictures of this whole thing all the while and transferred it back as Elisha watches. But this was in the day when there were no blimps and there were no electronic devices. This was the ability to see, which was a prophet's unique gift. He is a seer. He is able to envision things where he was not at the time.

And Elisha saw it all. He had played it in review and was waiting for Gehazi to return. "Did not my heart go with you when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Is it a time to receive money and to receive clothing and olive yards and vineyards and sheep and oxen and male and female servants, Gehazi? Is this what our ministry is about?" Hold on tight. The final curtain drops.

"The leprosy of Naaman shall cleave to you and to your descendants forever." So he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow. Aren't we grateful that all greed does not result in the same consequence? Every time I read the story in the book of Acts chapter five of Ananias and Sapphira who gave the impression they sold it all but they only had sold a part of their land, and I see that one was killed right there at the door.

When the other came into the presence of the corpse, that other partner died. I remember the words of Vance Havner who said if God still dealt with hypocrisy today as he did then, every church would need to be built with a morgue in the basement. How many of us would be lepers? How many of us would have been killed? Looking back over this tragic story, I want to address the issue of greed with some practical lessons that I learned.

Let me give you four. I've thought of three and since putting three thoughts together, I've come up with a fourth. Let me give you four lasting lessons that I think come out of this story. First is this: Imagination allows greed to grow. When I say that, I think there's a need to identify or at least define imagination. Webster says it is forming a mental image not present into the senses and never before wholly perceived in reality.

The second definition Webster gives, and some of you with artistic ability will appreciate this one: creative ability. It seems as though those blessed with creative abilities are equally blessed with vivid imaginations. We can envision things. We can act out scenes. We can weep. We can laugh. We can feel nostalgic. We can feel grief just in the mental images that come through our imaginations.

The same creativity that helps us dream wonderful dreams can also assist us in forming destructive nightmares. That's what Gehazi has done. He thought, he imagined, and in his imagination he allowed his greed to grow. The secret in the Christian life is, of course, putting a check on our imagination at proper points. Remembering our role, remembering what is appropriate, remembering what is godly, remembering what is best, what is wise, not just what is available.

Now the second thought comes from this same section of scripture: Rationalization encourages greed to surface. What is rationalization? It is providing a plausible but untrue reason for conduct. That makes sense. That's logical. You see, rationalization talks us into intensifying our action. It removes the constraints of an inappropriate process and some are very good at it.

I've heard the most incredible rationalizations for leaving one's mate, the most incredible rationalizations for living a licentious lifestyle, amazing rationalizations for walking away from one's commitment. Rationalization encourages greed to surface. You know, it takes discipline to stop those rationalizations. Takes the discipline, the discernment to see through them and to call a spade a spade.

Imagination allows greed to grow. Rationalization encourages greed to surface. Third: Deception gives greed courage to persist. If I just keep it a secret, I can go on in it. Deception gives greed courage to persist. We lie to ourselves and so we lie to others, even those who were once close to us. I've had colleagues in years past lie to me.

When pursuing them, I have had them look me right in the eyes and continue their lie and persist in the lying. I've been amazed at the ability to do that until I realized that the same tendency is latent within me and it's also within you. Deception gives greed courage to persist. And finally, the good news is: Confession brings greed to a necessary and abrupt halt. We need to call it what it is.

It is ugly. It is nasty. It is inappropriate. It is naked avarice. It is discontentment with life. Worst of all, it stays hidden beneath the surface and it's covered with a spiritual veneer that can even be impressive. But the best way to deal with it is to face it, admit it, and through the power of Jesus Christ as Lord, stop it. I don't know who needed to hear this message besides me.

I always need to hear what I share. I just let other people listen in. And I don't know who else needs something like this. I don't know where the thorny places are in your life. But I have a feeling that the timing of God's word is such that there are a few who needed the warning. You may serve in a wonderful capacity. You may be in a place of enviable delight and joy.

But with it comes a very thin wire on which that privilege hangs. And that's a wire of trust. You serve in a group. The group is no stronger than your integrity. You serve on a team. The team is no closer than your loyalty. You minister alongside others and that ministry is only as strong as its weakest link. Serious thought. So serious that God in the days of Elisha would cause a man to die a leper for lying and covering his greed.

I'd like us to bow for a few moments of personal analysis. Serious message, I realize, but a needy one. You may, in fact, be the person at the top. You may be the one who is the more greedy of the two of you. You may long for the limelight and demand being the one who is the object of attention. You may find yourself jealous of that and unwilling to share the overflow of your world.

Greed is found under all possible circumstances. Greed is obviously a sin and that's the kind of thing for which our Lord died. And if he died for it, he has overpowered it. And he will give you the ability to deal with it, to face it, and to stop it if you will turn the controls over to him, confessing its presence and dealing openly with the truth.

I invite anyone who this very moment is struck with the spirit's conviction and his penetrating conscience-rendering presence to deal directly with it. If you're living a lie, come out of the closet. Confess it. Call it what God calls it and move toward a direction that will give you full repentance. Father, thank you for words of such warning in a day of such rationalization and wholesale deception. It is easy to fall into that lifestyle.

Help us with our imaginations. Check our rationalizations. Use this message to deal with deception and, Lord, bring about confession, cleansing, and release. Thank you for truth that comes from such stories as this one and may the truth be evident in a changed life. For we ask it in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Bill Meyer: Covetousness, rationalization, and deception. They all take us to dangerous places, but confession is the first step toward conquering the sin of greed. You're listening to Insight for Living. Chuck Swindoll is our Bible teacher and he titled today's message Gehazi: The Servant Who Got Greedy. It's the 13th study in a larger 14-part series that concludes Monday. It's called Fascinating Stories of Forgotten Lives.

Time is running out to request the collateral resources we have for digging deeper on your own. When you're ready to learn more, we invite you to check out the variety of helpful tools at insight.org/offer and be sure to look for our series Fascinating Stories of Forgotten Lives. Insight for Living has created the perfect toolkit for your journey.

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The preceding message, Gehazi: The Servant Who Got Greedy, was copyrighted in 1990, 1992, 2006, 2012, and 2024 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2024 by Charles R. Swindoll Incorporated. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.