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Greed is bad enough, although it doesn’t mean one’s wealth was obtained illegally or deceptively.There are plenty of people who made their money honestly–they just can’t get enough of it. Ill-gotten money, obtained dishonestly, is a subject the Bible speaks specifically about: “Ill-gotten gains do not profit, but righteous ness delivers from death” (Proverbs 10:2). It’s also the subject of this chapter, as you’ll note from our central text, 2 Kings 5:20-27. Recall from the previous chapter that a cleansed Naaman pledged allegiance to the one true God of Israel. He made an additional comment after that, one I saved for now. Grateful for his healing, he said to Elisha, “Please accept a gift from your servant” (2 Kings 5:15). Not surprisingly, Elisah refused to take payment for the mira cle.A truly righteous man, he did this for the glory of God and the benefit of Naaman, not for monetary gain. Gehazi, shall we say, was a horse of a different color. As we examine his behavior and eventual demise, consider first his privileged position. Gehazi was, “the servant of Elisha, the man of God” (2 Kings 5:20). In other words, he served in a highly favored position, like his master had with Elijah.Who among the school of prophets would not have yearned to minister in such a role? Think about the position Joshua held under Moses. Follow ing his mentor faithfully, he joined 11 other spies to check out the Promised Land. He, along with Caleb, were the only two who returned with a positive report, expressing faith that they could conquer the enemy. Forty years later, he got his chance, leading the armies to victory and then overseeing the subsequent distribu tion of land. Had he possessed greater faith and a noble character, Ge hazi could have been that person. As we’ve already seen, such was not to be. Like Judas in the company of Jesus, he demonstrated

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