Daily Thoughts from Acts: The Gall of Bitterness (Acts 8:14-25)

Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”

Now when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.  (Acts 8:14-25 ESV)

Because of the contention between Jews and Samaritans and the need for the infant church to be united, the Samaritans cannot receive the Holy Spirit until the Jerusalem apostles come and lay hands on them.  One can only imagine the possibilities for schism between the Samaritan congregation and the Jerusalem congregation if it is not made clear that the Jewish apostles are the authoritative leaders of the church and those who vouchsafe the message of the gospel of Jesus. 

And in particular, Peter needs to be there as he is the one Jesus gave the keys of the kingdom of heaven to (Matthew 16:19) and he has opened the door to the kingdom now for the Jews and the Samaritans and will yet do so for the remaining people-group, the Gentiles (Acts 10).  [See https://thimblefulloftheology.com/an-evangelical-perspective-on-the-baptism-in-the-spirit/]

Though it is said that Simon believed, he reveals to Peter with his attempt to purchase the power of the Spirit that he is not a true believer.  True belief will evidence itself in a changed heart and Simon’s is still caught up in having power over others.  This is his real hope for self-salvation, that he can have sufficient power over others to protect and provide for himself.  Perhaps his request for Peter’s prayer is an indication that this time he truly repents.

It is an unhappy fact of the human heart that it seeks control.  When we aren’t trusting God for our care we are desperately searching for ways to make sure we get what we need.  Power over other people is one avenue we utilize to ensure that people regard us positively, or at least warily, and even though we cannot get real love or respect this way, because real love and respect is not forced, we will take a facsimile of the real thing.  It doesn’t really satisfy like the real thing but we take comfort in the feeling that we are in control of it.

The gifts of God cannot be obtained with money.  You cannot get real love with money.  You cannot get real respect with money.  You cannot get real power with money.  The gifts of God come at His discretion and grace.  Real relationship with God is the real treasure, the real gift.  We betray our wicked hearts when we seek to manipulate or purchase the gifts of God.  When we pray, demanding that we get what we want because we asked a certain way or followed a certain prescription in prayer, we are seeking to manipulate God.  When we expect God to grant us earthly prosperity because we have exercised the right kind of faith or done the right kind of deeds, we are seeking to manipulate, indeed purchase, the gifts of God.

Peter calls this being in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity.  It is bitterness that drives the quest for control.  We are bitter that God can’t be trusted (so we believe) to meet our needs.  We feel left to our own devices.  And it is the bondage of iniquity that leads to this bitterness.  We are wrong not to trust God.  He has proved His reliability over and over again, most prominently in the sending of His own Son to die for us.  What more does He need to do?