Greed Is Not Good - Gehazi

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.”

2 Kings 5:20

In the 1987 movie Wall Street, Gordon Gekko, a ruthless brokerage-house owner played by Michael Douglas, delivered his infamous “Greed Is Good” speech to his employees. Greed, he claimed, would propel them toward success in their chosen field.

Although the movie portrayed Gekko as the villain, many in the investment community saw him as an inspiring role model. They saw greed as a good thing, just as Gordon Gekko taught.

Though the Bible encourages hard work, it repeatedly warns against greed. Gehazi, a servant of the prophet Elisha, is a sad example of a man who failed to heed those warnings and paid a steep price for it.

Through Elisha’s ministry, God had miraculously healed the Syrian general Naaman, who gratefully offered the prophet a gift in gratitude. Elisha refused the gift and sent Naaman on his way, but Gehazi chased after him without consulting his master, hoping to collect for himself what Elisha had turned down.

Gehazi’s greed ruined his life. He took for himself what he had no right or authority to have, he lied to Naaman to obtain it (see 2 Kings 5:22), and he lied when Elisha confronted him (see 2 Kings 5:25).

Though Gehazi did not die for his sin, his greed cost him his health from that day on. The leprosy that Elisha had healed in Naaman permanently attached itself to Gehazi. Ever after, Gehazi only had to look at his hands and feet to see the serious consequences of greed.

God delights in your desire to achieve and work hard to make a good life for yourself and your family. The sinful desire to acquire more, also known as greed, displeases him. How can you balance your desire to earn more with a commitment toward contentedness with what God has already given you?