1. Gain a contextual understanding of the incident involving Ananias and Sapphira.
Summarize what has occurred in
Acts 4:1-37.
After being incarcerated for a day by the Sadducees and found innocent
of any punishable offense by the Sanhedrin, Peter and John returned to the church and shared
what had happened with their companions. Upon hearing what the Sadducees and Sanhedrin said,
the companions of Peter and John petitioned God in one voice for boldness in proclaiming
His Word and supernatural abilities to heal and perform signs and wonders in His name.
While the church was filled with the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost
(Acts 2),
the filling of the spirit occurs again after their prayer is made. As in the prior instance
of the spirit filled church, three characteristics are exhibited: 1) bold evangelism
(Acts 4:31),
2) the performance of signs and wonders
(Acts 5:12),
and 3) great generosity and sharing of food and possessions
(Acts 4:32-37).
2. What was the sin of Ananias and Sapphira?
Ananias and Sapphira sold their property and gave only a portion of the
proceeds. While it may seem that the sin was about giving only part of the money, the sin
was really all about lying
(Acts 5:4).
3. What did Peter mean with the statement, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to
lie to the Holy Spirit…
(Acts 5:3)?
The Bible portrays Satan as one who "does not stand on the truth", "is a
liar", and is "the father of lies"
(John 8:44).
The Greek verb for "filled" is "eplērōsen" which brings a sense of
control or influence. Revealing Ananias and Sapphira’s intent to deceive, the Holy Spirit
causes Peter, at minimum, to conclude that Satan influenced Ananias.
What is debated among theologians is whether Ananias was demonized. Was
Ananias controlled by Satan because of some unrepented or previous sin? The question concerns
the debate of whether a Christian can be demonized. On this matter, the Bible is not clear.
4. What did Peter mean with his question to Sapphira, "Why is it that you have agreed
together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test"
(Acts 5:9)?
Of particular note to our contemporary culture is that Peter called
Ananias and Sapphira’s attempt at deceiving the church as putting "the Spirit of the Lord
to the test."
There are at least two instances in which Believers are commanded not to
do this:
"Jesus said to him, "On the other hand, it is written, ‘YOU SHALL
NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.’""
(Matt 4:7
– Jesus’ response to Satan while being tested in the wilderness)
"You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested him
in Massah."
(Deut 6:16
– Moses teaching the Israelites the statutes and ordinances at Beth Peor just prior to the
Conquest)
To understand what God means "to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test,"
Massah is mentioned as the location when this offense occurred. And the Hebrew term "Massah"
means "Testing."
To begin understanding this, it is important to note that God tests
those He loves. For example, in
Exodus 15:25,
God tested the Israelites with challenges that revealed whether they responded in trust or
mistrust.
At Massah
(Ex 17:1-7),
the Israelites camped after witnessing the reality of God in the parting of the sea and the
defeat of Pharaoh, and receiving the provision of water, manna and meat during their journey.
Yet when water was lacking, the Israelites "tested the LORD saying, ‘Is
the LORD among us, or not?" In this passage at Massah, the testing of the Lord appears to
have two components:
a) A disbelief that God is present.
b) Despite witnessing supernatural proof of God, His reality, and His
promises, people continued to make demands on God to meet their needs all the while not
trusting Him.
In the case of Ananias and Sapphira, similar characteristics can be seen
as well:
a) Ananias and Sapphira, in their conspiracy to withhold money, did not
believe that God was present and would know of their deceit.
b) Despite belonging to the church that was filled by the Holy Spirit
where great generosity (and other supernatural signs and wonders) was displayed, Ananias
and Sapphira did not trust that God would meet their financial needs. Their deceit
demonstrated that instead of being secure in the Lord’s provision and timing, they sought
to find security on their own.
The "testing of the Lord" by the Israelites during the Exodus would become a reminder
to Believers of what not to do
(Ps 78:18, 41, 56;
95:9;
106:14).
God would later reveal in
Numbers 14:22,
"Surely all the men who have seen My glory and My signs which I
performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put Me to the test these ten times and
have not listened to My voice."
"Tempting the Lord" would be a phrase that referred to a human being
that would demand something from God in exchange for the promise to believe and submit to
Him, which is a promise no human being can possibly meet.
Copyright ©2007 Helpmewithbiblestudy.org. All rights to this material are reserved. We
encourage you to print the material for personal and non-profit use or link to this site.
You may not distribute articles to other web locations for retrieval or mirror at any other
site.