Acts 5:5-8 - He fell down and died

5:5,6

There is no explanation of how Ananias died. It could have been direct sentence from God, or it could be shock in reaction to his exposure. Whatever the case, it was clearly seen as a judgement from God. This sort of thing offends our Western minds, but the fact is that we have lost all sense of judgement and the seriousness of sin. This is sadly true of much of the church as well as society at large. In the church we talk about the fear of God meaning a reverence for God, not a trembling fear. There is an element of truth in this, but sometimes fear means fear. We need to know that all that we do is done in the sight of God, and that there is an all powerful God who judges all. When faced with difficult situations where we might be tempted to do a wrong action, or to deny our faith, we need to know that there is One who is to be feared far more than whatever it is we are facing. Sometimes fear means fear. Bodies were buried quickly in those days, at least partly because of the climate, so Ananias’ body was removed.

5:7,8

His wife did not know what had happened, and three hours later she turned up. Peter questioned her, and she also said that they had given the full value of the property. She was united with her now deceased husband in the deception. It is good for a husband and wife to be united, but not when it is sin that they are united in. Adam and Eve are, of course, the first example of this.