Catching Golden Apples-2022

Put yourself in the place of Gehazi. Think of his frustration here. There's famine in the land. They're struggling from hand to mouth. They're barely surviving. Syria has beaten Israel down into submission and then suddenly a Syrian warlord comes along in this passage and he's begging for help and he has 1.2 million dollars in hard gold and silver ready to plunk it all down and Elisha says, no thanks. And Gehazi says, what? Here's our chance.

I can't believe you turned it down. Greed dominates our world today. It's easy to point to the advertisements of Madison Avenue and the profit grabbing of Wall Street bankers, but the reality is that the love of money is all around us. Far too often, greed is evident in our own hearts and we make decisions that are sometimes motivated by greed. Greed isn't new. In fact, it's an epidemic that's as old as humanity itself.

There is a cure, however, if you're willing to accept it. This is wisdom for the heart. Stephen Davey continues his series on Elisha with this message called, Catching Golden Apples. There is an interesting Greek legend about a beautiful woman named Atlanta and all her would-be suitors. The legend says that Atlanta was the fastest person in her Greek city-state. She could outrun anybody in a foot race and she came up with this clever little plan for all of her suitors to separate those who would be and those who wouldn't be. She challenged them to a race, one at a time, with the condition that if she won the race, they would be executed. And if she lost, she would give her hand in marriage to the one who won.

Several foolish men stepped forward and took her on. The legend tells us that she won each of the races and they were summarily executed, except for a crafty man who was a man who was a man who emerged named Hippomenes. He challenged her also to a foot race and it would seem that he would be just one more would-be suitor without a head. Although before the race, what he did, this crafty man, he hid three golden apples inside his cloak, crafted from solid gold. The race began and she immediately outpaced him and at the right moment, he took from his pocket one of those apples of gold and he threw it in front of her off the beaten path. The sparkle of the glittering gold caught her eye and she immediately veered off the path, retrieved that apple for herself and in the process, Hippomenes was able to dart past her. She soon caught up, however, and it wasn't long before she was several paces ahead again and so he took his second apple and he threw it again, this time off the other side of the path and again that that luring apple of gold caught her eye and she went off the path, reached down and as she picked it up, Hippomenes sped past her. Now the goal was in sight, not very far to go and she caught up and was going to win but at the last moment he took the third apple and he rolled it in front of her feet at just the right moment and as she hesitated between the gold and the goal, he swept past her and won the race. Legend says that they were married and lived happily ever after.

I didn't believe that part either. Atlanta was running a good race but it was the lure from an apple of gold that caused her ultimately to lose. Well, I want to show you not a fable or a legend but a true story of a man who illustrated one who stopped agonizing for the things of God and the lure of glittering golden things captured his his eyes and his heart and I want to show you what happened to him. Would you take your Bibles and let's continue our study in 2 Kings where this illustration occurs. 2 Kings chapter 5.

You remember the story after being healed of his leprosy. Naaman returned in chapter 5 and he he begged Elisha to receive from him a gift, gold and changes of clothing and Elisha had refused his gift even though Naaman was urging him to receive it. I want to re-enter that dramatic scene at chapter 5 verse 19 and Elisha said to Naaman, go in peace. So he departed from him some distance but Gehazi the servant of Elisha the man of God thought, behold my master has spared this Naaman the airman by not receiving from his hands what he brought.

As the Lord lives I will run after him and take something from him. Before we go any further we ought to understand something about Gehazi that will help. We're first introduced to Gehazi as Elisha's servant in chapter 4. As his servant or attendant he would travel with the great prophet he would serve the prophet he would probably fix the meals and keep things tidy. It would be his role to represent the prophet to people who came. It was much more than a lowly servant's role it was an honored position. In fact do you remember who Elijah's servant was? Elisha. This was more than just some servant this was the next perhaps prophet of God who was in training under the tutelage of his master Elisha. But there have been some warning signs all along that it was that were easy to miss.

