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In the tenth message of Elisha: God’s Double Agent, Pastor Jeff Anders returns to Gehazi in 2 Kings 5:20–27. The morning message searched the greed of his heart. This evening message follows the second danger that grew out of that greed: the deceit on his tongue. The servant who lied to Naaman and then lied to Elisha went out from the prophet’s presence a leper. God takes lying seriously, and this sermon warns God’s people about lying lips, the devil’s work through deceit, and the hope of salvation and restoration in Christ.
From Morning Review to Evening Warning
Pastor Anders briefly reviews the ministry of Elisha and the eleventh miracle in 2 Kings 5: the inflicting of leprosy upon Gehazi. Naaman, the Gentile captain, had been cleansed. Gehazi, the Jewish servant who had shared in Elisha’s messages, miracles, and ministry, went out diseased. God can heal leprosy, and God can also inflict it. Background does not decide the outcome; those who turn to the Lord find cleansing, and those who turn away may meet His judgment.
The morning message showed that greed and covetousness were already in Gehazi’s heart. He knew Elisha had refused Naaman’s gifts for the sake of the testimony of God’s free grace, yet he determined to take somewhat of Naaman anyway (2 Kings 5:20). Out of that greedy root sprang further evil. The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10). Gehazi had broken the tenth commandment by coveting; he was about to break the ninth by bearing false witness.
The Deceit on His Tongue
His First Lie: To Naaman
Gehazi ran after Naaman. Out of respect for Elisha, Naaman came down from his chariot and asked if all was well. Gehazi answered that all was well, then claimed Elisha had sent him. That was a lie. Elisha had not sent him. He invented a need involving two young men of the sons of the prophets from Mount Ephraim and asked for a talent of silver and two changes of garments (2 Kings 5:21–22).
None of that was true. Elisha had not sent him, had not spoken those words, and those sons of the prophets had not come asking. Naaman believed the lie, gave him more than he asked, and sent servants to carry the load. Gehazi took the gifts, hid them in the house, and dismissed the servants so that the matter would not be seen (2 Kings 5:23–24).
His Second Lie: To Elisha
He then stood before Elisha as though nothing had happened. When the prophet asked where he had been, Gehazi said he had gone nowhere (2 Kings 5:25). Pastor Anders notes that a man always has been somewhere; the answer itself was a cover-up.
Elisha answered that his heart had gone with Gehazi. He knew about the man who turned from his chariot, about the money and the garments, and even about the oliveyards, vineyards, sheep, oxen, and servants Gehazi intended to gain. God had revealed the truth to His servant. Gehazi might deceive an immature new convert like Naaman for a moment, but he would not deceive a man of God who listened to the Lord (2 Kings 5:26–27).
Lying About the Man of God: Miriam and Aaron
Pastor Anders turns to Numbers 12 for another solemn example. Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman he had married. Their bitterness grew into an attack on Moses’ God-given authority, questioning whether the Lord spoke only by Moses. The Lord heard it (Numbers 12:1–2).
Moses was meek above all men upon the earth. He had power to deal with them, yet he was humble in the area of his strength and left the matter with God (Numbers 12:3). The Lord called the three to the tabernacle, distinguished Moses as the servant with whom He spoke mouth to mouth, and asked why they were not afraid to speak against His servant. The anger of the Lord was kindled, and Miriam became leprous, white as snow (Numbers 12:4–10).
Aaron quickly confessed their foolish sin. Moses cried out for her healing. The Lord restored Miriam, yet she remained outside the camp seven days before returning to service (Numbers 12:11–15). Gehazi lied to the man of God; Miriam and Aaron lied about the man of God. In both accounts God answered with leprosy. When people lie to or about God’s servant, the Lord takes it seriously.
God Takes Lying Seriously
The Ninth Commandment and the Old Testament Warnings
God forbade bearing false witness (Exodus 20:16). He also warned against raising a false report (Exodus 23:1). Wisdom literature presses the same point. Lying lips that hide hatred and utter slander mark a fool (Proverbs 10:18). We must not bear witness against our neighbour without cause or deceive with our lips (Proverbs 24:28). Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, and those who deal truly are His delight (Proverbs 12:22).
