Image: "Stark Relief", 2020, Cape Henlopen St. Park, DE
Acts 5:3–4 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? 4 While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”
Acts 5:11 So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things.
Acts 5:19–20 But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, 20 “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.”
Acts 5:29–32 But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. 31 Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
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The story of Ananias & Saphira startles us every time we read it. This was the intent! It's supposed to startle us and get our attention. Think back to the dawn of the Israelite nation when Moses had given them the Ten Commandments, had instructed the nation and the priesthood in their covenant responsibilities, and had sanctified the Tabernacle and Aaron and the Levites. It was time for their first worship service at the Tabernacle and two of Aaron's sons were to bring incense before the Lord. In Leviticus 10:1 we read that these two brain-dead rascals proceeded to bring "profane fire" before the Lord. They thought they could improve upon the Lord's worship. They arrogated to themselves the right to choose what manner of worship to perform. In a sense, like Ananias and Saphira they were lying to the Holy Spirit.
And like Ananias and Saphira, or better, ... and Ananias and Saphira, like Aaron's sons, were judged, found guilty of blasphemy and condemned to death on the spot. Both of these accounts, one OT and the other NT, are meant to startle us... shock us... warn us. The God of Moses and Aaron is the same God of Jesus Christ and the Apostles. He will be treated as holy by all who come near Him. (Lev. 10:3)
No wonder "great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things!" (vs. 11) Great fear ought to come on us also. The fear of God does not cancel-out love for God. They are not mutually exclusive. In fact, a healthy "fear of God" is a pre-requisite for the "love for God" God commands us to have. Ananias and Saphira were not commanded to bring all of their profit from the sale of land to God. As Peter said, it was theirs to do with as they willed. But they saw Barnabas (4:37) selling some property and bringing (like the poor widow who gave all of her livelihood to the poor) all of it to the disciples and subsequently having the entire congregation rejoice over him. Ananias and Saphira thought to themselves: "I want some of that honor!" They brought a portion to Peter but acted as if it was the total amount they had received. He "lied to God." (vs. 4)
Now we must put this in perspective. Ananias and Saphira were the first but certainly not the last to blaspheme in this manner. God killed them on the spot yet He has not continued to do so. Certainly, sin and hypocrisy and even blasphemy have plagued the Church throughout the ages. If God had struck down such people in every instance there would be few, if any, people in the pews today. God was making a point and He did so, both in the OT and the NT, very clearly.
He is Holy, Holy, Holy. We have to give Gamaliel credit at least for his wise counsel in vs. 38 & 39. If this truly was God working in and through these crazy Galileans then they had best not be found guilty of fighting against God. I find it interesting that even though they followed Gamaliel's advice yet they beat the apostles before they released them. They just had to get in their last licks.
What should we take from this?
Straightforwardly we should recognize what the holiness of God really entails. It means that He is a powerful Presence, majestic in bearing and glory, awesome in His mighty power, and perfectly righteous. He is unlike anyone we have ever encountered in the flesh. Jesus, in His earthly ministry, set aside these qualities to be born as a servant so even the apostles had not encountered the Holy God in a fleshly presentation. Now the risen Christ is bathed with even greater power and glory in some mind-boggling manner. He, as both God and Man, is Holy, Holy, Holy. As such we are not to presume upon Him or His love in such a manner as to callously expect Him to bless us in our arrogance and willful self-vaunting pride. He is the same jealous God as He was in the OT and He must be treated with respect.
So, in worship and in our earthly ministries, let us bask in His covenant love and favor but never forget, He is God and He is to be held in reverence and awe.
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