Sapphira – A Woman Who Tested the Spirit of the Lord!

Introduction

Continuing on the ‘Wise Women, Foolish Women’ series of studies looking at accounts of women recorded in the Scriptures, we now have an opportunity to learn from Sapphira’s foolishness.  As we consider her grievous sin – and the consequences following –  may we be granted increased wisdom in the key warning she leaves as her “legacy” for us.  It is simply this: Fear God!

Reading: Primary – Acts 4:32-5:11; Contextual – Acts 1:1-14; 2:1-47.

The awfulness of what Annais did is set out at Acts 5:3. Greed, a by-product of the lack of faith, led to Satan filling his heart enabling him to lie to God.   Sapphira made a bad choice in joining in with her husband and thus also tested God.  The sad thing is, she didn’t need to do this (note Acts 5:8).  She blew the opportunity to repent of her sin and be forgiven. Sad! Mad! Bad!

Overview on Sapphira

We are given little information on Sapphira but that which is recorded seems to suggest that she was a woman who was outwardly religious, but not right with God, thus enabling her to lie to God.  From our primary reading we can note:

• she was among the multitude of believers in the Messiah, Lord Yeshua (Acts 2:44-47; 4:32);
• she sat under the teaching of the Apostles (Acts 4:33);
• she saw that there was no lack among those who believed – so had every reason to suppose she and her husband would not experience lack either (Act 2:44-45; 4:34);
• she became a co-conspirator with her husband Ananias in the deceit and hypocrisy regarding the sale proceeds of their land, so was not a “victim of unfortunate circumstances.” She was just as culpable when she found out what her husband had done and said nothing (Acts 5:1-2);
• she was given the opportunity to come clean, repent and tell the truth, but to her own detriment stuck to the agreement with her husband to lie (Acts 5:8);
• the fear of God was not before her eyes and her sin of lies and hypocrisy found her out (Acts 5:7-10, also note Numbers 32:23b);
• she was indeed a foolish woman who tore down her house with her own hands (note Proverbs 14:1)!

For her part in the pre-meditated conspiracy with her husband, her religious veneer was stripped away, the spiritual hypocrisy uncovered and judgment fell swiftly and hard. The fate of both Sapphira and her husband served as a warning to the wider church. As recorded at Acts 5:11, ‘great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things.’

Let’s unpack this a little further.

“Religious” – But Not Right with God!

It appears that Sapphira and her husband were amongst others who sincerely believed the gospel of Yeshua the Messiah that His Apostles preached.  We see from the Scripture account that God by His Holy Spirit was doing a mighty work through the Apostles, bringing many people to faith in the Messiah at this time (see Acts 2:41; 4:4).  His grace was upon them in a mighty way (Acts 4:33b). Note that prior to the persecution which later broke out against the Church following Stephen’s martyrdom and which led to the scattering of the Church, they were probably all located in fairly close proximity in Jerusalem (Acts 2:42-47; 5:12-13).

The crucifixion of Yeshua was not uneventful.  The Gospels accounts show that those involved in carrying it out sensed that this particular crucifixion – although the usual form of capital punishment in those days under the Roman rule of law – was different to all the other times they had crucified others for their crimes.  With all that accompanied it – the darkness that fell (Matthew 27:45; Mark15:33; Luke 23:44-45), the earthquake (Matthew 27:51), the opening of graves and bodies raised to life (Matthew 27:52-53) at the time Yeshua died – there would have been much talk among those outside the Lord’s circle of followers at that time.  It is unlikely that Sapphira would have understood the full implication of such talk but at some point, there had been a stirring within both her husband and her, at least enough to find out more of who these followers of “The Way” were.  It is pretty obvious that they did not just walk up to Peter and offer the money from the sale of their property out of the blue; there must have been a period of time during which they gathered with others to hear the Apostles teachings.  They would have therefore heard the appeal of the Apostle Peter for repentance and faith in Yeshua who had both died and risen from the dead for the remission of sins and to the salvation that Yeshua brings (note Act 2).  They would have heard of ‘the wrath (judgment) to come’ (consider e.g. Matthew 3:1-7).

