GBENGA A FRIEND OF GEHAZI

(extracted from 'who is Gbenga')

‘But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha (the man of God) … followed after Naaman.’ (2kings 5:20,21)

Show me your friend …, so the saying goes. (and we know who you are) we could tell who Gbenga was from the kind of friend he kept. ‘Gbenga a friend of Gehazi in other words is Gbenga a follower of Gehazi. He followed the pattern of Gehazi, his ways and deeds. Who then is Gehazi is the question. From the introduction of this session, we see that Gehazi is a servant. The world says ‘ordinary servant’ – servants are not ordinary.

Like Gbenga, Gehazi was a servant of the man Elisha. He saw nothing good in serving. The benefits were not fast coming. So he sought to follow the noble man of the earth; to get the bags of gold and silver they were carrying. He left his office, his purpose without any order. He thought he was the boss of himself not recognising that someone had the authority over him. So he followed Naaman. ‘why’ to get the riches from him. Gbenga on the order hand had done just the same, he has forgotten that God does not send kings or leaders to the world. He sends servants, leaders are only chief-servant. And I asked again ‘what is Gbenga going after, what has he seen? He is going after shadows, after things that do not satisfy, little did he know he was going after leprosy. Unknown to him he is doing what his friend Gehazi did: he said, ‘I will chase after him (the noble man- Naaman) and get something from him’ and so he went chasing. but Gehazi… Gehazi left his master, his believes, the truth, what he learnt to follow after a strange man – a noble man to get money

BUT GEHAZI …

Gehazi succeeded, he succeeded in getting the riches, the gold and the silver and all the fine things of life. He is now comfortable and happy with himself.

‘… Gehazi took the bags…’ ‘what bags’? bags of money and after all, he hid the money in his house. It was a treasure to him. And I am asking, ‘what will Gehazi do with all that money? He just happy acquiring it. he wants to identify with riches, I guess not servanthood, forgetting he has a purpose to serve. Now that he has gotten it – education, money, fame, comfort and the rest, what next?

‘what have you been Gehazi’? I have not been anywhere he replied.

Gehazi is back from acquiring riches, he is back to serve in his office – who is sure of that. See his reply to his master’s question. He is being somewhere but said he been nowhere. True, he actually being nowhere. He hasn’t make a move towards his purpose. He is out of it. so he is being nowhere. He has been running after vain things acquiring something but actually acquiring nothing. Inside of him empty. Gehazi is in the middle of the road not left or right neither front nor back. He is at the junction running after any flashy thing that passes. Consequently, going nowhere – no direction. Today he is a musician, tomorrow he is a footballer, next is a comedian, then after this he is thinking of being a preacher. Gehazi: ‘I have been anywhere’ so he said. This is the way of Gehazi. Gbenga followed sort.

‘oh Gbenga’! what is thy purpose? I wept. Finally, he walked out of his master, he was no lnger serving. He has totally abandon his duty. There is no way he could serve dual purposes. He left a purposeless man. He left a leprous man. It was painful as I watch Gehazi vanish. I wouldn’t watch Gbenga vanish as well. From a purposeless man to a leprous man, he is merely existing and dying slowly.