The first warning sign if you're keeping notes would be what we'll call powerlessness. It occurred in chapter 4 for the sake of time I'll just have to review but if you were with us in the study Gehazi had been sent by Elisha with Elisha's rod to lay across the body of this deceased boy. Elisha assumed that Gehazi as his representative would be able to put the rod on that boy's body and that boy would come back to life.

It didn't work. Elisha had to come and do it himself. We're never told why but maybe now it makes sense. The second sign or warning signal that appears on the horizon of Gehazi's biography is a lot more obvious and more apparent that there's something wrong in his heart and in his character. You might turn to chapter 4 and look at verse 43. It happened when Elisha ordered Gehazi to put 20 loaves of bread before a hundred hungry men. The only way anything could ever happen would be for God to somehow miraculously multiply that bread for all of those hundred men and their wives and children to be able to eat. And Gehazi responds openly, cryptically, argumentatively with the words in verse 43, what? Shall I set this before a hundred men?

In other words, do you want me to make a fool of myself by putting 20 little loaves of bread in front of a hundred plus people? You see it was powerlessness now it is faithlessness. So you put those two clues together because of his failure to resurrect the boy, powerlessness, because of his faithlessness that is now embarrassing to him because of God's great miracle that he is not able to enjoy. I can't help but think that he is becoming more and more open to the tempter.

Now the hinge in his biography occurs in verse 20 of chapter 5. It marks the beginning of blatant deception and it's motivated by nothing less, ladies and gentlemen, than crass greed. It's as if he says living by the word of God is not enough. There have to be some good times here and now. And this serving God, this isn't all it's cooked up to be.

There has to be more. Maybe it's a little compromise. Maybe it's a little lie. Besides, this man is a pagan Syrian. We ought to clean him out rather than let him go. Did you notice the implied contempt in verse 20 as he says, but Gehazi the servant of Elijah the man of God thought, behold my master has spared this Naaman.

The construction implies contempt. He has spared of all men this man, this enemy of Israel, this Syrian warlord, this pagan of all people by not receiving from his hands what he what he brought. He is allowing 1.2 million dollars to slip through his fingers on top of it all. I can't help but believe by what happens next that he thinks the Lord wouldn't be too upset with his decision to deceive.

Look at the last part. As the Lord lives, I will run after him and take something from him. He has now twisted his deceit and greed around so that it fits his ministerial mindset. As the Lord lives, in other words, this can't be all that bad and think of what we could give if we had it. As the Lord lives, I will run.

You ought to underline that word or circle it. I will run after him. One author writing about 150 years ago, I was reading his commentary on this passage and he said this, greed is that passion that makes all men like Gehazi run. People are everywhere out of breath in their race for more.

From Cyprian to 150 years ago, you get the impression that our natures really haven't changed, have they? Now verse 21, so Gehazi pursued Naaman. There's trouble there implied. He's off the track now.

He's running as fast as he can for this apple. Now look what it says. When Naaman saw one running after him, he came down from the chariot to meet him and said, is all well?

And he said, all is well. That's lie number one. My master has sent me, lie number two, saying, behold, just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim.

Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothing. Did you notice that the carefully crafted web of lies that he is spinning here? It isn't just, I want some money. He's come up with how many prophets there are that have come to Elisha's house, how old they are, what part of the country they've come from and their hometown. He's thought this all through as he's racing after Naaman and he has all of his lies all mapped out and it sounds so good.

It has to be true. And Naaman, who's overwhelmed with joy at any rate, says in verse 23, will be pleased to take not just one talent, but be pleased to take two talents. This is getting better all the time, Gehazi thinks, and he was probably pleased to take two talents instead of one. How much is your integrity worth, Gehazi?

What's the price tag on your character? I want to insert here why it was important for Elisha to refuse Naaman. It was important for two reasons. Number one, Elisha refused Naaman because his refusal would testify to the free gift of God's forgiveness. When Naaman gets back to Syria, everybody's going to be amazed and in wonder that he's been healed.

