What is the meaning of 2 Kings 5:26? But Elisha questioned him “‘But Elisha asked, “Where have you been, Gehazi?”’ (2 Kings 5:25). Elisha opens with a probing question, not because he lacks information but to draw Gehazi into confession—similar to the Lord’s “Where are you?” to Adam in Genesis 3:9 and Nathan’s question to David in 2 Samuel 12:7. God’s servants often use questions to expose hidden sin gently yet firmly (John 21:15–17). Did not my spirit go with you Elisha continues, “‘Did not my spirit go with you…?’” God grants prophetic insight so complete that distance poses no barrier (2 Kings 6:12). Just as Peter knew Ananias and Sapphira’s deception by the Spirit (Acts 5:3–4), Elisha knows Gehazi’s movements. This underscores God’s omniscience: “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight” (Hebrews 4:13). When the man got down from his chariot to meet you Elisha recounts the exact moment Naaman halted his chariot, a detail Gehazi thought concealed. Like Elisha, Jesus described Nathanael’s secret location under the fig tree (John 1:48). The servant learns that secret sin is never truly secret (Numbers 32:23). Is this the time Timing matters in obedience. Elisha had just refused Naaman’s reward to spotlight God’s free grace (2 Kings 5:15–16). By seizing the moment for personal gain, Gehazi distorted that testimony. Ecclesiastes 3:1 reminds us there is “a time for every purpose,” but this was not the time for profit. To accept money and clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, menservants and maidservants? Elisha piles up treasures Gehazi hoped to acquire, exposing the covetous chain reaction: • Money and clothing (cf. Joshua 7:21) • Land and produce—olive groves, vineyards (Micah 2:2) • Livestock (Proverbs 15:27) • Even the ambition to own servants (Leviticus 25:39–46) The list reveals how greed escalates. Scripture warns, “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). Gehazi’s grab for short-term wealth forfeited lasting ministry, much like Judas trading fellowship with Christ for silver (Matthew 26:14–15). summary 2 Kings 5:26 shows Elisha exposing Gehazi’s hidden greed through Spirit-given knowledge, stressing God’s omniscience, the sacred timing of divine generosity, and the danger of escalating covetousness. The verse teaches that no sin is concealed, God’s grace must remain untainted by selfish gain, and unchecked desire can derail a servant’s calling. |
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