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Speaker 1: Let us pray the leprosy. Therefore of Nammon shall cleave

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Speaker 1: unto thee and unto thy seed forever. Then he went

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Speaker 1: out from his presence, a leper as white as snow,

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Speaker 1: Second Kings five twenty seven. In my life, Lord, no

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Speaker 1: matter how tempting the offers may be, guide me so

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Speaker 1: that I only receive from others only what You've chosen

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Speaker 1: to release to me. I declare that I will not

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Speaker 1: act as Gahese and allow greed to cloud my integrity

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Speaker 1: and judgment. Far from it. Far be it from me

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Speaker 1: to step out of alignment and flow with your perfect will.

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Speaker 1: For I know that whatever you bless me with, there

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Speaker 1: will be no sickness, sorrow, or guilt attached. When the

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Speaker 1: time comes for my blessing to overtake me because of

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Speaker 1: my obedience, I will position my heart and my ears

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Speaker 1: to listen for your primer to receive. Until then, I

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Speaker 1: will remain humble and steadfast, knowing that increase is just

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Speaker 1: around the corner from my faithfulness. In Jesus' name, Amen,

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Speaker 1: thank you for praying with me today. Continue listening for

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Speaker 1: an incredible Bible story brought to you by Bible in

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Speaker 1: a year dot Com Gehesi.

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Speaker 2: In our last story, God healed a foreign warrior by

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Speaker 2: the name of Naman. Naman was plagued with leprosy and

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Speaker 2: turned down by the King of Israel. Elijah saw this

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Speaker 2: as a perfect opportunity to show all the nations that

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Speaker 2: the Lord is a lord of healing and power. Nayman

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Speaker 2: was refreshed in the cool ward of the Jordan River.

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Speaker 2: As he bathed himself in the river, his sick and

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Speaker 2: dying flesh was replaced with new life. Now we learn

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Speaker 2: of Nieman's new found love for God and desire to

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Speaker 2: bless the people of God. However, Elisha's servant, Ghesai's heart

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Speaker 2: changes for the worse as he descends into a cycle

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Speaker 2: of greed and treachery. Inspired by the Book of Second Kings.

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Speaker 3: Hello, I'm pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the

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Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. In the previous episode, we

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Speaker 3: learned about Naemon, the Syrian commander who sought healing for

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Speaker 3: his leprosy from the prophet Elishah in Israel. Despite his

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Speaker 3: initial reluctance and prideful thinking, Naemon finally acted in faith

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Speaker 3: and believed God and his skin. His illness was completely healed. Today,

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Speaker 3: we'll pick up where we left off yesterday and hear

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Speaker 3: how Naeman responded to his healing and how Elisha's servant Gehesel,

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Speaker 3: gives in to corruptive thinking and deceit. He suffers a

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Speaker 3: painful consequence for his choice and became an example of

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Speaker 3: God's judgment for greed and dishonesty. So here's today's Bible reading.

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Speaker 2: Naman emerged from the Jordan River a new man as

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Speaker 2: the sun set. The old and dying flesh had been

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Speaker 2: washed away, along with his old life. In many ways,

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Speaker 2: Namon was a completely new person. He had experienced the

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Speaker 2: glory of God in the cool river for the first time.

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Speaker 2: His heart beat with more purpose, his lungs were filled

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Speaker 2: with new life. He was aware and alert to the

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Speaker 2: movement of God. This caused joy in Naman like never before.

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Speaker 2: He rushed immediately to Elisha and said, I know with

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Speaker 2: complete certainty that there is no God except the God

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Speaker 2: of Israel. Then Naman rolled out gifts of gold and

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Speaker 2: silver to give to Elisha. Elishah shook his head and smiled, No,

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Speaker 2: as surely as the Lord lives, I will take nothing

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Speaker 2: from you. Namon urged Elisha to receive any type of

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Speaker 2: gift from him. Although Namon was trying to give Elishah gifts,

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Speaker 2: it was really a gesture towards God. Gratitude filled his

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Speaker 2: heart for the first time in years, and he desired

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Speaker 2: to bless those who blessed him very well. Namon replied,

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Speaker 2: but at least allow me to load my mules with

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Speaker 2: some of the earth from this holy place. I would

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Speaker 2: like to remind myself continually of this experience. His eyes