They were amongst believers who had believed with an upright heart and responded.  Whether they were believers at first or merely deceivers – in the words of Spurgeon: “professors but not possessors” of saving faith – cannot be categorically stated.   On the one hand, why else would they seek to join a group of people who the Jewish religious leaders were gunning for?  On the other hand, their pre-meditated conspiracy to lie and to hypocritically represent themselves as the same as the rest of the believing congregation suggests otherwise.  It appears that they were outwardly religious but not right with God, and thus able to lie to God without apparent conscience.   Their hypocrisy included:

• making out that they were better than they actually were by pretending to give the entirety of the sale proceeds to the Lord;
• giving an offering which was on the face of it whole and perfect but in reality was crooked because of the intentions behind it;
• appearing to be totally committed to the Lord and His kingdom, but their actions show that their hearts were set on their own desires and the things of this world;
• not truly, or at least not fully, trusting God. In keeping back part of the price of the land, they trusted in themselves and their money rather than trusting in God.

God did not require that they or anyone else sold their lands.  It is quite likely that this was a genuine heart response among the true believers to the grace, goodness,  and greatness of the salvation of God through the grace of the Holy Spirit upon them all (Acts  4:33).  There  may also have been some expectation of the soon return of the Lord Yeshua.  It was their response and not something the Lord commanded but, having decided to do this freely, a whole and undivided heart in sincerity and truth would be required.  Anything less in anything offered to God would be as a blemished offering (consider e.g. Malachi 1:6-14).

Perhaps the saddest thing therefore is that Sapphira’s sharp and swift judgment did not have to happen – it was completely avoidable!  Sapphira was given the opportunity to confess and repent but her heart, like her husband’s, was also filled by Satan.  She was being outwardly religious – but inwardly not right with God.

Satan can and does use “religion” to blind and bind people in darkness and deception, even sincere people – which Sapphira was not.  For every person sincerely seeking God with a whole heart, any such deception is but for a while, for the promise still holds true that God will be found by anyone who seeks after Him with all their heart (see e.g. Deuteronomy 4:29; Isaiah 55:1-3,6-7; Jeremiah 29:13; Luke 11:9-13).  We may ask: why oh why did she not seek God when she was given the opportunity?  Could it be that whereas the true believers were motivated by faith in God – having a heart directed by and under the influence of the Holy Spirit of God  –  Sapphira was motivated to act by a heart dictated by the flesh.  Her outwardly “religious” works of attending gatherings to hear the word of God preached, having the appearance of goodness, uprightness and even godliness had no power behind it. Ponder, for example, on 1 Corinthians 4:18-20 and 2 Timothy 3:5b!

Note, the Scriptures do not teach that Yeshua is a religion, nor does it direct us to follow a church, but to follow Him.  Lord Yeshua said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father, except through Me” (John 14:6) and it is instructive that early believers were known as followers of “the Way” (see Acts 9:2; 22:4; 24:14; 24:22).  The way to the Father is through repentance and faith in Yeshua, in His sacrificial death and sinless shed blood and resurrection – not through joining a church or by outwardly religious practices.  Merely enjoying being with other believers and seeking to do what they do amounts to nothing and means nothing without the new birth from the Holy Spirit and His indwelling power to live the new life in Messiah Yeshua.  And how willing the heavenly Father is to give His Spirit to those who ask Him in faith (see Luke 11:9-13).

Had they been merely religious, there would perhaps have been hope, however Sapphira and her husband used a cloak of religiosity as a cover over the true issue – wilful hypocrisy. Regrettably both were struck down in an instant, becoming a warning to others in the Church then and to us now, that ‘judgment ..begin[s] in the house of the Lord’ (note 1 Peter 4:17).  And great fear did come upon the church at that time (Act 5:11)!

A “re-imaging” of God?

