THE DESIRE TO GET SOMETHING FROM OTHERS FOR FREE IS JUST THE WORST
And he spoke with them, saying, “If it is your wish for me to bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and approach Ephron the son of Zohar for me, 9 that he may give me the cave of Machpelah which he owns, which is at the end of his field; for the full price let him give it to me in your presence for a burial site.” Genesis 26: 8-9.[ NASB]
Abraham needed a cave to bury his wife. Abraham spoke to the sons of Heth about this matter. The sons of Heth were willing to give their burial lands to Abraham. He did not want to bury his wife in their cemetery. Instead, he asked them to speak to Ephron the son of Zohar on his behalf. Ephron the son of Zohar decided to give his land to Abraham for free. Abraham had the opportunity to get that cave of Machpelah for free. But Abraham was not ready to get it free from him. Abraham was also capable of paying enough value to buy it. He wanted to take it at full price but did not want to take it for free. How would you behave if you were in this situation? How do you take it? Willing to accept that it came for free or willing to pay for it?
The expectant quality of the neighbor is not good. Most importantly, the quality of expecting free from a neighbor is not good. Did not Lord tell you not to expect anything from your neighbor? You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor Exodus 20:17 [NASB]. Are you willing to give for free what you have to your neighbor expecting? Do you have that mind?
Some people can’t stand the fact that freebies are slipping away. They are tempted to get it anyway. They did not realize that it was not something they had acquired in their own power. The desire to get something from others for free is just the worst. This is a behavior contrary to the word of God.
Read this passage: But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, thought, “Behold, my master has spared this Naaman the Aramean, by not receiving from his hands what he brought. As the Lord lives, I will run after him and take something from him.” 21 So Gehazi pursued Naaman. When Naaman saw one running after him, he came down from the chariot to meet him and said, “Is all well?” 22 He said, “All is well. My master has sent me, saying, ‘Behold, just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothes.’” 2 Kings 5:20-22[NASB]. Elisha was reluctant to take things brought by Naaman the Aramean. He expected nothing from his neighbor [Naaman the Aramean], perfectly following the word of God because he expects only from God. His patron is God. He who expects from God does not like to expect from a mortal man. But the behavior of Gehazi seems to be the opposite of his master Elisha. He could not stop the desire that he should get something from others. He forgot the word of God that he should not covet anything that belongs to his neighbor. In the above words, you might see how he had thought: I will run after him and take something from him. Expecting others means you have to kill your self esteem. At the same time you must also transgress the command of the Lord. What has Gehazi achieved by losing his self esteem and presence of God? Finally, we know, he had leprosy. It came to him because of the work he did. Did Gehazi finally able to put on the clothes he brought without Elisha knowing? Do good clothes bring beauty to a leper?
Therefore, if you want anything, ask God. God bless you more in anticipation than you ask. There is no point in expecting a neighbor. It is written: How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the Lord his God… Psalms 146:5 [NASB]