18 And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, 19 saying, "Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit."
20 But Peter said to him, "Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! 21 You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. 22 Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity."
24 Then Simon answered and said, "Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me."—Acts 8:18-24
This section of Scripture always makes me sad...I had high hopes for Simon. The verses preceding those above say this about him:
But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, 10 to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, "This man is the great power of God." 11 And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time. 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. 13 Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done—Acts 8:9-13
I rejoiced when Simon believed and was baptized. His conversion, however, seems to have been the result of selfish ambition rather than a true change of heart. Simon thought the precious gifts of God...forgiveness of sin, the Holy Spirit and eternal life... could be bought. How very sad that he thought he could purchase the heavenly with the earthly. Simon’s heart, it seems, was still very bound to this world. He was used to getting the glory...all in Samaria from the least to the greatest, Scripture says, gave him heed because he had astonished them with his sorceries. His heart, filled with envy and self-seeking, sought honor for himself and not the honor which comes from God.
One of the many lessons I have learned from spending time with the Lord and His word over the years is that people’s words say much about who they are and what they are thinking. Out of the abundance of the heart, Jesus says in Matthew 12, the mouth speaks. Simon’s own words here in verse 24 reveal his heart.
Then Simon answered and said, "Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me."
Simon’s concern was not that he had sinned, but that he would be spared the consequences of it. He did not humble himself before God by acknowledging his sin and repenting. Simon was too filled with Simon to give place to the Lord who is of all and over all. His own words condemned him.
“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost.” —Luke 9:25
Those who trust in their wealth
And boast in the multitude of their riches,
7 None of them can by any means redeem his brother,
Nor give to God a ransom for him--
8 For the redemption of their souls is costly,
And it shall cease forever--
9 That he should continue to live eternally,
And not see the Pit.—Ps 49:6-9
No comments:
Post a Comment