Page 38 - Sarah's Children

gift, the Spirit of God judged him and he was struck dead on the spot. Later his wife
Sapphira came in, not knowing what had happened to her husband and she told the
same lie. When asked if they sold the piece of property for such and such an amount,
she declared affirmatively that it was so, when it was not true.

Peter’s next question to Sapphira gives us great insight:

Then Peter said to her, "Why is it that you have agreed together to put
the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have
buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as
well."

If it was the teaching of the church that a wife should always obey her husband,
even if he asked her to commit sin, then why would Peter find fault with Sapphira
for agreeing with her husband? Why would the Spirit judge her as a transgressor
equal to her husband? The answer should be obvious. There is no command of God
that a wife or daughter should commit sin when requested to do so by man. We
should always obey God when we are brought to a decision of whether we should
obey God or man. In the opening scripture of this chapter we read Peter’s words:

Acts 5:29
But Peter and the apostles answered,“We must obey God rather than men.”

Some have innocently argued that God would protect a wife if their husband asked
them to sin and they were to follow submissively in a desire to obey their husband.
They refer to Sarah and they point out that Yahweh protected her when she was
taken into another man’s house to be his wife. Yahweh did not allow either Pharaoh
or the King of Gerar to have relations with Sarah. However, it would be wrong to
imagine that she was completely protected from the consequences of sin. Sarah,
along with Abraham, suffered great embarrassment in the presence of rulers and
kings, and in the presence of royal courts as their deception was exposed. They were
even forcibly escorted out of Egypt in deep humiliation.

We should keep in mind that the passage from Peter’s first epistle is written to
inform the saints that there are times when they must suffer for the sake of
righteousness. Sarah suffered, and I believe she did so for righteousness and has a
reward from God. Yet Sapphira suffered for unrighteousness, and does not share the
same reward. Peter goes on to contrast the suffering of righteousness and
unrighteousness.

I Peter 4:15-16
By no means let any of you suffer as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or
a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not