Wednesday Devo
Scripture:
Acts 5:1-6
But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. 2 He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest.
3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. 4 The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!”
5 As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified. 6 Then some young men got up, wrapped him in a sheet, and took him out and buried him.
But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. 2 He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest.
3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. 4 The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!”
5 As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified. 6 Then some young men got up, wrapped him in a sheet, and took him out and buried him.
Commentary:
5:2 The couple kept back … some of the proceeds. “Kept back” (Gk. nosphizō) means “to put aside for oneself, to keep back” in a secret and dishonest way. It is an uncommon word, which was used also in the Septuagint in the story of Achan (Josh. 7:1), who received a sentence of death for holding back some of the spoils from Ai that were dedicated to God.
5:3 Satan was the instigator behind the couple’s deed, “filling” their hearts just as the Spirit had “filled” the community for witness (4:31). Twice Ananias was charged with keeping part of the income from the land (5:2, 3), indicating that he must have claimed that he was dedicating the whole to the Lord’s work. His sin was the lie, claiming to be doing more than he did.
5:4 Peter made clear the voluntary nature of the church’s charity: Ananias did not have to give anything. Note that whereas Peter accused Ananias of lying to the Holy Spirit in v. 3, here he says that he has lied … to God, showing that the Holy Spirit is a person and that he is himself divine. Lying is characteristic of Satan (see John 8:44) and exactly opposite the character of God, who cannot lie (cf. Num. 23:19; Prov. 30:5; Titus 1:2; Heb. 6:18).
5:3 Satan was the instigator behind the couple’s deed, “filling” their hearts just as the Spirit had “filled” the community for witness (4:31). Twice Ananias was charged with keeping part of the income from the land (5:2, 3), indicating that he must have claimed that he was dedicating the whole to the Lord’s work. His sin was the lie, claiming to be doing more than he did.
5:4 Peter made clear the voluntary nature of the church’s charity: Ananias did not have to give anything. Note that whereas Peter accused Ananias of lying to the Holy Spirit in v. 3, here he says that he has lied … to God, showing that the Holy Spirit is a person and that he is himself divine. Lying is characteristic of Satan (see John 8:44) and exactly opposite the character of God, who cannot lie (cf. Num. 23:19; Prov. 30:5; Titus 1:2; Heb. 6:18).
Questions:
- One thing that satan loves to do, and he's good at it, is take what is good and pure and of God and distort it. He is the father of lies. He operates through deception and distortion and all he needs is a little crack of daylight to step in and confuse things. He's like a prowling lion, seeking someone to devour, and he found that someone in Acts 5... a married couple that was a part of this community. They also sold some land, but only gave part of the funds. It's important to remember that they were under no obligation to either sell the land or give ANY money, but they sought to deceive God and the church by pretending they were something that they were not. So God struck them down. This is Satan's distortion - GREED and HYPOCRISY. It's easy to point the finger at them, but we can do the same thing in our lives. Are you ever tempted to try to look better to others than you actually are? Do you ever bend the truth in order make people around you think more highly of you?
- But it wasn't just a little greed or a little deception, it went way deeper than that. It was Satan's attempt to infiltrate the family of God. The Father subtracted them to keep his church pure and protect the movement. Satan is always looking for a way in. Are there any areas of your life where Satan might have a foothold? Are there places where you concede ground to him?
Prayer Topics:
- That you would refuse to live a life of hypocrisy.
- That you would never give the devil a foothold.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
7. How can I trust that the Bible is still God’s Word today? I trust the Bible is still God’s Word today because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He was God and said His words would never pass away. Through the Holy Spirit, God inspired the writing of the Scripture, determined the canon of Scripture and protected the copying of Scripture so that we might know Him and worship Him to this day.
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)(Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27, 44; John 14:25-26, 15:27, 16:12-13, 17:20; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21)
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)(Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27, 44; John 14:25-26, 15:27, 16:12-13, 17:20; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21)
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