Be Free of Greed

When we read the word of God, how it can strike at our heart!  Our conscience can be smitten of a thing done long ago, a regrettable mistake which we wish we could have taken back.  It is in those times, having sorrow for sin in repentance, we can remind our conscience how Jesus has washed us clean of all sin and purified us past, present and forever by His atoning sacrifice.  Oh, how sweet is the freedom God gives from guilt and shame!  Praise the LORD He allows us to make mistakes so we will learn from them and walk uprightly in the future by His grace.

After Naaman the Syrian was cleansed from his leprosy in the Jordan according to the word of the LORD through Elisha, Namaan paid a return visit to thank him.  He offered him a reward for the healing he received.  2 Kings 5:15-16 reads, "And he returned to the man of God, he and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, "Indeed, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel; now therefore, please take a gift from your servant." ¹⁶ But he said, "As the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will receive nothing." And he urged him to take it, but he refused."  Elisha was a man who walked with God and would not be swayed by a powerful, rich man to take a gift.  He offered healing from God without price, and was free of the greed which has plagued many souls and pierced countless through with many sorrows.  Exodus 23:8 says in judgment gifts blind the wise and pervert the words of the righteous, and Elisha gave no opportunity to suggest his motivation was for glory or riches:  it was so Naaman would know there was a prophet in Israel, and the LORD is God over all.

Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, was a different sort of man.  Proximity to a man of God in no way purged the greed for wealth which corrupted his heart.  He chased after Namaan and lied, for he said he had been sent on an errand by his master.  A couple of prophets had come from Samaria and he requested one talent of silver and two changes of clothes.  Now a talent of silver is about 26 kilos, a LOT of silver.  2 Kings 5:23 says, "So Namaan said, "Please, take two talents." And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and handed them to two of his servants; and they carried them on ahead of him."  Lying Gehazi agreed to take a second talent of silver, while Elisha would not receive a single shekel of gold or silver from his hand.  He did allow Namaan to haul away 2 mule's worth of dirt so he could build an altar for burnt offerings unto the LORD in his own land.

2 Kings 5:25-27 tells us what happened later:  "Now he went in and stood before his master. Elisha said to him, "Where did you go, Gehazi?" And he said, "Your servant did not go anywhere." ²⁶ Then he said to him, "Did not my heart go with you when the man turned back from his chariot to meet you? Is it time to receive money and to receive clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male and female servants? ²⁷ Therefore the leprosy of Namaan shall cling to you and your descendants forever." And he went out from his presence leprous, as white as snow."  The greed of Gehazi made him more rich than he ever dreamed, yet it cost him his health, future and life.  Proverbs 1:19 puts it perfectly:  "So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; it takes away the life of its owners."

I wonder:  was Gehazi willing to trade his health and the privilege of ministry with Elisha for silver and clothes?  It seems that way.  It is a terrible thing the leprosy of Namaan would cling to Gehazi and his house, for God that day had already proven Himself powerful to cleanse Namaan of it.  How things could have been different if Gehazi had confessed, "I have spoken lies and sinned:  pray that God would heal me of the leprosy and I will return all."  God healed the withered hand of idolatrous Jeroboam and the leprosy of the Syrian Namaan so I have no doubt there was healing for Gehazi if he wanted it.  Gehazi went out from the presence of Elisha white as snow.  This is one of those moments which should give us pause due to the gravity of what happened due to greed, lack of repentance and faith in God.

1 John 1:9-10 says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us."  We have sinned, and praise God there is healing and wholeness in Jesus Christ.  No sin or stigma attached to it need remain upon us because we are new creations through the Gospel by grace through faith.  May we, like Namaan, be moved to thank God and offer ourselves as living sacrifices to Him, for that is our reasonable service.

