Sermon Tone Analysis

/After Naaman had travelled some distance, Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said to himself, “My master was too easy on Naaman, this Aramean, by not accepting from him what he brought.

As surely as the LORD lives, I will run after him and get something from him.”/

/So Gehazi hurried after Naaman.

When Naaman saw him running toward him, he got down from the chariot to meet him.

“Is everything all right?” he asked./

/ //“Everything is all right,” Gehazi answered.

“My master sent me to say, ‘Two young men from the company of the prophets have just come to me from the hill country of Ephraim.

Please give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.’”/

/ //“By all means, take two talents,” said Naaman.

He urged Gehazi to accept them, and then tied up the two talents of silver in two bags, with two sets of clothing.

He gave them to two of his servants, and they carried them ahead of Gehazi.

When Gehazi came to the hill, he took the things from the servants and put them away in the house.

He sent the men away and they left.

Then he went in and stood before his master Elisha./

/“Where have you been, Gehazi?”  Elisha asked./

/“Your servant didn’t go anywhere,” Gehazi answered./

/But Elisha said to him, “Was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you?

Is this the time to take money, or to accept clothes, olive groves, vineyards, flocks, herds, or menservants and maidservants?

Naaman’s leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever.”

Then Gehazi went from Elisha’s presence and he was leprous, as white as snow./

What if every lie were to result in the liar being marked with leprosy?

None of us could long stand.

What if only those lies which are deliberate denials of the truth, instead of involuntary falsehoods, resulted in punishment by banishment?

How many of us would still remain within the company of the church?

What if not only those lies which we speak but also those which are the result of our refusal to live by the truth, were exposed by God’s own mark upon our lives?

The Word of God does relate the story of a man who was so marked for the remainder of life because he lied one time.

That story is instructive for contemporary saints because of the warning presented.

You may recall the story.

Naaman, the Syrian general, had risen in the court of Damascus to a position of first importance.

He had, in all probability, distinguished himself in the successful war of Syrian independence against Assyria which had been carried on some few years prior to the events in our study.

Though a great soldier, Naaman was a leper.

Though he was able to discharge public duties, the disease could only hold the threat of future pain and humiliation.

In Naaman’s household there was a slave girl both willing and able to help him.

She was by birth an Israelite.

Captured during one of the Syrian raids against her homeland, she was carried into captivity in a strange land.

Now she was enslaved to the end of her days, serving Naaman’s wife.

Perhaps there had grown a warm bond between this girl and her masters, or perhaps she was simply compassionate, but one day she expressed to her mistress her wish that Naaman could meet Elisha, the prophet of God.

Surely the prophet could cure Naaman of his leprosy if only they could meet.

Her words were repeated to the Syrian king, who sent Naaman himself with a letter of introduction to the reigning king of Israel, Jehoram.

As was usual in eastern culture a present accompanied the request.

The present in this case was an astounding amount of gold and silver and ten complete sets of rich raiment.

Jehoram was asked to somehow bring about a cure for Naaman.

The Syrian king probably mean for him to somehow arrange a meeting with the prophet, but Jehoram had no serious belief in either the mission or the power of Elisha.

He considered Elisha as men of the world often regard a man of God – with quaint alternations of cynicism and uneasiness, but without any trust.

He had no sympathy for the message Elisha preached, so he could not apply to Elisha for counsel and assistance.

In fact, Jehoram saw the king of Syria’s letter as an attempt to create a pretext for war by presenting a request which he could not possibly fulfil.

In his alarm and agitation Jehoram tore his robe, an act revealing his utter distress.

Elisha, hearing of this action, reproached the king by sending a messenger with a message reminding him that God had a prophet in Israel and asking that Naaman be sent on to him.

The great general came as he was bidden.

His splendid entourage halted before the humble cottage in which the prophet lived.

Elisha seems to have seized the occasion to instruct this great man of how little account this world’s magnificence may be in the eyes of a spiritual man.

Elisha did not even come out to this illustrious guest.

He merely sent a message instructing Naaman to go dip seven times in the waters of the Jordan.

Then, and only then, would he be healed.

Naaman was offended both with the message and with the manner in which it was delivered.

He felt that his station in life demanded greater respect than we had been accorded.

He had pictured to himself the manner in which the prophet would respond to his presence.

/I thought/, he raged, /that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the Name of the //Lord// his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy/.

As for immersing himself in the muddy Jordan, a foreign river of no account in his mind, his Syrian pride brought him to the point of fuming that any Syrian stream was as good or better.

Why not dip in the Abana or the Pharpar, rivers of Damascus?

The thought of going out of his way to dip himself in the Jordan was intolerable.

The prophet’s conduct and message were insulting.

Naaman was very angry.

But the leprosy was as bad as ever.

Time passes, and as time passes passion cools.

Naaman’s servants pointed out that after all he was not asked to do a hard thing.

If he had been enjoined to attempt some great duty, they reminded him, he would have at once obeyed.

Why should he hesitate when the command was to perform something simple?

So Naaman did obey.

What had he to lose?

Arriving at the Jordan, he stripped and stepped into the muddy, swirling waters.

Wading to a point with sufficient depth to permit him to immerse himself, he ducked under the murky waters.

One … two … three … four … five … six times, and still there was no change in his condition.

But after a seventh dip he arose a new man.

The leprosy was gone, his flesh was restored and his skin was as clean as that of a young boy.

In gratitude and full of joy at what had transpired, he paid a second visit to the man of God, and this visit was not as the first.

Arriving at Elisha’s hut, the man of God received him and Naaman announced his own conversion to the true Faith of the Lord God, the Almighty.

He urged a gift on Elisha, but Elisha resolutely declined.

Then, after a few words concerning conduct he might pursue, Naaman took his leave of the prophet.

Naaman was gone, but one person who had witnessed the scene was displeased.

Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, was no doubt pleased that God had healed Naaman, and he must have been pleased that this heathen general should be converted to the Faith of Israel; but was it not right that he should pay for such high privilege?

In Gehazi’s opinion a great opportunity had been recklessly lost.

It was not too late, however, to repair the mistake.

If he hurried he could yet relieve Naaman of some of the treasure.

Naaman showed the high honour in which he held Elisha by alighting from his chariot to receive Elisha’s servant and the message which he no doubt carried.

Gehazi explained that two young men had arrived at the school and were in need of money and clothing.

Elisha would, therefore, be willing to receive a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.

This was much less than originally offered, but Naaman urged Gehazi to take two talents of silver and even sent servants to carry the treasures for Gehazi.

Close by to Elisha’s house was a hill which shielded his view of the Damascus road.

Dismissing the servants, Gehazi secreted his treasures and assumed his position before Elisha, looking as if nothing in particular had happened since Naaman’s departure.

The prophet looked up and asked where he had been.

/I went nowhere/, responded Gehazi.

The prophet delayed no longer.

He detailed Gehazi’s act; he knew Gehazi’s motives.

Gehazi had thought he was alone, but Elisha’s spirit had accompanied Gehazi at that critical moment when Naaman alighted from his chariot.

Gehazi thought his intentions were secret, but Elisha’s reference to olive groves, vineyards, flocks, herds, menservants and maidservants, showed that he read in the servant’s mind the projects of splendour he intended to pursue with Naaman’s wealth.

There was a stern justice in the penalty which followed – Naaman’s leprosy went along with his wealth.

In grasping at the one, Gehazi had succeeded in inheriting the other.

Already the foul disease was full upon him, and he went from Elisha’s presence a leper.

Why Was Gehazi’s Lie Punished so Severely?