The Tangled Web of Sinning

Christ Triumphant - A Devotional by E.G. White

The Tangled Web of Sinning

Today's Text: But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said ... I will run after him, and take somewhat of him. 2 Kings 5:20

The Message:      It is seldom that one sin will stand alone or be restricted in the range of transgression to one precept or one prohibition of the moral law. There is ever a complication of disobedience, which leads the perverted conscience to a greater length of entanglement by entering to greater temptations and sinning more and more....      The heart not given entirely to the control of Jesus Christ has a door open for Satan to enter, and the archdeceiver weaves about the soul ingenious apologies in performing its hidden purposes of evil. All these excuses and pretensions are seen of God, and are as spiderwebs in the eyes of Him who never slumbers or sleeps. Oh, how readily will the human soul find poor and wretched excuses to deceive and cover up its own course of evil, which it pursues. There is an exact judge who weigheth actions. He cannot be deceived, neither can He be mocked. He will one day strike off the covering, unveil the conscience, and sweep away these excuses as smoke.      The Lord God hath a witness to every transaction. Elisha's reproof to Gehazi when he denied having left to follow Naaman was: "Whence comest thou, Gehazi?" The answer is "Thy servant went no whither." Then the stern reproof came that showed he knew all. "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? The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever." The Lord had revealed the whole matter. The interview with Naaman, the minutest incidents of the scene, were accurately presented before him. Oh, the workings of the powers of darkness are so deceiving!      Elisha revealed to Gehazi the very thoughts of his heart, and that he would enrich himself with the earthly treasure from Naaman. There was a man who should have been a standard-bearer in the army of the Lord, [but] through Satan's temptations his course of action was a stumbling block to Naaman, upon whose mind a wonderful light had broken and he was favorably disposed toward truth, to serve the living God. Gehazi went from his presence a leper. The Lord calls upon you to seek His counsel, to be true to your own soul and to God, and to seek most earnestly to recover yourself and your children from Satan's snares.-Letter 22, 1893.

Commentary: My friend, Gehazi worked closely with the mighty prophet of God and saw the hand of God upon all that Elisha had done.  He had witnessed the mighty miracles that were wrought through him and this should have brought Gehazi into a close relationship with God, but it did not.  Gehazi harbored covetousness within his heart and when the opportunity presented itself, he thought to enrich himself through deception and secrecy. In going after Naaman he misrepresented the grace of God and placed a stumbling block before him.  When he returned and Elisha questioned him as to what he had done, it shows the mercy of God by allowing him a period of time to confess his sin before Elisha.  The prophet of God had already been shown what he had done and he sought to hold the door of mercy open just a little longer that the dreadful judgment may be averted.  But one sin cherished will lead to another and yet another until the soul is in open rebellion against God.  Had Gehazi confessed his sin, he may have been spared the dreadful curse. God knows all things and no matter how we try to convince ourselves that we are right we are only weaving a web of lies within our hearts and deceiving ourselves into thinking that we are right when we are not.  The greatest deception that we face is self-deception for "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). My friend each of us has sins within our heart that can only be seen by God and as such our prayer should be as the Psalmist prayed saying "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalm 139:23, 24).  "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.  Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." (Psalm 51:7, 10). May this be our prayer today. God bless,

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