Greed and its consequence; the story of Ahab and Gehazi

Ahab and Gehazi: 1 Kg. 21 : 1 – 29;  2Kg. 5 : 1 – 27 
Ahab And Naboth Vineyard
    Ahab was the king of Israel in Samaria. 
A man of Jezebel, named Naboth had his vineyard near Ahab’s Palace and Ahab wanted to acquire the vineyard. Naboth was not willing to part with the land which he had inherited.
          Ahab became disappointed and he refused to eat in his house. When the wife of Ahab (Jezebel) learnt of the cause of her husband’s unhappiness, she cheered him up and assured him that she would give the vineyard to him.
Jezebel wrote letters and sealed them with Ahab’s seal. In the letters she instructed the elders of Israel to proclaim a feast, causing God and the king and to him death.
These orders were quickly carried out and Naboth was stoned to death. Ahab took possession of the vineyard as soon as he heard of the death of Naboth.
    The Lord was not happy with the murder of Naboth and He sent prophet Elijah to warn Ahab that dogs would lick his blood at the same spot where Naboth’s blood was licked up by dogs. When Elijah met Ahab to deliver the Lord’s message to him, Ahab asked him ” have you found me O my enemy”? Elijah answered that he had found him and then told Ahab the grave punishment of death that awaited him and his posterity because of his wicked acts and idolatry. He told Ahab that Jezebel’s body would be eaten by dogs within the bound of Jezreel.
  After hearing this message, Ahab fasted and mourned before the Lord. His humility and penitence pleased the Lord and so the Lord told Elijah that the punishment would not be visited on his family in Ahab’s days but would surely come to pass during the reign of his son.
GEHAZI
Gehazi was Elisha’s servant. He was very greedy. His greediness is shown in this account. Naaman was the commander of the Syrian Army. He was a leper. His housemaid who was a captive from Israel told Naaman’s wife about prophet Elisha who could cure him. Naaman told the king of Syria about it and the king wrote a letter to the king of Israel. Naaman went to Israel with gifts and the letter. When the king of Israel was given the letter he was afraid and said;
      ” Am I God, to kill and to make alive that this man sends words to me to cure a man of leprosy”?
   Prophet Elisha directed Naaman to wash seven times in river Jordan and that he would be cured. Naaman hesitated to obey Elisha’s instruction but he was persuaded by his servants.
Eventually he was cured after dipping himself seven times in River Jordan. Naaman came to express gratitude to Elisha and to praise God. He gave some gifts to Elisha but Elisha refused to accept the gifts. Elisha’s servant, Gehazi was not happy for this, He secretly went to meet Naaman and told him that Elisha was now ready to accept the gifts. Naaman was happy to give him the gifts.
   When Gehazi returned, Elisha asked him where he had gone. Gehazi lied to Elisha by saying that he did not go anywhere. Elisha then told him what had happened. Elisha told him that the leprosy of Naaman shall come upon him. Immediately Gehazi became a leper.