We may also ask – what made Sapphira reason within herself and in discussions with her husband about the sale proceeds that it would be okay to lie to God’s Apostles?  After all that had happened,  they would have heard surely they could see that these Apostles really were the chosen witnesses of the very God they preached about.  How could they then come to test God?  Could there have been something of a “re-imaging” of God in her mind – as something different to the one true and living God whom the Apostles declared as they taught the word of God?  Could this have been the deceiving work by which she reasoned  it was okay to go ahead with the hypocrisy and lies – if she did even reason at all?  (It is true that she may have been under the influence of her husband, and we will consider an answer to this point in brief below).

As we consider this question, we might consider ourselves – lest we be a little too quick to congratulate ourselves on being cut from different cloth!  Is there any danger that we may hold an image of God in our own minds/hearts to fit in with what we desire or are able to understand – having some of the attributes of the God of the Bible but not all?   May the Spirit of the Lord indeed search us and show us! The society we live in here in the UK (as other nations elsewhere which once had a stronger knowledge of the one true God through knowledge of the Holy Scriptures in general society) has now moved so far away from any real acknowledgement of Lord Yeshua and the fear of the one true God.  Almost all the boundaries laid down in the word of God for our good have now been overthrown or eroded and much of the Church itself, in part, is likewise affected too, albeit to a lesser degree.  Although times change – and very quickly – and sometimes we can change, consider that God says of Himself that He does not change (Malachi 3:6).  Did Sapphira forget this?! Did she “re-imagine” God as something He is not?  Had not God revealed Himself more fully to Israel through the Law, the Prophets and the Writings (The Tanach – the Hebrew Bible)?  Has not God revealed Himself more fully through His Son, Yeshua HaMashiach as His Word made flesh and proclaimed, as revealed in both the Tanakh and New Covenant Scriptures? Was she not in awe of what Almighty God had done for us all through the Messiah?

A Lack of Awe?

A lack of an awe of God can exist apart from any accidental “re-imaging of God” as that highlighted above.  Circumstances can arise which can so overwhelm us that for a moment, a season, a time our spiritual senses can be dulled towards the awe of God.  The Scripture accounts do not seem to suggest that such circumstances existed for Sapphira – in fact, it seemed it was a glorious time of the manifest presence of the great grace of God upon the people (see Acts 4:32-37). Almighty God was doing awesome things among His people of faith and there was likely the awe of God in their heart.

This awe, being one of the facets of ‘the fear of the Lord’ helps portray that inward heart attitude evidencing a life lived in the Spirit and the faith (obedience) of Lord Yeshua.  Admittedly, finding the right words with which to try to define ‘awe’ was personally incredibly difficult and my attempt to accurately convey all it means likely falls very short of adequate.  I believe it can be said however that it is not being so scared of the judgment of God that we do not draw near to Him. Indeed, God came near to us in the Person of His Son Yeshua, who gave us access through His shed sinless blood that we, being pardoned and clothed with Yeshua’s own righteousness might by God’s grace through faith draw near to Him.  Nor is it being so scared that we feel too afraid to serve God and so do nothing with the faith, skills and gifts He has given us (consider the Lord’s parable on the talents where that person with one talent did nothing –Matthew 25:14-30).  One definition of awe, perhaps, is that it is an overwhelming sense/experience of a deep, holy reverence, marvelling and trembling that moves us to fear God practically in conduct.  For Spirit-born believers this means especially, conduct worthy of the Gospel (consider e.g. Philippians 1:27). It is certainly a thing most wonderful and to be desired and pursued throughout our pilgrimage in this life as children of God.

And so, we find that Sapphira’s legacy to us is – fear God!  Now is the time to fear the LORD.