Walk in the Truth

In the days of Ezekiel the prophet, there were many false prophets in Israel.  They claimed to speak for the LORD, and God's people hearkened to their falsehoods.  Ezekiel 13:1-8 reads, "And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ² "Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy out of their own heart, 'Hear the word of the LORD!' " ³ Thus says the Lord GOD: "Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! ⁴ O Israel, your prophets are like foxes in the deserts. ⁵ You have not gone up into the gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day of the LORD. ⁶ They have envisioned futility and false divination, saying, 'Thus says the LORD!' But the LORD has not sent them; yet they hope that the word may be confirmed. ⁷ Have you not seen a futile vision, and have you not spoken false divination? You say, 'The LORD says,' but I have not spoken." ⁸ Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Because you have spoken nonsense and envisioned lies, therefore I am indeed against you," says the Lord GOD."

God was against the masquerading prophets of God who prophesied out of their own hearts yet claimed to speak for Him.  They followed their own spirit in their spiritual blindness envisioned futility because the LORD did not send them.  God compared them to slinking foxes in the desert, crafty creatures that are destructive pests to wildlife.  Solitary by nature, a single fox can do great damage to poultry, flocks and spread communicable diseases.  The false prophets preyed on the people, and it is ironic the people preferred it to be so.  Ahab gathered hundreds of prophets of Ba'al to himself after Elijah executed 450 prophets during the incident on Mt. Carmel.  Ahab knew Micaiah the son of Imla was a prophet of God he could inquire of, yet sought the counsel of those who would speak good concerning him.  Jeremiah 5:31 affirms, "The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own power; and My people love to have it so. But what will you do in the end?"

No priest, prophet, pastor or parishioner is excluded from potentially speaking nonsense and following their own heart under the guise of honouring God.  Like in Israel in days of old, there are many with itching ears and wayward hearts who prefer lies over truth.  I do not want to ever be numbered among them!  It is only by the grace of God we receive the Holy Spirit, are given understanding of the scriptures and are connected to the Body of Christ the church.  John wrote to beloved Gaius in 3 John 1:2-4, "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. ³ For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. ⁴ I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth."  Those who walk in truth are those who realise they need correction from God, for unless He actively guides us we will lose our way.  Who among us would walk uprightly without Him?  This reveals the wondrous wisdom of God, for it is in willingness to be corrected, to humble ourselves in repentance and in love for one another, we walk in truth.

The Most Important How

How common is it for people to miss what is most important!  We get ahead of ourselves, looking to a desired end when it is only by looking to Jesus will we arrive there.  I remember when I first sensed an unexpected call from God to prepare for pastoral ministry.  The questions repeated over and over in my mind was "When and how?"  These questions remained unanswered until a door was miraculously opened.  It was similar when the LORD placed Australia on my heart:  I was more focused on how my family could immigrate to Australia rather than "how" being answered by faith in Him.  If you asked me how we arrived in Australia, we arrived by plane; the more important how was we also came by faith in Jesus.  It was Jesus and faith in Him, not the fact after many years we finally stood on Australian soil, how we found ourselves sustained ever since.

Faith in God often requires action.  Abraham's faith in God was revealed when he left his homeland to go where God showed Him.  By faith Moses climbed Sinai when the other Hebrews cowered in fear before the presence of the almighty God.  By faith Joshua and the children of Israel crossed the Jordan into Canaan, trusting through God they would be victorious.  By faith Gideon attacked the mighty Midianites and prevailed with 300 men.  By faith Saul, after he was struck blind by Jesus Christ who confronted him on the road, continued onto Damascus to wait until he received further instruction.  This was an act of faith I have often overlooked.  If we were struck blind on the road, we likely would have gone back home to Jerusalem to recover or seek medical treatment.  Saul was obedient to the command of Christ, and three days later miraculously received his sight according to the word of the LORD.

Saul went to Damascus with intent to persecute believers, arrest and bring them bound to Jerusalem for judgment.  Losing his physical sight was the path to spiritual enlightenment by God's grace.  Ananias, a follower of Jesus Christ, was prompted to seek out Saul and lay hands on him to receive his sight.  It did not matter how Ananias went to Damascus--whether by foot or beast--as long as he went by faith in Jesus.  Acts 9:17-20 reads, "And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." ¹⁸ Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. ¹⁹ So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus. ²⁰ Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God."

