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Gehazi was healed and restored?


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I know there were four lepers(which were not named) which found the abandoned Syrian camp and reported it to the king and I had questioned before that Gehazi was mentioned in 2 Kings 8, seemingly after he was made a leper. But I never heard this one before.......

What say you?

 

Quote

From Failure to Success

 

"This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth … so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success." (Joshua 1:8)

God can reverse every downturn in your life—including the financial, physical, emotional, and spiritual—when you follow Him and His Word.

The prophet Elisha would not accept payment from General Naaman for God's restoration of the warrior's health, but the prophet's servant Gehazi couldn't resist. He lied, took the payment, and hid it. Elisha knew what Gehazi had done and rebuked him for jumping ahead of God's provision and blessing. Gehazi set himself up for failure, and as punishment, he was made a leper.

Seven years later, because of God's divine arrangement, Gehazi could have stolen and hidden an abundance of riches from an abandoned Syrian camp. A changed man, Gehazi generously shared his profit with the children of Israel. As a result, God restored Gehazi’s health and promoted him to the king's advisory board.

 

If you are wrestling with a downturn in your life that may be the result of a wrong decision or an action you made in the past, keep in mind that God longs to accomplish something in you that is greater than you can imagine. Don’t throw in the towel. Never let your past determine your future. Rather, put your trust in God through obeying His Word, and set yourself up to succeed, just as Gehazi did.

For His kingdom,

Tony Evans

 

 

 

Edited by heartstrings
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Did he give a Bible reference for that? Sounds to me like he wanted a good story to go along with his promise that God can reverse every downturn in life if you follow him and his word. What if your "downturn" is part of God's will for your life? Paul had a downturn in life that God never "reversed"...

First, we see this...

2 Kings 5:25-27
25   But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither.
26   And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants?
27   The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.

Sounds like there would be no healing to me.

Second, we see this...

2 Kings 7:3
And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?

The lepers aren't named; he's saying that Gehazi was one of those lepers. How could he possibly know since they aren't named, and there is no indication whatsoever that one of them is Gehazi.

Third we see this...

2 Kings 8:1-6
1   Then spake Elisha unto the woman, whose son he had restored to life, saying, Arise, and go thou and thine household, and sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn: for the LORD hath called for a famine; and it shall also come upon the land seven years.
2   And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God: and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.
3   And it came to pass at the seven years' end, that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines: and she went forth to cry unto the king for her house and for her land.
4   And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done.
5   And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored a dead body to life, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.
6   And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed unto her a certain officer, saying, Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now.

The only thing restored by the king was done for the woman whose son was raised from the dead. There's nothing saying that Gehazi was healed and made an advisor to the king. All Gehazi did was tell the king about Elisha raising the woman's son from the dead. That's not an advisory position; he wanted to hear about Elisha...not advice.

I've read where people "ASSUME" that Gehazi was healed, because (according to the law) a leper wasn't supposed to be out in public; therefore, the king wouldn't have even talked with him since he was a leper.

However, in reading the laws concerning lepers, only those with risings, raw flesh, etc. were unclean...for example...

(yellow highlight=unclean...blue highlight=clean)

Leviticus 13:9-17
9   When the plague of leprosy is in a man, then he shall be brought unto the priest;
10   And the priest shall see him: and, behold, if the rising be white in the skin, and it have turned the hair white, and there be quick raw flesh in the rising;
11   It is an old leprosy in the skin of his flesh, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean, and shall not shut him up: for he is unclean.
12   And if a leprosy break out abroad in the skin, and the leprosy cover all the skin of him that hath the plague from his head even to his foot, wheresoever the priest looketh;
13   Then the priest shall consider: and, behold, if the leprosy have covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: it is all turned white: he is clean.
14   But when raw flesh appeareth in him, he shall be unclean.
15   And the priest shall see the raw flesh, and pronounce him to be unclean: for the raw flesh is unclean: it is a leprosy.
16   Or if the raw flesh turn again, and be changed unto white, he shall come unto the priest;
17   And the priest shall see him: and, behold, if the plague be turned into white; then the priest shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: he is clean.

What kind of leprosy did Gehazi have?

2 Kings 5:27
The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.

Gehazi's leprosy was white; it wasn't contagious; therefore, it perfectly within the law for him to be out in public and for the king to talk to him.

Tony Evans spun a tale...

 

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11 minutes ago, Oὐ Νικολαΐτης said:

Did he give a Bible reference for that? Sounds to me like he wanted a good story to go along with his promise that God can reverse every downturn in life if you follow him and his word. What if your "downturn" is part of God's will for your life? Paul had a downturn in life that God never "reversed"...

First, we see this...

2 Kings 5:25-27
25   But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither.
26   And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants?
27   The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.

Sounds like there would be no healing to me.

Second, we see this...

2 Kings 7:3
And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?

The lepers aren't named; he's saying that Gehazi was one of those lepers. How could he possibly know since they aren't named, and there is no indication whatsoever that one of them is Gehazi.

Third we see this...

2 Kings 8:1-6
1   Then spake Elisha unto the woman, whose son he had restored to life, saying, Arise, and go thou and thine household, and sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn: for the LORD hath called for a famine; and it shall also come upon the land seven years.
2   And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God: and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.
3   And it came to pass at the seven years' end, that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines: and she went forth to cry unto the king for her house and for her land.
4   And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done.
5   And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored a dead body to life, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.
6   And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed unto her a certain officer, saying, Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now.

