GEHAZI:

MISSING
THE
MARK
Lesson 12 for the 18th of
December, 2010
 ELIJAH

ELISHA
• He was called by Elijah to be his
servant
• He was the last prophet

GEHAZI
• He was called by Elisha to be his
servant
• He had to be the last prophet
 TASKS OF A SERVANT

 Leaving his desires, needs and

comfort aside.
 Getting completely involved in his
master’s life.
 Helping his master with his plans,
desires and activities.
 Being a messenger.
 Accompanying someone.
 Acting in someone’s place.
 Carrying out humble but necessary
tasks. How did all those tasks prepare
 Managing finances. Elisha and Gehazi to be good
 Managing housework. prophets?
 Never act in his benefit, but his
master’s.
Carrying out their tasks as servants
correctly helped them to develop
these virtues:

Humbleness.
Self-control.
Concern about the necessities of others.
Development of their faith.
Trust in God.
Leaving the self aside and serving others.
…

Every believer must be a servant.

Jesus, as our Master, became a servant
to be a model.
 GEHAZI: A FAITHFUL SERVANT
Gehazi was a faithful servant to Elisha for years. He learnt through his
preaching and miracles during that time.

He drank of the bitter spring of

He witnessed how the oil of the
Jericho which was sweeten by
widow multiplied (2 Kings, 4: 1-7)
Elisha (2 Kings, 2: 19-22)

He learnt about respect to He was an active part in the born

prophets when some mocking and resurrection of the
lads died (2 Kings, 2: 23-24) Shunammite’s son (2 Kings, 4: 8-37)

He helped in the schools of He ate the poisoned meal that

prophets (2 Kings, 4: 38) Elisha made edible (2 Kings, 4: 38-41)

He helped to feed 100 men with

He saw the fulfilment of Elisha’s
20 loaves of barley bread and
prophecies about Moab
(2 Kings, 3: 4-37) some ears of new corn
(2 Kings, 4: 42-44)

Do we use correctly the teachings of our Master while we are faithful servants
of our Lord?
THE CHANGE OF ATTITUDE OF GEHAZI
FIRST MEETING WITH
THE SHUNAMMITE
He was sensitive to the
woman’s feelings.
He looked for a solution to
her necessities.
SECOND MEETING WITH
THE SHUNAMMITE
He was insensitive to the
woman’s feelings.
He was unable to solve her
necessities.

In the years between the

two meetings, Gehazi
stopped worrying about his
mission and started to put
himself and his necessities
in the centre of his
thoughts.
“Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, had had opportunity during the years
to develop the spirit of self-denial characterizing his master’s
lifework. It had been his privilege to become a noble standard-
bearer in the army of the Lord. The best gifts of Heaven had
long been within his reach; yet, turning from these, he had
coveted instead the base alloy of worldly wealth. And now the
hidden longings of his avaricious spirit led him to yield to an
overmastering temptation” E.G.W. (Prophets and Kings, cp. 20, pg. 250)
 GEHAZI: AN UNFAITHFUL
SERVANT
NAAMAN GEHAZI
He despised Elisha’s order He despised Elisha’s attitude
• “Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, • “My master was too easy on Naaman, this Aramean,
better than any of the waters of Israel?” by not accepting from him what he brought”

He obeyed the prophet He disobeyed the prophet

• He bathed seven times in Jordan River • He asked Naaman for money and clothes and hid
them

He was healed He contracted leprosy

• His skin was healthy the seventh time • He received Naaman’s leprosy

He converted to God He rejected God

• “Your servant will never again make burnt offerings • He exchanged God’s servitude for wealth’s
and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord” servitude
 GEHAZI: A CHANGE FUTURE
He could have been the next prophet of Israel,
becoming co-protagonist in the divine history.
Instead of that, he lived telling the great exploits of
the man he served.
Despite everything, he was used by God to do one
more miracle: giving the Shunammite’s possessions
back to her.

Remember what God did for you in the past, but

never forget that He will do greater things for you in
the future.
Live always as a faithful servant, because the Lord
you serve will never disappoint you.
“The church of Christ is organized for service. Its watchword is
ministry. Its members are soldiers, to be trained for conflict under
the Captain of their salvation.
Christian ministers, physicians,
teachers, have a broader work than
many have recognized. They are
not only to minister to the people,
but to teach them to minister. They
should not only give instruction in
right principles, but educate their
hearers to impart these principles.
Truth that is not lived, that is not
imparted, loses its life-giving
power, its healing virtue. Its
blessing can be retained only as it
is shared”
E.G.W. (The ministry of healing, cp. 9, “Teaching health principles”, pg. 148)