Ananias And Sapphira Strike God

Spring, c. 33 AD

Ananias And Sapphira Strike God

The pristine unity of the early church has been shattered by a deadly deception. A man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property. Wanting the prestige of a man like Barnabas but lacking his genuine generosity, they secretly kept back a portion of the price while publicly laying the rest at the apostles' feet as if it were the full amount.

Peter, empowered by spiritual discernment, confronted Ananias, asking why Satan had filled his heart to lie to the Holy Spirit. Upon hearing the rebuke, Ananias fell down dead. Hours later, his wife Sapphira entered, repeated the lie, and suffered the exact same fatal judgment. Great fear has fallen upon the entire church and all who have heard of this severe discipline.

"But Peter said, 'Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?'"
— Acts 5:3

Timeline Box: The judgment of Ananias and Sapphira established a terrifying reverence for holiness in the infant church.

Mosaic Era, 1445 BC

Quail Brought By The Wind

God has answered the craving of the people, but with a heavy consequence. A wind from Yahweh brought massive flocks of quail from the sea, letting them fall beside the camp about two cubits deep. The people greedily gathered the meat all day and night. But while the meat was still between their teeth, the anger of Yahweh was kindled, striking them with a severe plague.

"Now there went forth a wind from Yahweh and it brought quail from the sea... and the people spent all that day and all night and all the next day, and gathered the quail."
— Numbers 11:31-32

Timeline Box: The plague at Kibroth-hattaavah (Graves of Craving) served as a deadly judgment on greed.

Mosaic Era, 1445 BC

Moses Complains Of The Burden

Pushed to the breaking point by the weeping of the Israelites for meat, Moses has offered a shockingly raw prayer. He asked Yahweh why He has laid the burden of all this people on him, claiming he is not their father or wet nurse. In his despair, Moses actually asked God to kill him immediately if he has found favor in His sight, rather than let him face his own ruin.

"So if You are going to deal thus with me, please kill me at once, if I have found favor in Your sight, and do not let me see my wretchedness."
— Numbers 11:15

Timeline Box: This prayer of despair immediately preceded God's provision of the seventy elders and the quail.

Editorial: The Deadly Cost Of Hypocrisy

Greed and hypocrisy always carry a fatal price in the presence of a holy God. The Israelites in the wilderness were judged with a severe plague because their craving for meat blinded them to the miraculous provision of God. They died with the meat still in their teeth.

Ananias and Sapphira were judged with instant death because they tried to play games with the Holy Spirit. They craved the applause of the church more than they feared the Lord. God takes the purity of His bride very seriously. The deaths of this couple served as a terrifying, permanent warning to the early Christians: you cannot lie to the Spirit of Truth and expect to survive.

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