And one of the things that they'll ask is how much did it cost? They knew he left with 1.2 million and an entourage of servants and changes of clothing and they'll say, well, how much did it cost you, Naaman? And Elisha wanted Naaman to say it was free. See, their gods didn't operate that way. Second of all, his refusal clearly promoted gratitude to God instead of gratitude to God's servant. By the way, the church is muddying it today. It is still confusing people with the message that salvation is not free. You've got to join some church. You've got to get wet.

You have to give some money, sign a pledge card, do something, be something. I'm here to tell you by the authority of God's word that salvation, that forgiveness is free. Only because it cost Jesus Christ everything, but he gives it to us free of charge. Well, Naaman here assigns two servants to carry all this loot home for Gehazi, wouldn't a lot, a little pouch of silver and a couple changes of clothing. Verse 24, when he came to the hill, he took them from their hand and deposited them in the house. And he sent the men away and they departed. But 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. Uh-oh, another lie.

Another lie. As I read this, the thought came to my mind, has God ever asked you that question? Has your conscience ever whispered into your heart that question? Where have you been? Where have you been?

What you do? What are you hiding? Then he said to him, verse 26, did not my heart go with you when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Is it a time to receive money and to receive clothing and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and male and female servants?

We're at war with Syria, in other words. This isn't the time. Therefore, because you misrepresented the word of God through the prophet of God, the leprosy of Naaman shall cleave to you and your descendants forever.

So he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow. Let me provide a couple of lessons that I have learned from this, and I want to share them with you. Perhaps we can learn them together from the biography of a man who got off the path and paid the price. The first lesson is this. Close friendships with spiritual people do not guarantee spirituality.

Please consider that. By the fact that we came in here this morning and we hung around, people who walk with God did not somehow by osmosis creep into our character. By becoming part of a church, by pursuing godly people whom you assume walk with God that does not somehow rub off, it can influence and God has said it ought to as iron sharpens iron. But just as you and I make our associations with spiritual people don't ever slack off thinking, well, that will guarantee in my life spirituality.

I get a magazine called Christianity Today. And in order to illustrate this very point, I pulled articles to briefly just quickly fly through that illustrate the point of being involved in ministry, spirituality, being around spiritual people does not make you a person of integrity. Maybe this will mark us.

Maybe this will challenge us. The presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church announced that the former denominational treasurer faces an investigation and trial in the embezzlement of thousands of dollars. According to the church, she supposedly spent denominational money on personal items, including a $16,000 necklace from Tiffany's. For seven years, Gerald Durstein of Gospel Crusade had inspired his supporters with dramatic accounts of Muslim conversions in Israel and the West Bank.

His supporters responded by donating $2.8 million in 1994 alone to his ministry. Yet now, Durstein's right hand man has confessed that all of the reports are fabrications. The dramatic video footage of an attempt to assassinate Durstein in the village of Halhul is one illustration. Durstein was reporting, the mosques are emptying in this region and they are blaming me. However, the butcher knife wielding assassin supposedly sent from the mosque to kill Durstein was none other than the son of a Durstein staff member. It was another hoax in order to raise money.

Durstein's regional leader has confessed that quote, all is false. A three year struggle between two Plymouth Brethren organizations continues over a $27 million fund. The funds came from the sale of five Brethren owned hospitals.

Historically, the two groups, Stewards Foundation and Stewards Ministries have had very close ties. But now says Attorney Jim Gailey, this whole case is a terrible tragedy. This $27 million fund has split the Plymouth Brethren movement. A former bookkeeper accused of embezzling $279,000 from the Presbyterian Church USA. We leaving anybody out yet?

Just kind of taking a panoramic view here. Is scheduled to go on trial October 2nd. Executive presbyter Donald Brown says the money has already been spent and is not recoverable, but the church is hoping to recoup some through insurance. The president of Mississippi Christian College, the second oldest Baptist college in America, is facing trial for embezzling $3 million of donated funds over the course of 15 years. He fled a scheduled pretrial hearing this past January 23rd.