Among the things the Lord hates are a lying tongue and a false witness (Proverbs 6:16–19). A false witness will not go unpunished, and the one who speaks lies will not escape (Proverbs 19:5, 9). The law also forbids stealing, dealing falsely, and lying to one another (Leviticus 19:11). The psalmist records God’s own standard against deceit and lying lips in His house and before His sight (Psalm 101:7).
The New Testament Call to Put Off Lying
Believers are commanded not to lie to one another, seeing they have put off the old man with his deeds (Colossians 3:9). Lying belongs to the old fallen nature, not to the new creature in Christ. It must be put off like a filthy garment.
Nothing is more unlike God than lying. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). The Spirit of God is the Spirit of truth. God cannot lie (Titus 1:2), and it is impossible for God to lie (Hebrews 6:18). When we lie, we are being ungodly.
Lying Opens the Door to the Devil
Pastor Anders presses further: lying is not innocent. It is demonic. It opens a door for the enemy. In Genesis 3, Satan entered the garden disguised as a serpent and lied to Eve. Out of his own greedy desire to be like God, he spoke lies. Eve was deceived and believed the lie (1 Timothy 2:14); Adam ate knowingly; sin entered the world; and the curse followed.
Jesus identified the devil as a liar and the father of lies, a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44). The origin of lying is with the devil. When believers step into lying lips as Gehazi did, they open an inroad for demonic activity in their own lives and among those around them.
Pastor Anders applies this to families, churches, and even a divided nation. One person invents or twists a story; another believes it, broods over it, and passes it on; before long relationships and congregations are torn. Lying destroys trust because it belongs to the enemy’s work.
All Men Are Liars—and Liars Need Christ
The psalmist said in his haste that all men are liars (Psalm 116:11). That fits the fallen heart, which is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). In Romans 3:9–18, Paul shows that Jews and Gentiles alike are under sin. There is none righteous. When he describes that sin, he includes tongues that have used deceit: opening the mouth is like opening a grave of corruption.
Do not say, “I would never do that.” Peter was sure he would never deny the Lord, yet he did before morning. Privileged people like Gehazi, Miriam, and Aaron still lied because we all share the same deceitful hearts. The mouths of those who speak lies shall be stopped (Psalm 63:11). The judgment upon liars is described with solemn clarity in Revelation 21:8: all liars have their part in the lake of fire, which is the second death.
That is why sinners need Christ. The One who is truth died in the place of liars. God’s mercy reached a people with deceitful hearts. If you do not have Him, eternity holds a lake of fire. The hope for the lost is salvation: turn to Christ and let Him save you. The hope for the saved who have lied is honesty before God—confess sin, get right with Him, and be reconciled to one another. Miriam missed about a week of service, but she was restored and continued. Restoration is possible. What took Gehazi out of Elisha’s ministry was the desire of his heart and the deceit on his lips.
Take-Homes
- Remember both dangers in Gehazi: a greedy heart and lying lips. Covetousness often grows into deceit.
- Do not lie to get what God has refused. Gehazi invented a spiritual-sounding story to cover greed.
- You may deceive an undiscerning hearer for a while, but you will not hide from God. Elisha’s heart knew the truth because God revealed it.
- Take seriously any lying to or about God’s servants. Miriam’s leprosy shows how the Lord regards that sin.
- Measure lying by God’s Word, not by habit. God abhors lying lips and delights in truth.
- Put off lying as part of the old man. It is unlike the God who cannot lie.
- Recognize lying as an open door for the devil. The father of lies still works through deceit in homes, churches, and nations.
- Admit that all of us have deceitful hearts. Do not claim you could never fall as Gehazi or Peter did.
- Flee to Christ. Liars deserve judgment, but the Truth died for liars. Be saved if you are lost; confess and be restored if you are His.