Greed

2 Kings 5:1-27

If we read the passages 2 Kings 5:16 and 20-27, we will se the story of Naaman, Elisha, and Gehazi.

Naaman: A Powerful Leader in the Syrian Army

First off, who was Naaman? Naaman was a powerful and successful leader in the Syrian Army under King Ben-Hadad. However, Naaman had a flaw...he was sick with leprosy.

At that time, there was no natural cure for leprosy, indicating that Naaman would ultimately face death.

One of the captive women, who served as a maid to Naaman's wife, recommended that Naaman see the prophet Elisha, believing that Elisha could heal him.

Naaman received authorization to visit the King of Israel, bringing gifts and a letter from the Syrian King. The King of Israel dismissed the letter, interpreting it as an attempt by Syria to provoke conflict. Upon hearing this, Elisha informed the King to send Naaman to him, so that both Israel and the king would recognize that there is a true prophet in Israel. See, Naaman's healing was not at the palace but with the Man of God.

Naaman found Elisha's initial instructions confusing, leading to doubt. Nevertheless, after following them, Naaman was fully healed. Grateful for this, he insisted that Elisha accept his gifts, but Elisha declined.

The Dangers of Greed

The issue at hand is Gehazi. Motivated by a craving for wealth and recognition, Gehazi pursued Naaman after the Prophet Elisha had already sent him away.

Greed is defined as, "An excessive pursuit for material things". Now, there is nothing wrong with us wanting nice things, but excessively wanting more and more could lead to:

• Harmful decisions

• Poor mental health

• Unhealthy habits...gambling, betting, excessive shopping, and possibly burglary

If we read 1 Timothy 6:10, it says:

"For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."

This means that some people are so focused on money, that they ere from the faith. The strong desire for money is more dangerous than money itself. "Pierced with many sorrows" this means that you will have a fate of never being satisfied.

Greed is dangerous and not of God. Romans 1:29 NLT says,

"Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip."

Greed is in the same verse as hate and murder. In verse 28, it says that God abandoned them because of these practices.

The Pitfalls of Prosperity Theology in Modern Churches

However, one of the worst theologies that has been running around for many years is prosperity...speaking wealth into existence, which is commonly seen in some churches.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with prosperity and believing God for it. However, the issue is that sometimes, it gets to the point where the church turns into a slot machine and we only come to church for the blessing.

• It doesn't matter that you're not growing spiritually, we just want the blessing

• It does not matter that you are robing God by not paying tithes regularly, we just want the blessing

Certain churches and their leaders prioritize wealth over faith, attempting to give it a spiritual guise, while in reality, they are misleading their members and taking their money.

They guarantee the members something that God Himself may not have authorized. When it does not happen, it makes God look like a liar and gives the church a bad name.

It is not that God does NOT want you to prosper, He just doesn't want you to prosper without Him.