Alrighty, today I’m going to be sharing a truth that most folks have no clue about, including most pastors, preachers, and so-called teachers of the Bible.
That last sentence is probably an understatement.
I’m not kidding.
Biblical ignorance abounds, and sadly, never more so than in the churches themselves.
So unless your grasp of Scripture is HIGHLY ADVANCED, what you’ll be exposed to today will be new to you.
So let’s get into it.
First, let me set the stage here by referring back to yesterday’s post.
Recall I talked about how Saul and his men, in their earthly thinking, reasoned with themselves that it was okay to NOT completely follow God’s instructions and destroy all of the Amalekites and their possessions.
Their argument most likely went something like this:
“God doesn’t need the animals anyway since He’s a spirit…
So why not let us who fought the battle have some of them as a reward for our hard work?
Wouldn’t a loving God want His chosen people to have more?”
Saul said they saved these animals to give as a special gift to God in Gilgal.
So what’s wrong with that?
Either way, God gets what’s meant for Him, right?
We’ll sacrifice these animals as a way to honor God.”
So I’ll tell you right now that line of reasoning represents gross ignorance of the Law of Herem (the law of the Ban) as it’s applied to Holy War.
There is a humongous difference between war booty that is devoted to God for destruction, and spoils of war being taken home to be offered up as a personal sacrifice.
Have any idea what that difference might be?
Well, I’ll tell ya homie.
The difference is that in a holy war, the spoils ALREADY BELONG TO GOD.
It’s already His property.
Got it?
In other words, the seized treasures were owned by the Amalekites, but then that ownership was transferred over to God.
So at no point in time could the soldiers claim ownership of the battle spoils.
If the soldiers had properly obeyed God and destroyed the banned war booty by fire, the Lord would’ve been simply receiving what was already rightfully His.
On the other hand, a sacrificial animal is something that is the property of the worshipper.
And it represents a real expense to the worshipper because he either spent time raising the animal or paying good money for it.
So for Saul to take war booty already owned by God and offer it back to Him was treachery beyond the pale.
It’s like stealing money from your friend and using it to buy a birthday gift for him or something.
Are you getting this?
This is the same sin that Achan committed at the battle of Ai that resulted in his death in the Book of Joshua.
It’s also the same sin that Ananias and Sapphira committed.
You remember this married couple who joined the congregation of new Messianic believers in Jerusalem, don’t you?
They sold some land and dedicated the proceeds to the Lord.
Once they did that, it was God’s property.
But then, they decided to keep back some of the money for themselves.
Once they did that, they were stealing what was already owned by God (because they had already dedicated it to him).
So they too were also put to death for stealing God’s holy property.
And that’s your takeaway for today.
Understand it’s very dangerous to trample on God’s Holy Property.
And keep in mind, what happened to Ananias and Sapphira was in the New Testament age folks.
They were believers in Yeshua.
Yet God still put them to death for stealing His Holy Property.
Let those who have ears to hear listen.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“Now a man named Ananias,
together with his wife Sapphira,
also sold a piece of property.
With his wife’s full knowledge
he kept back part of the money
for himself, but brought the
rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.
Then Peter said, ‘Ananias, how is
it that Satan has so filled your
heart that you have lied to the
Holy Spirit and have kept for
yourself some of the money
you received for the land?
Didn’t it belong to you
before it was sold? And after
it was sold, wasn’t the money
at your disposal? What made
you think of doing such a thing?
You have not lied just to
human beings but to God.’
When Ananias heard this,
he fell down and died.
And great fear seized all who
heard what had happened.
Then some young men
came forward, wrapped up his body,
and carried him out and buried him.”
-Acts 5:1-10
Hey Rich,
I really appreciate your article and your commitment to exploring the Bible. It’s not every day we encounter fresh perspectives on familiar biblical stories like your take on Ananias and Sapphira’s actions.
After reading your article, I couldn’t help but consider another viewpoint. The primary issue with Ananias and Sapphira might not have been their obligation to hand over all the proceeds from the sale of their property. Instead, it appears to revolve around the issue of deception.
Ananias and Sapphira’s actions were rooted in an attempt to deceive the early Christian community. When they sold their property and presented a portion of the proceeds as if it were their entire donation, it seemed like they were trying to appear more generous than they actually were. There might not have been a strict obligation for them to give everything… they had the freedom to choose how much they wanted to contribute. The real problem was their lack of honesty, which could have eroded trust within the community.
The immediate consequences that befell Ananias and Sapphira are often seen as a form of divine judgment, not necessarily for withholding part of the money, but for their deceitful actions and lying to the Holy Spirit. It’s as if their dishonesty struck at the core of what the early Christian community was trying to embody—a place of genuine faith, transparency, and mutual trust.
Your thoughts?
Warm regards,
Hi Steve,
Certainly, deception was part of it.
The perspective you shared is I believe a common misinterpretation that Christianity promotes.
Lying is a sin, but not worthy of the death penalty.
The Torah-based perspective is that Ananias and Sapphira trampled on God’s holy property, and that was why they were put to death.
Here are some more articles that go deeply into this topic:
How Achan’s Crime Was The SAME Crime Ananias And Sapphira Committed In The Book Of Acts
How The Story Of Ananias and Sapphira Proves The Torah Has NOT Been Done Away With!
The real Torah-based reason why God killed Ananias and Sapphira in the Book of Acts
What Does It Mean To Rob God?
When We Don’t Put God First In Our Lives, We’re Really Telling Him We Don’t Trust Him
What are the dire consequences for messing with God’s HOLY PROPERTY?