The only thing restored by the king was done for the woman whose son was raised from the dead. There's nothing saying that Gehazi was healed and made an advisor to the king. All Gehazi did was tell the king about Elisha raising the woman's son from the dead. That's not an advisory position; he wanted to hear about Elisha...not advice.

I've read where people "ASSUME" that Gehazi was healed, because (according to the law) a leper wasn't supposed to be out in public; therefore, the king wouldn't have even talked with him since he was a leper.

However, in reading the laws concerning lepers, only those with risings, raw flesh, etc. were unclean...for example...

(yellow highlight=unclean...blue highlight=clean)

Leviticus 13:9-17
9   When the plague of leprosy is in a man, then he shall be brought unto the priest;
10   And the priest shall see him: and, behold, if the rising be white in the skin, and it have turned the hair white, and there be quick raw flesh in the rising;
11   It is an old leprosy in the skin of his flesh, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean, and shall not shut him up: for he is unclean.
12   And if a leprosy break out abroad in the skin, and the leprosy cover all the skin of him that hath the plague from his head even to his foot, wheresoever the priest looketh;
13   Then the priest shall consider: and, behold, if the leprosy have covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: it is all turned white: he is clean.
14   But when raw flesh appeareth in him, he shall be unclean.
15   And the priest shall see the raw flesh, and pronounce him to be unclean: for the raw flesh is unclean: it is a leprosy.
16   Or if the raw flesh turn again, and be changed unto white, he shall come unto the priest;
17   And the priest shall see him: and, behold, if the plague be turned into white; then the priest shall pronounce him clean that hath the plague: he is clean.

What kind of leprosy did Gehazi have?

2 Kings 5:27
The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.

Gehazi's leprosy was white; it wasn't contagious; therefore, it perfectly within the law for him to be out in public and for the king to talk to him.

Tony Evans spun a tale...

 

That appears to be the case, because the Bible doesn't give the names of the four lepers and it never says that Gehazi was "promoted to the king's advisory board".  I would love to ask Mr. Evans but my email might not get past his screeners.

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I assume he said he was appointed to the king's advisory board because the king asked him about Elisha? That's no appointment. Our City Manager asks me questions from time to time, but I'm not on any board. I'm not even on "board" with him asking me questions. :nuts:

The Bible doesn't name the four lepers.

The Bible doesn't say that Gehazi was healed.

The Bible does say that Gehazi would be a leper forever.

The Bible; Tony Evans? The Bible; Tony Evans?

I'll take the Bible.

I've heard of Tony Evans, but I've never heard or read anything by him.

By the way, yes, God can reverse every downturn in your life...but that doesn't mean he will.  ;)

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I got a reply back, this morning. Just as I suspected, Tony Evans didn't reply personally which I can understand. But he still didn't answer my questions; because even his "NASB" quote shows no indication of #1 named lepers, #2 Gehazi was healed or #3 Gehazi was appointed an advisor.

2 Kings 7  New American Standard Bible (NASB)


Elisha Promises Food


7:1 Then Elisha said, “Listen to the word of the LORD; thus says the LORD, ‘Tomorrow about this time a measure of fine flour will be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.’”


2 The royal officer on whose hand the king was leaning answered the man of God and said, “Behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?” Then he said, “Behold, you will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat of it.”


Four Lepers Relate Arameans’ Flight


3 Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, “Why do we sit here until we die?


8 When these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they entered one tent and ate and drank, and carried from there silver and gold and clothes, and went and hid them; and they returned and entered another tent and carried from there also, and went and hid them.


9 Then they said to one another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, but we are keeping silent; if we wait until morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now therefore come, let us go and tell the king’s household.”


10 So they came and called to the gatekeepers of the city, and they told them, saying, “We came to the camp of the Arameans, and behold, there was no one there, nor the voice of man, only the horses tied and the donkeys tied, and the tents just as they were.”


8:1 Now Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, “Arise and go with your household, and sojourn wherever you can sojourn; for the LORD has called for a famine, and it will even come on the land for seven years.”


3 At the end of seven years, the woman returned from the land of the Philistines; and she went out to appeal to the king for her house and for her field. 4 Now the king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, “Please relate to me all the great things that Elisha has done.”


Rev. Leighton Smith, ThM.


Customer Care Team


The Urban Alternative[/quote]

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5 hours ago, John81 said:

Preach the Word, not speculation or fanciful tales for the sake of a good story. The Bible has plenty of "good stories" to preach upon and the wonders of God's working among men are abundant throughout Scripture. Adding to the Word is never a good thing.

I wholeheartedly agree with that.

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Affirmative.

I again asked the responder to point out where the scriptures he sent answered my three questions. Haven't heard back yet. But I must say, I really liked the "account". I was thinking maybe Mr. Evans had relayed some little-known truth in the Word of God.  It happens sometimes, you know.

 

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1 hour ago, John81 said:

The reply from Evans people provides nothing more than before. As we all here noted, the idea Gehazi is one of these is pure speculation, closer to fantasy since there is noting whatsoever in the Scripture which even hints at the idea one could be Gehazi.

Not only is he adding to scripture, but in his quest for a good story, his fairytale has other repercussions as well...

Elisha said the leprosy would cling to Gehazi forever. Evans has reduced Elisha to a false prophet by saying Gehazi was healed.

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