“In every encounter we either give life or we drain it; there is no neutral exchange.”
Brennan Manning
When we left Ananias yesterday, he was in a bit of a jam, and it is about to get worse!
The moment Ananias heard those words, he fell over dead. Everyone was terrified when they heard what had happened. Some young men came in and removed the body and buried him. ~Acts 5: 5&6 The Passion Translation
Exit Ananias.
Three hours later, his wife came into the room, with no clue what had happened to her husband. ~Acts 5: 7 The Passion Translation
Three. Hours. Later. Enter Sapphira.
Three hours, what in the world? And where were the busybodies, the meddlers, the town criers, for goodness sakes? How did she not hear the news of her husbands demise?
From one woman to another, Sapphira, I long to know what you were doing. Off spending your hoarded cash? Booking a trip? Renting camels? Planning a new and updated home? Were you so self-absorbed you didn’t realize your man had been missing three hours.
I have come to think of this three hours as the time in between. Time for your conscious to take over and beat some sense into your lying heart. Time to realize you’ve just been had by the enemy of your soul. “Did God really say?” “They will never know you held some back.” “I mean, you are doing a good deed after all.”
But does she?
Peter said to her, “Tell me, were the two of you paid this amount for the sale of your land?” Sapphira said, “Yes, that’s how much it was.” ~Acts 5:8 TPT
I imagine her voice dripping syrupy sweet, southern style of course, “Why yes, yes Peter it was.”
Sapphira did not even stumble over her words, she delivers them smooth as honey. Perhaps she spent the past three hours practicing her lie to perfection.
We are not privy to the inside workings of their marriage. Was she always this submissive, or was she greedy herself. Did she have her own selfish motives for going along with her husband’s hair brained idea. Or, was she so lacking in self confidence, the thought this might boost her image was worth a little white lie?
Let’s face it ladies, we are approval seekers. A pat on the back, a kind word, social status, these things go farther than dark chocolate.
On the flip side of that, I cannot not miss the opportunity to say this; ladies if you are currently single choose wisely, lest you get a man that will lead you down a path that leads to death. Even when he’s offering what seems to be the deal of a lifetime.
Your self worth, your identity should be placed in God, not a man, a status, a scale, your children, or your accomplishments.
By now you probably know where our story is going.
Peter told her, “Why have you agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? I hear the footsteps of those who buried your husband at the door-they’re coming here to bury you too!” At that moment she dropped dead at Peter’s feet. When the young men came in, she was already dead, so they carried her out and buried her next to her husband. ~Acts 5:9&10 TPT
The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.
Proverbs 12:22 NIV
***
Please sign up and receive my daily emails. You will not want to miss one step of this Journey to Action. Coming tomorrow: Day Eleven~Jealousy, Persecution, and a Miraculous Escape!
I love this book, the concept, the stories, and the cover. The fact that I was invited to be tucked among the pages is an honor.
You can order your copy here . Or here. All proceeds for this book will be divided equally between two ministries in South Africa: The Vine School in Cape Town, and The Ten Dollar Tribe.
“If you only have one hour in the day to write, don’t spend it frustrated. Spend it writing.” ~@lisajobaker, #FMFbook
Gifts of Grace
Wow, you dug so much powerful truth out of this account!
Truth that hurts, Melissa! These two posts really nailed me where it hurts!
XO
Tammy
oh sistah………………..
nailed it.
So far these have been my two favorite posts, not because of the writing, but how the call me out to examine, repent and confess! Acts sings to me!
XO
Tammy
PS: Yes, I definitely owe my bestest Sistah, cheerleader, and encourager a batch of cookies!
Oh, these words do carry so much conviction with them! Every time I read the story of these two in the Early Church, I am set to pondering on my own heart. Where do I carry the inward lie, or the outward pretension? It’s so easy to overlook those things sometimes, and count them as small. But God wants us to come clean, and lay it ALL before Him. Thank you for not skipping over the hard words! –Blessings to You!!
Bettie, it’s in my own twisted heart God continues to lead me to the hard stories!
Thank you for stopping by!
XO
Tammy
Tammy, the idea of those three hours being her chance for repentance is so mercy-filled, to me. Thank you for writing about that.
I’m always a little put off by Peter’s question to her – I feel like he set her up to perpetuate her lie. Why didn’t he say, “your husband died, Sapphira, for lying to the Holy Spirit. Can you tell us what the true price was on the land?” and give her more than a chance to say yes or no.
But I KNOW my discomfort is because sin is sin is sin. And I don’t want it to be. I want there to be room to fudge and still be shown mercy. It seems like Peter’s bluntness shows that there’s no messing around with God. And it’s so harsh. And so holy. And so my own conviction rolls in… 🙂
Thank you Harmony for sharing your thoughts! There is so much open space for grace, mercy, and judgement in those three hours. They have sent many thoughts tumbling in my mind since I first began to study them!
Very thought provoking!
I am so glad you stopped by and shared your brave words!
XO
Tammy
Thank you friend! As a single woman, I needed this reminder. I always say “quality not quantity.”
Amen Tara, I love to share this story and that particular twist on it to the single women in my group. I am blessed to have met you through our Hope Writers group!
XO
Tammy