2 Kings 5:25-27

The Voice

²⁵Gehazi then went to find Elisha.

Elisha: I’ve missed you. Where have you been, Gehazi?

Gehazi: I’ve been here all along.

Elisha: ²⁶You must not be aware that I knew where you were when Naaman stepped down from his chariot and asked you if everything was well. Do you think you are in a place to accept money, clothes, olive groves, vineyards, sheep, oxen, and servants on my behalf? ²⁷Because you have sought to deceive me and have deceived Naaman, the skin disease that was washed away from Naaman in the Jordan River will now infect you and your offspring for all of time.

Skin diseases of all kinds—psoriasis, eczema, vitiligo, and even baldness—are of great concern in God’s purity laws (Leviticus 13–15). The appearance of some of these diseases makes a person ineligible to enter the temple, especially diseases with open sores and flaking skin. Israelites with such a skin disease are quarantined outside of the cities until it disappears and they become pure again. In the case of chronic diseases such as psoriasis, the sufferer is doomed to permanent exile and separation from God. What greater punishment can there be for a prophet of God?

Gehazi turned and departed from Elisha. By the time Gehazi had walked out of the room, the skin disease had entirely infected him, and his skin was as white as snow.

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