Grass Yonder Greenerনমুনা

Curse of Covetousness

In a worldly sense, we could assume that Gehazi was a mastermind to gain wealth at any cost under the garb of religion. He neither understood God nor the prophet of God even though his job was to serve the man of God, Elisha. In our jobs, we should be dependent on God and His Word for guidance.

A captive little girl could exalt the name of Jehovah and His prophet. However, what was the mindset of Naaman? The Abana and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, are better than all the waters of Israel - v12. What a notion for a heathen arrogant man!

Let us look at the example of a covetous man. Naaman asked, “Is everything all right?” - v 21. How can everything be all right when the heart is not alright? Gehazi did not understand that he was deceiving himself. He thought that his master missed the greatest chance of becoming rich. Covetousness even blinded him to God’s presence.

When Naaman obeyed the words of Elisha the prophet, the sickness left him. When Gehazi covetously got the wealth from Naaman, those covetous spirits found another home in Gehazi because he lost the presence of God by covetousness and lying. He inherited temporal wealth along with leprosy which was permanent and perpetual for all his descendants. A day of deliverance for one became the day of curse for another.

There is always a constant desire to achieve more which is a great goal. However, the drive should not make us covetous. Sometimes, people want to steal their colleagues’ documentation, reports, or articles just because that is better than what they have done. Coveting the other person’s work will lead to jealousy and create a mind block hampering further growth.

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones (Prov 14:30). Jealousy is rottenness to the bones. Many times people complain of backache, joint pain, and spondylitis and spend time and money on physicians and medication. We should be aware that greed leads to jealousy, which can even cause physical ailments.

O Lord, remove this curse of covetousness from me that can even cost me my life. Amen