The following day, he was found by FBI agents in a lavish San Francisco hotel with $25,000 cash in his possession. As law enforcement officials arrested him, he collapsed in a seizure, allegedly from poison he had just swallowed. After undergoing emergency surgeries for stomach and esophagus damage, he has suffered a stroke.

He has suffered a stroke. Warren Wiersbe wrote in his book, The Integrity Crisis, a statement that still jars me every time I hear it. And I haven't read these because I am assuming you will think I am somehow above anybody or our church above anybody.

It's a challenge to us. But he said this, he said, for centuries, the church has been telling the world to repent. In our century, the world has begun telling the church to repent. If you can imagine Gehazi walking with, listening to, serving Elisha, you would think he had it made. This man would be a giant spiritually. The exact opposite occurred. Second lesson, servants of God are not automatically protected from selfish desires to be served.

Now put yourself in the place of Gehazi. Think of his frustration here. There's famine in the land. They're struggling from hand to mouth.

They're barely surviving. Syria has beaten Israel down into submission. And then suddenly a Syrian warlord comes along in this passage and he's begging for help.

And he has $1.2 million in hard gold and silver ready to plunk it all down. And Elisha says, no thanks. And Gehazi says, what? Here's our chance as the Lord lives.

I can't believe you'd turn it down. There's another little insight when Elisha is peeling away the mask of greed. If you go back, you'll hear him talking in verse 26 about the things that it's not time for. And the very first two things in that list are money and clothing. And that's what Gehazi got. But Elisha keeps going on, talking about groves and vineyards and what else?

Male and female servants. Why did he go through that list? Because he knew the heart of Gehazi. Gehazi was thinking to himself, this is just the beginning. Eventually this little obscure servant is going to be served. I will have male and female servants and they will tend to my possessions. I'll get out of this hole and I will eventually be served as I deserve. Just because you serve God, especially those of you who serve God in obscurity in difficult places, beware the secret desire of turning the tables and being served. Third, secret greed cannot remain hidden forever. The symptoms of greed will eventually become public knowledge.

That's a guarantee. You say, oh, nobody would ever find out what I did or maybe how I lied. Oh, but they will see you dealing perhaps dishonestly with people, cutting the corners, not fully carrying out your word.

You will be viewed by associates as a man whose handshake is worthless. It could be that. Or it could be your lack of graciousness in dealing with people who don't fulfill your stated ends and needs and desires. It could be conversations that are laced with name brands and your latest toys. You just can't help but talking about the latest sale, the newest deal and how you're getting ahead.

Listen to yourself talk. It will be a personality that over the years will shrivel up and in the process it will shrivel the soul that God intended to be gregarious. It will be a personality that dries up and can no longer serve. If I could show you pictures of these people, you can see it all over their faces.

Somewhere along the line, a golden apple came rolling across their path and it didn't seem that bad. It was just a little lie, a little compromise, a little dishonesty, a little selfishness, one step up. This would be something that you and I would struggle with perhaps if none of these other things applied. It would be the inability to make a godly decision when there's money involved, when there's promotion involved, power or prestige. When you have to decide between A or B, A being more, B being less. Well as the Lord lives, surely he wants me to follow A.

Why would he withhold that? As the Lord lives, this is his will and you have veered off the path and you are in the process right now of chasing after golden apples. How do we survive with spiritual integrity? Paul said it, agonize, pursue, long for righteousness, godliness, faith, perseverance, love, gentleness. Run the race with your eyes not on the glittering gold but on the goal who is Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith. That was a message called Catching Golden Apples.

It's part of Stephen Davies teaching series on the life of Elisha called Living the Impossible Life. If you haven't already, I want to encourage you to install our app to your phone. Once you do that, you'll have fast and easy access to all of our Bible-based resources. That app contains the audio and the transcript of each of these daily Bible messages.

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