Question 1

Who are Naaman and Gehazi in this passage?

Accepted Answer

Naaman is a Syrian military commander who had just been healed from leprosy by the power of Israel’s God. He returns to Elisha, the man of God, to confess that the Lord is the only true God and to show gratitude. Gehazi is Elisha’s servant. Instead of sharing his master’s heart, he becomes greedy. He chases after Naaman to get gifts, lies about Elisha sending him, hides what he took, and then lies again to Elisha. In the end, Gehazi is punished with the leprosy that once afflicted Naaman.

Question 2

Why does Elisha refuse Naaman’s gifts after the healing?

Accepted Answer

Elisha refuses Naaman’s gifts to make it clear that the healing was from God alone and could not be bought. By saying, “As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive none,” he shows that he serves in God’s presence and will not turn God’s work into a way to get rich. This protects Naaman’s new faith from being mixed with ideas of paying for blessings. It also exposes Gehazi’s greed, since the servant later runs after Naaman to get what his master had refused.

Question 3

What does Naaman mean by asking for two mules’ burden of earth?

Accepted Answer

Naaman asks for two mules’ loads of earth from Israel because he wants to worship the Lord on that soil when he goes back to Syria. In his mind, having earth from the land where God had healed him would help him stay faithful. This shows real desire to worship the Lord only, even if his understanding is still a bit limited. He links God very closely to the land of Israel, yet his main point is clear: from now on he will offer burnt offerings and sacrifices only to the Lord, not to other gods.

Question 4

Why does Naaman ask the Lord to pardon him when he bows in the house of Rimmon?

Accepted Answer

Naaman knows that when he returns to serve his king in Syria, he will have to go with him into the temple of the idol Rimmon and bow as the king leans on his arm. He no longer believes in that god, but his job requires this outward act. Because of this tension, he asks, “The Lord pardon thy servant in this thing.” He is not planning to worship the idol in his heart, but he is worried about what his actions will look like. His request shows a tender conscience and a desire to be loyal to the Lord, even in a hard place.

Question 5

What does Elisha’s answer “Go in peace” mean for Naaman?

Accepted Answer

When Elisha says “Go in peace,” he is sending Naaman home with a blessing rather than a list of rules. The prophet does not fully spell out how Naaman should handle every situation in Syria, but he recognizes Naaman’s new faith and the struggle he faces. “Go in peace” suggests that Naaman can leave knowing he has been accepted by God and can walk forward with a clear heart, even as he wrestles with living for the Lord in a setting full of idolatry. It points to God’s patience with a new believer who is still learning.

Question 6

Why did Gehazi run after Naaman, and what did he do wrong?

Accepted Answer

Gehazi ran after Naaman because he felt his master had “spared” Naaman by not taking any of the wealth he brought. He wanted some of it for himself. To get it, he lied, saying Elisha had just received two visitors and needed silver and clothes for them. Later, he hid the gifts and lied again, telling Elisha he had gone nowhere. His sins were love of money, mistrusting his master’s decision, using Elisha’s name to gain wealth, secrecy, and flat-out lying. In doing this, he misrepresented God’s servant and treated God’s free grace as something to sell.

Question 7

How did Elisha know what Gehazi had done in secret?

Accepted Answer

Elisha asks Gehazi, “Went not my heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee?” This shows that God had revealed Gehazi’s actions to him. Even though Gehazi thought no one saw him take the gifts and hide them, nothing was hidden from God. Elisha, as God’s prophet, knew what had happened and could expose it. This reminds us that God sees what people do in secret, both good and bad, and that outward respect for a man of God means little if the heart is chasing sin behind his back.

Question 8

Why was Gehazi punished with Naaman’s leprosy, and what does that teach?

Accepted Answer

Gehazi is told that the leprosy that had left Naaman will cling to him and his descendants. This is a very serious judgment. It shows how grave it is to turn God’s free kindness into a chance for selfish gain, and to lie in the name of God’s servant. Gehazi wanted silver, clothes, and the lifestyle they suggested, so Elisha asks if this is really the time to seek such things. By giving him Naaman’s leprosy, God shows that greed and deceit bring lasting harm. The story warns believers to value honesty and God’s honor more than money or status.

Question 9

What does this passage teach about God’s grace and human greed?

Accepted Answer

This passage places side by side a Gentile commander, humbled and grateful, and an Israelite servant, hardened by greed. Naaman, once a leper, goes away clean in body and heart, confessing that the Lord alone is God. He offers gifts, but they are refused to keep God’s grace free from any hint of payment. Gehazi, who lived close to God’s prophet, shows how a heart can grow cold even in a holy setting. His grabbing for wealth, and the leprosy that follows, shows that greed can rob a person of health, honor, and peace, while humble faith receives mercy.

Question 10

How can someone today apply the lessons from Naaman and Gehazi?

Accepted Answer

From Naaman, a person can learn to respond to God’s kindness with open confession, gratitude, and a desire to worship God alone, even when that leads to hard choices in daily life. It also encourages patience with those who are new in faith and still working through difficult situations. From Gehazi, we see how dangerous it is to let love of money, status, or comfort shape our choices. Hiding sin and using spiritual work for gain may seem clever in the moment, but it leads to loss. The passage invites us to choose honesty, contentment, and simple trust in God.

2 Kings 5:15

¶ And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant.

Gehazi’s Greed and Leprosy

Cross References

2 Kings 5:15

¶ And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant.

Share Options

All Verses

Verse + Context

Current Verse

Gehazi’s Greed and Leprosy

Cross References