Shiphrah & Puah, Sapphira & Ananias

     Today's readings about Shiphrah & Puah whose story comes from Exodus 1: 15-22 and Sapphira & Ananias whose story comes from Acts 5:1-11.

     Today I began by reading about Shiphrah and Puah who were the midwives of the Egypt during the times of Moses.  They were ordered to kill all Israelites' baby boys but they refused because of their obedience to God.  Because of their obedience to the direction of God, Moses was saved and later led the Israelites out of slavery. 
     Lessons From Their Lives:
- Our ultimate authority for making decisions should be God's word, not leaders and popular opinion.
- We need to take a bold stand for what is right even at the cost of personal sacrifice.

     I also read a story of a husband and wife team who were at the other end of the obedience spectrum.  Their names were Ananias and Sapphira.  They were members of the Jerusalem church in its earliest days.  The Holy Spirit's presence was powerful among the believers.  It was a time of miracles and wonder.  The believers lived in a community where everyone shared all they had and would even sale property or possessions in order to provide for those less fortunate.  Having the Holy Spirit's presence among them didn't make the believers immune to Satan's temptations.  This is where Sapphira and Ananias's story gets more serious.  They had sold some land and made some money off the deal.  They gave the money to the church, at least some of it but they told everyone that they had given the full amount to the church which was a lie.  They actually had kept the majority of it for themselves.  They suffered for their disobedience, greed and covetness.  It was their choice to sell the land and what amount to give but lying to God and trying to appear more generous than they actually were were the sins for which they were punished.  We find out how they were punished in Acts 5:9-10a:
Peter said, "How could the two of you even think of conspiring to test the Spirit of the Lord like this?  The young men who buried your husband are just outside the door, and they will carry you out, too."  Instantly she fell to the floor and died.
     This may seem harsh but we must remember that God still hates sin as much as he ever did.  God's judgement of Sapphira and Ananias produced fear among the believers and helped them realize how seriously God regards sin in the church.
     Lessons From Their Lives:
-We should have a healthy fear of God and his holiness.
-We can't afford to treat sin lightly.

     So the ultimate question today is ... 
Who are you going to take as your model today?  Shiphrah and Puah or Sapphira and Ananias?
The choice is yours but the results are God's.