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THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NESS God has strong words to say concern ing deceivers (Mai. 1 :14 ): “ But cursed be the deceiver which hath in his flock a male, and voweth and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing; for I am a great King, saith the Lord of hosts, and My name is dreadful among the heathen.” The great law which Ananias and Sapphira violated was 1 Cor. 10:31: “ Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” The sin was as great when it was conceived in the heart of Ananias as when it was brought forth. When the heart is once seized with an evil sug gestion, the sin is committed. Ananias did not lie by word, but by action. Sapphira brought forth the ripe fruit of the seed and boldly told a lie. The substance of the sin lay in its semblance of devotion to God. This is an awful sin,— far-reaching in its influ ence. The profession of Christ is a most sacred relation. The believer is a witness and professes to be under, the direction of the Holy Spirit. We may lie to God,— professing to give of our substance as God has blessed us and receiving credit for great generosity,— while we hold on to our ppssessions and live in luxury. We may lie to Him in professing a full surrender of our lives, while we are denying Him a rightful place in our affections. (3) The Supernatural Sagacity of Peter, vs. 3-9: “Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart?” Peter was so com pletely controlled by the Holy Spirit that he read the hearts of Ananias and Sapphira as the Lord read the heart of Judas (John 13:27). The Holy Spirit spoke through Peter. Here is a sin not to be pardoned, but, to be pun ished. As God moved in judgment against Achan for covetousness; against Nadab and Abihu for sacrilege; against
proposed to imitate Barnabas. The devil, the father of lies, had sown in his heart the seed of deception. As he had marred Eden with his foul pres ence and caused the fall of the first pair; as he cast a blight upon the re stored earth into which Noah went forth by disgracing him with drunken ness,— so he comes to spoil the splen dor of the Spirit’s triumph, and invade the house of God with his pernicious presence. It is the old conflict between God and Satan—heaven and hell— over the soul of a man. The sin of Ananias was conceived 'in his heart (Prov. 23:7). It was delib erate, provoked by the example of others, coveting the honor which had been bestowed upon them. Ananias and his wife canvassed the whole matter. They decided to sell their possessions and keep back a part. Then they would get the honor, and if the Ghurch failed, they would still have a reserve. The sin was voluntary. There was no command laid upon them. They were the rightful owners. They were under no stress, save love. The sin was deceitful,— they pro fessed to be spontaneous, whole hearted. The purpose was to deceive. The sin was selfish, intended to give an impression of generosity and attract attention to themselves. They were ambitious to appear in the best light, perhaps hoping to have an office. The sin was wicked,^a sin against God, lying to God. The Holy Spirit had filled believers. What they were doing was under His direct influence. The giving up of all for others was a ful filling of the command “ Love one an other.” It was an act of worship, in the name of Jesus, professedly at the dictation of the Holy Spirit. It would have been well for Ananias and Sapphira to have read Matt. 6:2, 3, and it would do us all good to read Matt. 23:5-7.
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