Acts 5:7

Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Acts 5:7

Ananias has died and been wrapped up, carried out, and buried. With that recorded, Luke now turns to the second person to be involved in the devious matter, saying, “Now it was about three hours later.” The Greek bears an idiomatic expression commonly found in the gospels. It more literally reads, “And it came to pass, about three hours later.”

It is a way of conveying that the events were not preplanned by Peter. The first thing occurred, and, eventually, the next event began to unfold as well. In this instance, the event surrounds the wife of Ananias, saying, “when his wife came in.” This is Sapphira, noted by name in verse 5:1, and of whom it said “his wife also being aware of it” in verse 5:2.

She is complicit in the lie concerning the money obtained from the sale of the land, but she is clueless as to the events that occurred concerning Ananias. As it says, “not knowing what had happened.” With this, she is given an opportunity to set the course of her future, for good or for ill.

Life application: The book of Proverbs provides wisdom to those who are willing to accept what it says. If the discourses and pithy sayings that are given there are mulled over and meditated upon, a lot of woes that otherwise occur might be eliminated from our lives. In Proverbs 4, Solomon says –

“My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. 21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; 22 For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. 23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. 24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you. 25 Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you. 26 Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. 27 Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.” Proverbs 4:20-27

In those few lines are several admonitions that would help Sapphira decide what course of action to take when she is questioned about the affair of the sale of land. We’ll see if she stayed awake during Sabbath school when Solomon was read.

Take time to read through Proverbs. If you read one chapter a day, it will take you a month to go through it. If you read three a day... well, you do the math. Just be sure to review the wisdom recorded there. You will often find that from day to day what you read will be applicable to events of that same day.

Lord God, Your word is precious. Thank You that it is there, waiting for us to give our attention to it. Now, Lord, give us the desire and the wisdom to search it out and to then apply its precepts to our walk before You. Thank You for this word that can safely guide the steps of our lives. Amen.