Judgement

June 2

“But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles" feet.

“’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? 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.’

“Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things. And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him. Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. And Peter said to her, ‘Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?’

“She said, ‘Yes, for so much.’ Then Peter said to her, ‘How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.’ Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband,” Acts 5:1-10.



This passage is very sobering. How many of us have trivialized our perception of God, our relationship with Him, our conversation about Him? How many of us have reduced Him to a buffoonish character that we mock, to an impotent entity whose name we use only as a cuss word? How many of us have failed abysmally to give God His due?

And He has allowed us to live. He has not struck us dead in our tracks. He has not sealed our eternal fate at the instant of our flippant disrespect. He has allowed us to go on another day. Have we repented before Him? Have we turned around from our foolishness and gone forward in the direction of reverence and honor for the Holy One?

Or have we dismissed the whole notion of needing to repent before the Christ who is our God and soon-coming King? When we contemplate the sin of Ananias and Sapphira we realize that had they merely told the truth about keeping a portion of the proceeds of the sale of their property for themselves, no one would have cared! God didn't want their money! HE wanted their honor, their respect, their truth, their love, their faithfulness. It's what He wants from us.

The point of their sad tale is that they were making a show of faith, a show of giving all of themselves to the Lord but they were phonies. When we make a pretense of being believers in the Christ before the Church while indulging blasphemy and dishonor to Him in our hearts, we are perpetrating a lie that is just as grievous as that of Ananias and Sapphira.

And just as they could not fool God, neither can we. May He help us to apprehend the truth of Christ’s admonition, “I wish that you were hot or cold, but since you are lukewarm, I will spew you out of My mouth,” Revelation 3:15, 16.

May He help us to be on fire for His Kingdom and His purposes. May He help us to “love Him because He first loved us,” I John 4:19. May He help us to remember that we will be held accountable for every commandment we have broken; for every time we have taken His holy name in vain, Exodus 20:7.