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Speaker 2: began to well up with tears. They were tears of

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Speaker 2: joy and peace. From now on, I will not worship

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Speaker 2: any god except the Lord. Only may the Lord pardon

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Speaker 2: me when my king leans on me to bow. Elishah

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Speaker 2: was filled with the joy of the Lord at Naman's

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Speaker 2: change of heart. He could see the transformative power of

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Speaker 2: God in his life. Go in peace, he told him,

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Speaker 2: and with that, Namon departed back to his home. Yet

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Speaker 2: with all the Lord's blessing, darkness still lingered. Gehazi, the

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Speaker 2: servant of Elijah, stewed in bitterness as Namon left. He

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Speaker 2: watched as the rich commander left with all his riches.

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Speaker 2: Why didn't my master accept the gifts he offered? He

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Speaker 2: said to himself, led by greed, gehes I packed his

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Speaker 2: things to go pursue Namon to receive gifts for himself.

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Speaker 2: Gahaz I rode fast to catch up to them, intent

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Speaker 2: on satisfying his fleshy desire for temporary things. Nayman saw

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Speaker 2: him running after him. He climbed down from his chariot

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Speaker 2: and walked towards him. Worried that something might be wrong.

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Speaker 2: Namon shouted, is everything okay, yes, gehes I said, trying

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Speaker 2: to catch his breath. However, my master has sent me

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Speaker 2: to tell you that two of your prophets have just

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Speaker 2: arrived at the house. He would like seventy five pounds

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Speaker 2: of silver and two sets of clothing to give them

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Speaker 2: his gifts. Gehze lied there were no prophets. He fully

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Speaker 2: planned to keep the wealth for himself. Greed had a

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Speaker 2: choke hold over his heart and it would not relent.

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Speaker 2: Namon smiled, pleased that he could bless the household of Elishah.

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Speaker 2: Of course, take double the portion, so Namon's servants followed

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Speaker 2: gehez I back. Gehes I took the goods back to

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Speaker 2: the house and hid the treasures for himself. Then gehes

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Speaker 2: I composed himself brushed the dust off his cloak and

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Speaker 2: walked back into the house. He was met with a

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Speaker 2: sitting Elishah. Gehes I did his best to smile. He

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Speaker 2: passed his master and began his regular chores. Where have

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Speaker 2: you been, gehees I, Elisha asked casually. Nowhere, gehz I replied,

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Speaker 2: while sweeping, doing his best to avoid eye contact. Elisha sighed,

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Speaker 2: displeased with Gehese's unwillingness to repent on his own. He

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Speaker 2: must have known that Elishah would have found out. Was

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Speaker 2: he really that ignorant of how the Lord worked? Gejz I,

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Speaker 2: Elishah said gently, don't you realize that I was with

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Speaker 2: you in spirit while you approached Nayman on his chariot.

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Speaker 2: Gehes I gulped, realizing that his sins had caught up

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Speaker 2: to him quicker than expected. Are we to receive money

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Speaker 2: and clothing? Are we to receive olive groves, beautiful vineyards,

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Speaker 2: livestock and servants? Is this who we are? Elisha's voice

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Speaker 2: became more harsh. He stood to his feet and met

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Speaker 2: Gehesei in the eyes. He stared at him intensely. Gehes

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Speaker 2: I could feel the eyes of God on him, Because

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Speaker 2: you have robbed a man healed of leprosy, You and

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Speaker 2: your descendants will struggle with that same plight forever. Gehese's

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Speaker 2: guilt rushed over him, and pain began to rush up

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Speaker 2: his arms and legs. Then, in that moment, Geheesi's body

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Speaker 2: crumbled with leprosy.

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Speaker 3: Today's passage opens up where we ended yesterday. Naheman followed

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Speaker 3: Elisha's instructions. After dipping him self and the Jordans seven times,

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Speaker 3: he then emerged with new skin, completely healed of leprosy.

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Speaker 3: So in Second King five point fifteen we read then

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Speaker 3: what Naeman did. Then he returned to the man of God,

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Speaker 3: he and all of his company, and he came and

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Speaker 3: stood before him, and he said, behold, I know that

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Speaker 3: there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel.

