Gehazi

GEHAZI
(2nd Kings Chapters 4 & 5)
How did I get here? 
It’s amazing how one can fall from 
grace to grass…
I was practically one of the most 
powerful and most influential men 
in the country. 
I was the Senior Special Assistant 
to the Spiritual Head of the nation. 
After the King, my Boss was the next 
most important man. 
In fact, it could be argued my Boss 
was more important than the King! 
The King pays him so much respect and 
takes his counsel as divine. 
And to think my Boss was also the 
Senior Special Assistant to the Spiritual 
Head a few years ago! He took over 
from his Boss, and there was a very 
big chance I would have also taken 
over from him when his term expired. 
How did I blow it?
Greed. 
Insecurity. 
Selfish Interest. 
Pride. 
My Boss, had warned me to be careful. 
I was just too blind to see, too set 
in my ways to change…
It all started with that Shunammite woman. 
My Boss asked what he could do for her 
to repay her for the accommodation 
she provided, and I casually mentioned 
she had no child. 
To my surprise, my Boss prophesied she 
would have a child within a year! 
Amazing…
The child grew up and a few years 
later, he died. 
The mother came to my Boss to intervene. 
My Boss was too busy to go, so he 
sent me with his anointing and Staff 
of Authority to raise the boy from the 
dead. I was so excited! 
I would actually raise a dead human being! 
I was going to be the first man to do that!
As I drove down to the woman’s house, 
I started imagining myself on CNN and BBC. 
The Man Who Raised The Dead. 
Perhaps that was the moment pride set in?
I got to the Shunammite woman’s house 
and I did as my Boss instructed. 
Nothing happened. 
The boy was still stone dead. 
I was disappointed. 
Does this mean when my Boss’ term is over, 
I would not be able to take over from him? 
That was my first thought. 
My insecurity was legendary…
My Boss sent me to carry out a task. 
Why did I fail? 
I followed his instructions to the detail. 
I remember he used to tell me 
stories about his own Boss, 
Elijah, how he followed his instructions 
to the minutest details. 
He used to tell me the way to the top 
was obedience and the ability to take 
instructions and carry them out to detail. 
When Elijah’s term expired, my Boss took 
over the office and he fitted in seamlessly. 
In fact, he did more in office than Elijah. 
I was looking forward to doing more than 
him when I take over from him too…
I remember when I got back to my Boss. 
I needn’t tell him I had failed to raise 
the dead kid. 
The look on his face told it all. 
He knew. 
He got up and muttered, “I guess if I 
need to get anything done, I have to do 
it myself! What then is the use of having 
an Assistant, how much more a 
Senior Special one?” 
He took his Staff from me and went over 
to the Shunammite’s house. 
I was very disappointed in myself. 
My Boss did not help matters either. 
He had a way of rubbing things in with 
his words! 
Why couldn’t he just encourage me a bit? 
He was such a hard man! He once cursed 
some people and two bears just came 
out of the nearby forest and killed 
42 of them. Just like that. Scary…
When we got to the Shunammite’s house, 
he went into the boy’s room and shut 
the door. 
He didn’t allow even me to come in! 
Now, how would I learn the Act Of 
Raising The Dead if he does not want 
me to see him do it? So, there was a 
way to do it different from what he 
asked me to do! My Boss did not give 
me full disclosure. 
I got angry…
When we left the Shunammite’s house, 
I asked my Boss, “Sir, you asked me 
to just lay the Staff of Authority 
on the dead boy. I did, and nothing 
happened. But when you got there, 
you closed the door and I could not 
see what was going on. 
It seemed to me you did something else, 
which was why you closed the door so 
I would not see! So you knew just 
placing the Staff of Authority on 
him would not work. 
You embarrassed me, sir” 
My Boss looked at me and replied, 
“Gehazi, there was nothing wrong in 
the process. 
There was something wrong with 
the vessel. 
This question you ask is further 
proof of that”
From that moment, 
I started disliking my Boss. 
He seemed to have a problem with me- 
he hides things from me like he 
thinks I’m not good enough to take 
over from him. He’s probably thinking 
of sacking me and grooming another 
successor! 
That was when the thought of making 
money on the job was birthed in my heart…
So when General Namaan, the Chief of 
Army Staff of Syria came calling, 
I saw my chance and I took it. 
After my Boss healed him of leprosy, 
General Namaan offered him money and 
precious stones. 
My Boss refused them. 
So as he left, I went after him to 
collect the things my Boss refused! 
How could I have been so STUPID? 
How could I have thought my Boss 
would not find out? When I returned 
to the house, he asked where I was. 
Maybe if I had told him the truth, 
he would have pardoned me. 
But I lied. 
And he knew.
And he cursed me. 
And the leprosy that left General Namaan 
came upon my body.
And that is how I became a patient in 
the Leprosarium, the Specialist Hospital 
for lepers…