Lessons from Gehazi - Part 3

And when he came to the hill, he took them from their hand and put them in the house, and he sent the men away, and they departed. He went in and stood before his master, and Elisha said to him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” And he said, “Your servant went nowhere.” But he said to him, “Did not my heart go when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Was it a time to accept money and garments, olive orchards and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male servants and female servants? Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever.” So he went out from his presence a leper, like snow. (2 Kings 5:24-27 ESV). Gehazi instantly knew he had done wrong. He took things into his own hands, and it seemed right at the time, but when faced with his sin, he knew he had messed up. This is not unlike our situation when we make a mistake. There are times when you want to trust God, and you know you should trust God, but when the circumstances of life wrap around you, and you fall into the trap of doubt. Or, when you repeat that same sin over and over again. Instantly, when you come to grips with yourself, you know you have sinned against God. That is a part of the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer. In the Old Testament, before the days of grace, men like Gehazi received harsh judgment because of their failure to trust God or because of their disobedience. You and I, because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, are given multiples of chances to get it right. God keeps forgiving us and keeps allowing us to come back under His grace. This is certainly not a license to continue sinning. There are consequences to our wrong choices today, however we operate under a different spiritual principle. The door to forgiveness has been opened through the work of Christ on the cross. In Gehazi’s time, that was not true. All the more reason to be thankful for the incredible gift God has given to us in Jesus. There’s an important lesson here. Gehazi tried to hide his sin from Elisha because he knew he was wrong. What are you involved in today that you would love to hide from God, because you know it to be wrong? Yes, you are under grace, so you don’t have to fear God’s daily wrath as Gehazi did, but don’t be fooled. God will not be mocked, and your sins will have consequences. Turn to God and turn quickly! Repent and sin no more! Call on the God who forgives and let Him cleanse you of all unrighteousness. Call so that you might stand before a Holy God with clean hands and hear those words: Well Done, thy good and faithful servant!