People can get touchy when it comes to discussions about paying people for their ministry. Obviously, pastors and those doing missions work need to make a living, doing the Lord’s work, but how far is too far?
We learn the answer to that in the story of Gehazi. As a servant of a famous prophet in the Bible, he thought of an extra way to make cash on the side—and take advantage of the illness of a rich man.
The Lord does not allow him to go unpunished. Today we’ll cover who he is, what he did, and why it was so bad.
Who Is Gehazi in the Bible?
Before we can cover his heinous crimes, we have to know what else Scripture says about him.
First, he’s a servant to Elisha. For those who don’t know who Elisha is, he studied and worked alongside Elijah. When Elijah was carried up in a chariot of fire, Elisha received a double portion of Elijah’s power. Hence, many of Elisha’s miracles look very similar to Elijah’s miracles.
Gehazi witnessed several of Elisha’s acts, such as the resurrection of a dead son of a Shunammite woman (2 Kings 4).
We don’t know much else about Gehazi from Scripture other than that he obeyed Elisha whenever Elisha asked him to do something. He seems to operate as an assistant of sorts.
Nevertheless, he takes a turn for the worse one chapter later in 2 Kings 5, when a man with leprosy approaches him about seeing Elisha—to receive healing.
What Did Gehazi Do When Naaman Got Healed?
You probably have heard of the story of Namaan. And if you haven’t, strap in.
Namaan was a very rich man, but a very rich man with an awful disease. Leprosy in the Bible often refers to several skin diseases for which ancient peoples didn’t have specific names.
But it tended to have a similar pattern. The skin would turn a different color, perhaps flaky. Often body parts would get gnawed off or fall off due to pain receptors being blocked in the skin.
If an Israelite had it, it meant they were unclean. They had to live away from the people, likely living a pretty miserable life on the sidelines.
So we can imagine Namaan’s sadness at his disease. Although he wasn’t an Israelite—he was a commander to an army of a king in another nation (Aram)—most nations didn’t handle those with leprosy well either.
He knows that his riches and prestige could get him nowhere with a condition like this.
So he seeks Elisha’s help.
He doesn’t like Elisha’s solution at first. It seems plebian to him. Elisha tells him to wash himself seven times in the Jordan. For those who don’t know, the Jordan wasn’t exactly a clean water source, and Namaan knew it.
He eventually swallows his pride, follows Elisha’s instructions, and receives healing. He tries to give Elisha a gift for Elisha’s act, but Elisha refuses. Probably because Elisha acknowledges the power of God had done the healing, not Elisha, and that he shouldn’t be taking payments for an act of God.
This is where Gehazi enters the story.
Gehazi and Namaan run into each other on the road later. Gehazi is upset that Elisha has not accepted any compensation for this miracle, so he figures he can finagle one.
He goes to Namaan and demands quite the gift: a talent of silver and two sets of fine clothing.
Namaan gladly doubles this, and Gehazi returns to his master. We can imagine he’s pretty giddy about this. “Come on, Elisha. We need to put food on the table. You’ll thank me later.”
Elisha does not thank him later.
In fact, the passage seems to indicate that Gehazi wanted to keep everything to himself. He lies to Elisha when Elisha asks him where he’s been. If he’d intended to give Elisha the silver and clothing, he would’ve said so.
Elisha calls the bluff, tells Gehazi he shouldn’t have accepted a bribe for the miracle, and Gehazi walks away with the leprosy Namaan had just been cured of. Ouch.
Why Was Gehazi’s Sin So Bad?
Even if Gehazi had told Elisha the truth and intended to give Elisha the wealth, we can imagine he would’ve seen similar repercussions. Why?
It may seem odd that Gehazi got in trouble. After all, the Bible refers various times to God caring for the Levites, the priest tribe of Israel. He ensures they receive portions of land and meat, from the other Israelites, for their duties. How is this any different?
I think here we have to mark the difference between doing ministry and doing acts of God. The Levites had done religious duties. They’d burn incense, slaughter animals for sacrifice, lift prayers for the people to the Lord, etc. These in themselves are not acts or miracles of God. But they are done in service to God.
Hence, we pay people such as pastors, youth ministers, and worship leaders (or at least, we should). They serve congregations in the same ways that the Levites served the Israelites.
On the other hand, spiritual giftings such as prophecy or healing are direct acts of God. If people ask for money to do these things, they are making money from what God does. There’s something inherently wrong about that.
Gehazi knew Elisha didn’t like taking payments for God’s miracles, and he tried to get money anyway.
We see several instances of greed going wrong in the Old and New Testaments. Achan, Ananias, and Sapphira come to mind. They kept what they shouldn’t have. Then they faced certain death because of it.
There’s a reason why the love of money is the root of all evil.
What Can We Learn from Gehazi?
Money is a touchy subject.
Many of us can steel ourselves when the pastor decides to give his annual sermon about why people should give more. Especially in this current economy, there can be a temptation to be tight-fisted.
But the story of Gehazi should sober us in some ways. Gehazi sought to use God to make an extra side income.
And although many of us are not working for people who are going around and doing miracles—we should take the following precautions from Gehazi’s story.
It’s not wrong for God’s workers to be paid, but…
We need to ask the Holy Spirit for discernment if we’re trying to use God as a side business. God’s people need to put food on the table and a roof above their heads. But we have to make sure we’re not trying to take advantage of God’s acts or gifts.
It’s not wrong to have volunteers, but…
Something that strikes me in this passage is Elisha did the work for free, but Gehazi intended to profit from Elisha’s work. You could say that perhaps Elisha was the first unpaid intern.
Jokes aside, having a church or ministry without volunteers is nearly impossible. With that said, it does break my heart when certain people in the church scrounge a living while others make quite the yearly salary. We need to look out for those within our churches and the ministries we run. Certainly, higher positions should receive higher pay, but not at the expense of those who can’t pay the bills.
It’s always wrong to lie…
Gehazi knew what he was doing. One chapter earlier, he’d witnessed a literal resurrection, and his heart was still set on greed.
Worst of all, he lied about his greed.
Lies will always find the light. As Christians, we must prioritize honesty, knowing that if we sweep anything under the rug, it will eventually have its PR moment.
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/Nisha Dutta
Hope Bolinger is an acquisitions editor at End Game Press, book editor for hire, and the author of almost 30 books. More than 1500 of her works have been featured in various publications. Check out her books at hopebolinger.com for clean books in most genres, great for adults and kids. Check out her editing profile at Reedsy.com to find out about hiring her for your next book project.
This article is part of our People of Christianity catalog that features the stories, meaning, and significance of well-known people from the Bible and history. Here are some of the most popular articles for knowing important figures in Christianity:
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