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Speaker 3: This man, who had such doubts about finding healing in

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Speaker 3: this foreign river from a prophet who didn't even come

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Speaker 3: out and make a show of healing him, had experienced

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Speaker 3: a change, a changed deep in his heart, much deeper

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Speaker 3: than his skin. He regained the feeling that he had

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Speaker 3: lost in his leprosy, But more importantly, his heart is

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Speaker 3: warmed towards God, the God of healing. Who had healed

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Speaker 3: not only his physical disease, but washed his spirit. And

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Speaker 3: his response was to confess God, not just to Elishah,

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Speaker 3: but in the presence of all his company. This grateful

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Speaker 3: man wanted to repair Elishah for what he had done,

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Speaker 3: but Elishah would accept no payment. It was God who

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Speaker 3: had healed, and Elishah would not profit in this way

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Speaker 3: from his ministry. Naemon then made a request that may

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Speaker 3: sound unusual. He asked for permission to load dirt into

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Speaker 3: a cart so he could carry it home and spread

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Speaker 3: it on the ground there. It may sound very strange

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Speaker 3: to our ears, of course, but Elishah would have understood it.

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Speaker 3: Naemon was recognizing that the soil in Israel represented God's land,

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Speaker 3: God's territory, and now that Naeman had given his heart

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Speaker 3: in trust to the One True God, the God of Israel,

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Speaker 3: he wanted to take some of that territory, symbolically speaking

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Speaker 3: to his own home, so that he could worship God

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Speaker 3: on his land. He then asked Elishah to pardon him

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Speaker 3: for when he had to go before his king to

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Speaker 3: bow down to a pagan god remen. In other words,

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Speaker 3: he knew he would have to put on an act

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Speaker 3: if he was going to pay honor to a false God,

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Speaker 3: and so he wanted Elishah and God himself to know

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Speaker 3: that his heart was truly committed to the Lord and

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Speaker 3: not an idol. Elishah recognized the intent behind these requests

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Speaker 3: and told Naeman to go in peace. So Naemon departed,

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Speaker 3: leaving no gifts, but taking holy ground with him back

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Speaker 3: to Syria. But while Naema's heart had been filled with

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Speaker 3: faith in God, Elisha's servant Gehaiza was moving in the

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Speaker 3: opposite direction. He allowed dreed to enter his heart and

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Speaker 3: to fill it with darkness and sin, like the leprosy

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Speaker 3: that had filled NAMA's body and left him unfeeling. Greed

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Speaker 3: and sin numbed Gaza's heart, and he went after Naemon

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Speaker 3: with deceit and personal gain on his mind. He caught

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Speaker 3: up to Naman, who asked what he needed. Gehaiza lied

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Speaker 3: and said Elishah had requested silver and clothing to give

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Speaker 3: his gift to two sons of prophets. Naemon was eager

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Speaker 3: to give generously and gave a double portion to Elishah's

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Speaker 3: unfaithful servant. Geheiza hid what he had received, but Elishah

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Speaker 3: knew so he questioned his servant, asking where he had been. Again,

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Speaker 3: Gehaiza lied and said he hadn't been anywhere. That's when

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Speaker 3: Elishah let him know that he had been caught. He

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Speaker 3: rebuked him for what he had done, taking from Naeman

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Speaker 3: and making a mockery of what God had done to

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Speaker 3: show his glory to a foreigner. Elisha sent Gehiza away

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Speaker 3: with a curse the leprosy of which Naemon had been

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Speaker 3: healed would be visited upon him and his descendants, And

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Speaker 3: as he walked away, Gehiza's flesh was consumed with leprosy.

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Speaker 3: Lord God, we thank you for the truth of the

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Speaker 3: Bible and the greatness of these stories that we're hearing.

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Speaker 3: We pray, o God, that we would learn each day

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Speaker 3: the lessons we need to live in obedience to you.

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Speaker 3: Help us, Lord, to have hearts that are full of

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Speaker 3: you and always sensitive to know and do your will

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Speaker 3: in Jesus' name. Amen, Thank you for listening to today's

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Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. I'm pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas.

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Speaker 3: Download thepray dot Com app and make prayer and Bible

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Speaker 3: study a priority in your life. And if you enjoyed

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Speaker 3: this podcast, tell someone else about it. We would love

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Speaker 3: to connect with you at Jack Graham dot org for

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Speaker 3: there are resources and opportunities for you to continue to

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Speaker 3: grow in your faith through this ministry. God bless you.