What a trade off!  Saul experienced blindness, hunger and thirst for three days but at God's appointed time was blessed beyond measure to be accepted as "brother," received his sight, was filled with the Holy Spirit, born again, empowered and gifted to preach Christ.  Saul's cause at one time was to persecute the church, yet God graciously transformed him by faith in Jesus and gave him an infinitely better one as an afflicted, persecuted child of God.  Saul, who later was called Paul, wrote to believers in 2 Corinthians 4:13-18:  "And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I believed and therefore I spoke," we also believe and therefore speak, ¹⁴ knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you. ¹⁵ For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. ¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, ¹⁸ while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."

Temporary blindness was a small trial in the life of the apostle Paul, yet all tribulation and suffering he experienced with eyes of faith in Jesus was momentary, "light affliction" which could not be compared with the glory God would reveal in believers (Romans 8:18).  In light of eternity by faith in Christ the sufferings of this life fade away, obscured by the blessing of God's presence and fellowship with Him and an eternal home with Him in heaven.  For all those who want to enjoy our created purpose for existence as servants of God, faith in Jesus is the vehicle to bring us there by God's grace.  God does not make light of our suffering, yet all affliction is light compared to the eternal weight of glory God has in store for us.  Our outward man is perishing, and by faith our inner man is being renewed day by day.  Should God direct you to climb a mountain or travel to another city, how or when you arrive there by God's grace is of little consequence compared to the most important how:  by faith in Him.

Looking To Our Saviour

At a funeral when I was a kid, I remember hearing about the departed "looking down from heaven on us," lifting a drink in a celebratory salute.  The one who shared this perspective seemed comforted by the thought, and encouraged us that our loved one was in a much better place.  I wondered how one could arrive to such a conclusion, and if it was indeed possible.  As I have grown a bit in understanding concerning the biblical view, the idea suggested runs contrary to the revelation God has provided in His word.

I do not profess to know exactly what departed believers are doing at this moment, for God has not told us.  But it would be altogether inconsistent for anyone in the presence of the Almighty God in heaven to turn their focus from God worthy of worship and look back towards earth with longing.  We long for those who have gone to God, and it is a foreign concept for those in His presence to desire to be anywhere else.  When Jesus spoke of the rich man and Lazarus in Sheol it was the condemned rich man who desired Lazarus to be sent with a warning of the eternal torment awaiting those who die in their sins.  Lazarus, who was finally comforted, did not even address the suggestion.  Perhaps he didn't even hear the rich man begging because he was completely, totally at peace in the presence of the LORD that will never grow old.

The idea of a redeemed soul looking back to earth (if it is even possible) reminds me a bit of Lot's wife who looked longing back to Sodom.  In a vision on Patmos John caught a glimpse of the activity in the throne room of God Revelation 4:8-11:  "The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!" ⁹ Whenever the living creatures give glory and honour and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, ¹⁰ the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: ¹¹ "You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created."  These living creatures do not grow weary of offering glory, honour and thanks to God, for all things are created by God for God.  These beings understood what we can be ignorant of:  the awesome splendour and worthiness of God to be praised.

On earth people drink because they are thirsty, to meet a physical need:  in the presence of the God Who gives Living Water in a glorified, perfected state we will discover afresh how much we need Him and want to thank and praise Him.  In Him all our thirsts are satiated and our hunger satisfied.  In the presence of the awesome God it will require a summons from Jesus to return to this earth after the rapture, because we will never be content to be apart from Him.  While thinking about those who have passed looking down upon us may provide a degree of comfort for some, the greatest comfort and help in our sorrow is to do as Hebrews 12 says, to be looking unto Jesus by faith who is the Author and Finisher of our faith.  When our eyes are fixed on Him as we rest in His goodness, mercy and grace, we discover comfort, help and perfect peace not found anywhere else.  In the presence of our Saviour who is our all in all, all else is put in proper perspective.