Do You Disappoint Jesus?

I am sure you are very familiar with the next biblical character, Lot’s wife. She is named “Ado” or “Edith” by some Jewish traditions. Her story is recorded in the book of Genesis, chapter 19. By God's angels, she was instructed not to look back. That was because she and Lot were fleeing the twin wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah that the Lord was about to destroy.

However, for unknown reasons, she didn’t heed God’s instructions of “Do not not to look back, but to flee for your lives.” For merely looking behind her, as fire and brimstone rained down over those godless, evil-filled cities, she was turned into a pillar of salt.

Lot’s wife's misadventure is an alarming reminder of how quickly God’s judgment can come to any wicked person and to those who don’t obey His simple instructions. She died in her disobedience.

You can only disappoint God so far—then in a split-second you are spending all eternity in the wrong place. I thank God daily that Jesus has blotted my sins away—past, present, and future.

Moses, or as the Hebrews called him “Moshe,” lived in the 14th and 13th centuries BC. Even this renowned prophet, teacher, and leader had a murderously troubled past before God called him to lead the enslaved Israelite people towards the Promised Land. When he was 40 years old, Moses became outraged when he discovered an Egyptian taskmaster beating a Hebrew slave. So he killed the brutal master and buried his body in the sand. Instead of dealing with the consequences of being found out, or explaining the situation, he fled Egypt and began a new life. Despite the murder, and a voiced desire not to be chosen as the leader—God used Moses to lead millions of Israelites out of Egypt and eventually, into the Promised Land.

Moving into the New Testament, we read of the early Christian church in Jerusalem. There, many of the believers were so faithful that they sold their land or excess possessions in order to donate money so no one would go hungry. This sharing of resources was not the Church's formal requirement, but those who did so were looked upon favorably. This generosity was considered a sign of authenticity. Barnabas, known for his generosity, was a leading supporter of the early church.

In contrast, Ananias and his wife Sapphira also sold a piece of property. However, they held back a portion of the proceeds for themselves and gave the rest to the church, placing the money at the apostles' feet.

Through a revelation from the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Peter was led to question their honesty. Peter asked, “Ananias, why did you let Satan fill your mind with such an idea? You kept part of the money for yourself and lied about it to the Holy Spirit! Before you sold the field, it belonged to you, right? And even after you sold it, you could have used the money in any way you wanted. How could you even think of doing such a thing? You lied to God, not to us!” (Acts 5:3-4)

Ananias, on hearing this, immediately fell down dead. Everyone in the church was filled with fear. Young men wrapped up Ananias' body, carried it away and buried it. A mere three hours later, not knowing what had happened, Ananias' wife Sapphira came into the church. Peter asked her if the amount they donated was the full price of the land. “Yes, that is the price,” she lied.