Sapphira’s Legacy

Firstly, in considering Sapphira’s hypocrisy and the charge against her of testing God, a question comes to mind which we might ask ourselves.  How does it make you and I feel when we consider her case and the indictment against her to which she gave a ‘not guilty’ plea?  How many of us are ready to acknowledge that we too may have lied to God in some way – because this is what she did in testing God.  If there is not even a moment’s alarm in you that this could be true of you, may I be the first to congratulate you!  For the rest of us, let us consider whether there has indeed been some way in which, albeit unknowingly and unintentionally, something we have said or done has effectively made us liars.  Let’s not shrink from this, particularly as we are all desirous of growing/walking in the true fear of God.

It is not a comfortable notion but consider – have we never lied to God e.g.:

• by saying one thing in prayer when something else was meant in our hearts?
• by singing a worship song unthinkingly, distractedly or not really meaning it in and from our heart?
• by in any way representing ourselves as better, more “spiritual” and more mature in the faith than we really are?

The value in such questions – which are not intended for condemnation –  is that they can help bring us to examine whether we are walking in the fear of God as we ought.  It is clear as we look around “the professing church” that this is something which appears to be rapidly diminishing in many areas by the things allowed in and amongst “the called-out ones”.  Something is clearly wrong!  Although there may have been different reasons for doing what she did, this Study takes the view that the ultimate reason was because there was no fear of God in Sapphira’s heart.

So, what does it mean to fear God – what do the Scriptures say?

A Few thoughts on Fearing God

To be frank, thinking on how to describe, how to convey a suitable definition of “the fear of God” was the most challenging part of this study since it inevitably leads to the consideration of whether we – I, me – truly walk in the fear of God. In everything and everyway.  The process is daunting, challenging, convicting and by the grace bestowed by God through the work of His Spirit in our heart, ultimately deeply comforting.  I say comforting because in His great love and longsuffering, the Lord will show us – if we will honestly look – where we fall short, counsel us in what to do and how to do it in correcting us in mercy.  This reminds us that we are indeed His children (see Hebrews 12:5-13) and is an unspeakable comfort when we take hold of His grace to help us obey His will.  With that in mind, the following are a few thoughts offered to consider alongside your own.

One of the best ways of understanding what it means to fear God is to look at what God has revealed in the Scriptures, including the examples of godly people recorded for us in them whose conduct and or words give good illustrations to learn from.  For sure, further prayerful personal study on such godly characters in the Scriptures will no doubt bring out deeper spiritual understanding, but for now the following five examples with brief points to note are offered for consideration.  Please add to them from your own readings, observations and experience.

Noah – point to note: Godly obedience

‘By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith’ (Hebrews 11:7 – underlined for emphasis).  Note that through his living faith, God accounted Noah as righteous.  (For more on Noah see Genesis 5:28-9:29; Ezekiel 14:13-14, 19-20).

Abraham – point to note: Faithfulness, even to the greatest cost

Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” The He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.  Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off.  And Abraham said to his young me, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.” So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together.  But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.

Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood.  And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.  But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!”  So he said, “Here I am.”  And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” (Genesis 22:1-12 – underlined for emphasis)

Joseph – point to note: Actively shunning wickedness in the fear of sinning against God

Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.  And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand.  So Joseph found favour in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority.  So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field.  Thus he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate.

Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.  And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.”  But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand.  There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”   So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her.  But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, that she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside. (Genesis 39:1-13 – underlined for emphasis)

Job – point to note: Shunned evil

‘There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil…………⁶ Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. ⁷ And the Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” So Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”  ⁸ Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” (Job 1:1, 6-8 – underlined for emphasis)

Miriam (Mary) the mother of Yeshua – point to note: Willing and humble submission to the will of the Lord, in acceptance of His word

‘Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David.  The virgin’s name was Mary.  And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favoured one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.  Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.  He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.  And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”  And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.  Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.  For with God nothing will be impossible.” Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:26-38 – underlined for emphasis).

As we come across more godly examples recorded in the Scriptures in our readings and reflections, may the Spirit of the Lord teach us in ever deepening measure the true fear of God which pleases Him.  May Almighty God grant His grace to continually work in us to enable us to practice this in every place, every season, every point of our lives, now and in the difficult days ahead.

