" But gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, " look, my master has spared naman this Syrian, while not receiving from his hands what he brought; as the Lord lives, I will run after him and take something from him" 2 King's 5:20
It is every man's sincere desire to be great in life or at least to be associated with great ones, there are some who have already attain greatness while others still look for those who will give them direction to achieving greatness. We often pray and wish to meet the right people who would make tremendous impact on our lives and as soon as we discover one, we lost to him for guidance.
Any brilliant, young, primary School liver looks forward to attending one of the best secondary schools around; an ambition that knows no end. After completion of secondary school education, he does not choose to go to just any University, but one of repute.
If Ed terminally mikes his way abroad, he wants to return home and almnus of Oxford, Cambridge or Harvard. This young promising man will do all he can to achieve the purpose of leaving his own country. He must not fai,l he cannot fail. For him to fail will be inconceivable since all what he needed was a contact with excellence and this he has had.
However event has proven that a near association with greatness does not make one great there are hundreds of young men and women who world's pass through the gate of the best university only to come out as total and woeful failure.
Gehazi was one of the few who had the opportunity to train at the feet of Elisha, the recipient of a double portion power of Elijah. One great man of God history can never forget was Elijah, a prophet whose ministry was a bulldozer to all the strongholds of idol worshipping.
He was known in the King's called as the troubler of the House of Israel just because he was uncompromising. He stopped the rain for 3 years and cause it to rain again. He had many disciples out of which Elijah was the most distinguished.
The mantle of leadership fell on him when his master Elijah was carried away to heaven in a whirl wind. When Elijah became the successor of his master some young men dropped to a school or profit for the necessary ministerial training, and Gahezi was among them. How I managed to get there we would not know, but he was there nonetheless.
Now let us consider some benefits at the disposal of the gehazi. They include the best ministerial training available in his own time intimacy with Elisah, Opportunity to become another great man of God after Elisah and the possibility of succeeding Elisah.
He was with Elisah when he performed most of the recorded miracles of his ministry. He was also an eye witness to his Masters patience self-denial gentleness kindness and zeal for Jehovah. His master was an embodiment of the spiritual qualities.
God's tests for men always come unannounced. Unlike our earthly teachers, he will never tell you in advance. Abraham was not told that the command to offer Isaac as a burnt offering to Jehovah was a test of faith and neither was the 32,000 man army of Gideon. Only those who walk daily with God and uprightly too, will pass His test.
The test will come to each and everyone of us if actually we are God's children. His test comes in different ways and forms. In the case of Gehazi it was through Naaman, the Syrian army general who had been miraculously healed of leprosy. To show his appreciation offered Elisah some gifts which he rejected.
Gehazi was arranged at his Master's refusal to accept Naaman's gifts, so he pursued naaman to receive it all. The gifts were rejected by Elisah, not because you had too much but because it will have been improper to take anything from this healed but all converted Syrian general. Gehazi revealed his true character when he told the lie and got all I wanted from Naaman.
Gehazi's intimacy with Elisah only was sad to harding him in evil. He had grown so proud, contemptuous, covetous dishonest unduly secretive and shameless. He cared no more about reputation and good testimony.
Gehazi let his father's house a man thirsty for spiritual greatness but returned there a leper.
We are to note that he became a grossly corrupt man not in the midst of sinners but in the school of the prophet Elisah, the great man of God. It was from there that he graduated not as a prophet but as an unholy man whose inordinate ambition and greed turned him leprous. He was in contact with the best but turn out to be the worst.
Practical applications
We all want the best in life and ministry. Would like to attend the best judge John the best Christian group and listen to the best preachers. This is good, we must desire and decide to become good in our inner man.
One thing is certain, if I have a contract with God church and fun Christian brethren failed to raise us, it will sink us to the bottomless pit of depravity. His trial was given the law at sinai, it was that law that forms the basis of the Constitution of many nations of the world, yet Israel is still grappling with spiritual instability. Instead of concentrating on the spiritual as promised by God they engage more in politics of the world, no wonder why they expect the Messiah has an earthly King north of the kingdom of God.
Judas iscariot was the best of all ages-Jesus Christ, yet he became a son of perdition. Harold and Harold where's were as cruel and at heartless it appears as if they never met John the Baptist in their lifetime.
You too may be a member of an excellent Bible living church with faithful minister and fellowship of the most saintly people and still perish like gehazi, you too can be a failure in the best school of God which is the church except you yield to the Spirit of God Romans 8:14.
