DoublePortion_October2023_8.5x5.5_REV.indd

assets worth 823 million dollars. . . Long known for lavish tastes, the Madoffs are revealed to have owned 2.6 million dollars in jew elry, a 39,000 dollar Steinway piano and 65,000 dollars worth of silverware in their NewYork apartment alone. 3 ” Gehazi didn’t have that luxury of enjoying his tainted bounty, as his apparent accumulation quickly gave way to intense interroga tion. It was after his second lie that his master said, “Was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you?” (2 Kings 5:26). A special man of God who possessed a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, Elisha obviously discerned Gehazi’s deceitful behav ior. He then posed a follow up question: “Is this the time to take money or to accept clothes -or olive trees or vineyards, or flocks and herds, or male and female slaves?” (2 Kings 5:27). The Lord’s interrogation of Cain began before his lie and murder. Cain became angry when the Lord accepted Abel’s offering but rejected his, to which the Lord replied, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up?” (Genesis 4:6,7).Then after the murder, the Lord asked, “Where is Abel your brother,What have you done?” (Genesis 4:9,10). Once Ananias and Sapphira held back money from the sale of property, then subsequently lied about it, Peter peppered them with questions, such as: “Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? (Acts 5:3,4). It was following Elisha’s questions that Gehazi received his resulting retribution. Due to his ill-gotten gain and lies, he received the leprosy that had been removed from Naaman. “Then Gehazi went from Elisha’s presence and his skin was leprous-it had become white as snow” (2 Kings 5:27).

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