What does the Scripture say of the fear of the Lord?

Building on that gleaned from the brief points considered above, let us look at a little of what Scripture actually says about the fear of the Lord.  There are many Scripture verses on this, some more well known than others, which we will continue to come across and learn from as we stay in the word of God.  We can see that different words are translated as ‘fear’ in the Scriptures – generally, the context determines  what kind of fear is being referred to and comparing where else in Scripture the same original word has been used, alongside the overall revelation of God in the Scriptures as a whole.  The ‘fear’ we are concerned with here is that which speaks of the deep reverence, awe and love for God which manifests itself in loving obedience, a dread of sin and a deep desire to please God as part of our worshipping Him in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24). In short, it is the true love of (for) God which fears offending or wounding Him.

For now, the following are but a few examples of what the Scripture says (some verses repeat what has already been said, but perhaps the reason is that we have need to hear it more than once?):

• The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; (Proverbs 8:13a)
• ‘In mercy and truth Atonement is provided for iniquity; And by the fear of the LORD one departs from evil’ (Proverbs 16:6)
• The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom, and before honour is humility (Proverbs 15:33)
• And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.’ ” (Job 28:28).
• The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction (Proverbs 1:7)
• The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding (Proverbs 9:10)
• The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, To turn one away from the snares of death (Proverbs 14:27)
• The fear of the LORD leads to life, And he who has it will abide in satisfaction; He will not be visited with evil (Proverbs 19:23)
• The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether (Psalm 19:9a)
• The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever (Psalm 111:10)
• ‘The fear of the LORD prolongs days, But the years of the wicked will be shortened.’ (Psalm 10:27)
• ‘In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, And His children will have a place of refuge. The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, To turn one away from the snares of death.’ (Proverbs 14:26-27)

How do we grow or obtain the fear of the Lord?

Earlier, we briefly skimmed over the point that it is possible that Sapphira was under the influence of her husband and from the account in Acts, it seems likely that her husband was the lead actor in the matter. Acts 5:2 says, ‘And he [Ananias, Sapphira’s husband] kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet.’ Could it be then that in putting what her husband thought above what God thought, this played a part in Sapphira not fearing God – and to the degree of sticking with her husband’s lie rather than telling the truth?  She was more willing to listen to what he said than to do the right thing before God, effectively, whether she was willing to admit it or not, putting her husband before God.   Here is another “lesson” for us – one of many in the Scriptures – that if we want to grow or obtain the fear of the Lord, we are going to have to hold the fear of God above man, whoever that person may be.  Consider, for example, the word of Lord Yeshua as recorded at Luke 14:25-35, noting especially verses 27-26 which says: ‘Now great multitudes went with Him [Yeshua]. And He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.” God, who calls us to love, clearly teaches that no one, no matter who they are, should come before Him and this means whenever anyone requires us to do something which goes against God’s will, God comes first.  As we practice this, the Lord’s grace helping us, we will be enabled to grow in the fear of the Lord.  We also see this worked out, for example, when the apostles, Peter and John, were confronted and opposed by some of the Jewish religious leaders as they preached the Gospel of their own Messiah at Acts 5:12-29:

And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch.  Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly. And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,  so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them.  Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.  Then the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with indignation,  and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison. But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said,  “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.”

And when they heard that, they entered the temple early in the morning and taught. But the high priest and those with him came and called the council together, with all the elders of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.  But when the officers came and did not find them in the prison, they returned and reported, saying, “Indeed we found the prison shut securely, and the guards standing outside before the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside!” Now when the high priest, the captain of the temple, and the chief priests heard these things, they wondered what the outcome would be. So one came and told them, saying, “Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!”

Then the captain went with the officers and brought them without violence, for they feared the people, lest they should be stoned.  And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, saying, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!”  But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.” 

