Act 5:5-11 “And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him. And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.”
Ananias had sold a possession. It was his to do with as he saw fit. Many around him were selling their possessions, then bringing the proceeds to the apostles to be distributed according to the need. Ananias brought a portion of what the proceeds from his sale and laid them at the apostle’s feet as well.
The money was Ananias’ to do with as he saw fit. The problem was not that he only brought a portion of it. It became an issue because he was trying to make it appear as though he was giving it all like those around him had done. Instead of making a favorable impression, Peter was given discernment and called him out for his deceitfulness.
When Peter told him he was not guilty of lying to men but rather of lying to God, he fell dead. It is not possible to hide our actions or our intents from God. No matter how hard we may try to camouflage a lie, there are at least two that will always know. God will know, and we will know.
There is death in lying to God about our desire and purpose in doing things. When we attempt to fulfill our own plans while trying to make it appear that we are being godly, our peace immediately disappears. Lying to God, whether in word or deed, is a willful sin. The apostle Paul tells us that if we who know the truth sin willfully there is a certain fearful looking for of judgment (Heb 10:26-27).
If we are complicit in the willful sin of another, even if did not instigate it, we are no less guilty. Sapphira, who was Ananias’ wife, knew what her husband had done. She was not immediately present when the judgment of God fell upon Ananias. She did not realize that he was dead and carried out of the presence of God’s faithful servants.
Rather than show any remorse over what Ananias had done, Sapphira attempted to uphold and cover up his deceit. There is no indication that she made any attempt to persuade Ananias to do the right thing. Greed of filthy lucre had overcome them both. She willingly lied to God about the matter even though she was not there when the initial action was carried out.
The result for her was the same as it was for her husband. As soon as she lied to God, she fell dead. We need to remember that God will not be mocked. There will always be repercussions in our willful sinning against Him. When we are blessed to witness this, we learn a deeper fear (reverence) for the God we love.
May we serve Him with an honest heart according to the leadership of the Spirit!
