The Sin of Greed
“And Naaman said, Shall there not then, I pray thee, be given to thy
servant two mules' burden of earth? for thy servant will henceforth offer
neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the LORD. In
this thing the LORD pardon thy servant, that when my master goeth into the
house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself
in the house of Rimmon: when I bow down myself in the house of Rimmon, the LORD
pardon thy servant in this thing. And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he
departed from him a little way. But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of
God, said, Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving
at his hands that which he brought: but, as the LORD liveth, I will run after
him, and take somewhat of him. 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 5:17-27)
Today’s Morsel: When Naaman
wanted to pay Elisha for his healing, Elisha refused it because he knew that
the healing was from God and not himself. It would have been easy for him
to take the credit and the gift, but he refused. But his servant Gehazi
followed Naaman and lied to him to obtain the gifts. As I read this, I
wondered how many servants of the Lord are seeking gifts because they don’t
think that they have enough, or they think that God cannot care and provide for
them. When Gehazi returned, Elisha said
unto him, whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no
whither. And Elisha said to 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 olive yards, and vineyards, and sheep, and
oxen, and menservants, and maidservants? The leprosy therefore of Naaman
shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed forever. And he went out from his
presence a leper as white as snow.' As servants of the Lord,
we must not allow money, fame, or positions to draw us away from the truth of
God’s word and our calling. We cannot go after gain rather than the work
of God. If we do, sin will be upon us and our household forever.
Sing: Hold to God’s unchanging
hand. Hold to God’s unchanging hand. Build your hopes on things
eternal. Hold to God’s unchanging hand.
Thought For Today: “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted
after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many
sorrows.”
(1 Timothy 6:10)
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