As we’ve seen in some of the Scriptures shared above, another point concerning growing in or obtaining the fear of the Lord is the practice of actively turning from what God has said is evil and doing what God has said is good.  David the king, in one of his psalms put it in these simple but powerful terms:

Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Who is the man who desires life,
And loves many days, that he may see good?
Keep your tongue from evil,
And your lips from speaking deceit.
Depart from evil and do good;
Seek peace and pursue it.
(Psalm 34:11-14)

 The final point which comes to mind is that we can ask the Lord to help us, trusting in Him for His work of grace in our hearts.  Consider, for example, the word of God to His people Israel concerning His dealings with them historically and what He will yet do more fully in the future recorded at Jeremiah 32:36-40, noting especially the underlined words in verses 39-40:

‘Now therefore, thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you say, ‘It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: “Behold, I will gather them out of all countries where I have driven them in My anger, in My fury, and in great wrath; I will bring them back to this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely. They shall be My people, and I will be their God; then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me”.

The LORD will do this for His chosen people Israel and  is able to do this for any who turn to Him in truth through Lord Yeshua His Son, asking this of Him in faith.

Our heavenly Father wants His children to fear Him.  We read, for example at Psalm 147:11 that ‘The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy’.   Our heavenly Father expects us to fear Him. We read, for example at Malachi 1:6, that the LORD says this: “A son honours his father, And a servant his master.  If then I am the Father, Where is My honour? And if I am a Master, Where is My reverence?” According to Luke 12:4-5, Lord Yeshua said to His disciples, “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him, who after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!”.  We are also taught through the Apostle Paul to ‘work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12-13).  Therefore, we should ask the Lord for His grace to enable us to fear Him and to grow in this.  If we are living out our faith in Almighty God in the truth of Lord Yeshua, we can be confident that God will answer this prayer because He has given us numerous assurances in His word that He will do so.  Trust Him!

Conclusion

From the above points shared in brief, one conclusion we are encouraged to draw is this: in abiding in Lord Yeshua, in His love and in His word through loving trust and obedience (note e.g. John 15), we will grow in the fear of the LORD our God.  It is His Spirit abiding in us who will help us and will enable us to do this – not our own strength, knowledge and nor even by our will alone.

Although Sapphira chose to be among the foolish women who tore down her house (note Proverbs 14:1), may we be women who choose to be among the wise ones who fear God, being hearers and doers of God’s word.  As it is written in Proverbs 3:6-7: ‘Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.  It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones.’

Consider, in our conversion to personal faith in Yeshua, there was necessarily a sense of the fear of God in that we heard His word in the preaching of the gospel of Yeshua and, believing it, we obeyed.

Having thus begun with a sense of the fear of God let us make every effort to ensure that we do not lose sight of the necessity of it and where we have lost it, let us seek to walk in it again.  Consider the times we are in –  know and understand that in these last days and perilous times things can change very quickly and without warning.  This nation (the UK) is under a measure of strong judgment – without repentance the forms and manner of darkness we experience in measure now will take stronger hold.  The fear of the Lord will keep us desiring after God and the things of God in this wicked and increasingly sinful society that has no shame and certainly no fear of God before their eyes.  It will help enable us to distrust our own selves to the end that we may cling more tightly to God and His pure word, light and truth.  It will help keep our hearts soft towards others when we battle with the temptation of allowing our love to grow cold towards them.  It will also help us to continuously follow closely after Lord Yeshua and help us discern the boundaries of God’s commandments in an age of deception. May we also not forget that it is the Holy Spirit who teaches us the fear of the LORD by the word of God, not man by his own words/”wisdom” without His Spirit – note e.g. Isaiah 29:13 (please read Isaiah 29:9-16 for context), the word of God through Isaiah His prophet concerning the blind prophets and seers of his day:

Therefore the Lord said:
“Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths
And honour Me with their lips,
But have removed their hearts far from Me,
And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men…”
(underlined for emphasis).

In closing, a final jewel in Sapphira’s “legacy” for us to take away is this:

‘Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.’
(Proverbs 31:30)

Amen.