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The story of Ananias and Sapphira is to the book of Acts what the story of Achan is to the book of Joshua. In each case...
- The people of God were experiencing victory.
- Greed caused the rebellious to "keep back" a part of the spoils. The Greek phrase in Joshua 7:1 of the Septuagint is identical to that which Luke uses here in Acts.
- The trespass involved the keeping of that which had been declared to be devoted to the Lord.
- The required punishment was the death of the offender.
Why did God kill these two people? It is because God takes His church and the vows made within His church very seriously, even if we don't. Take marriage vows. Divorce has reached epidemic proportions. It is a result of people not taking their vows seriously.
The point is that the God of the New Testament is the same God that is found in the Old Testament. He is very big and that you cannot take Him for granted.
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