Acts 8:1-13
Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, 15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21 You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” 24 And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”
25 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.
A pile of gold bars. A delectable dessert. A shimmering gold necklace. An insanely expensive sports car. A strong drink. We may yearn for any of these things. And if I didn’t list your favorite, there may be one lurking in the periphery of your conscience. None of these things are necessarily evil. But every one of them can become a dangerous trap. Just like the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3); Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kings 21); Bathsheba (2 Sanuel 11).
In those cases, their desires took over their sensibilities, and undercut their faith. By giving in to their yearnings they fell into great harm. Sin and death entered the world. A man was killed. A husband was murdered, and a child ultimately died.
But surely those examples don’t apply to God’s people! Except when they do. Whether its an extramarital affair, an embezzlement of company funds, a alcohol-related accident, or a ruined reputation, unchecked yearnings can ruin lives, cause pain, and sometimes even death.
At least on the outside Simon desired a good thing. He wanted to have the power to give the Holy Spirit to others. That would seem a good desire, a proper yearning.
A look at Satan’s tactics with Jesus help us here. He tempted Jesus to give in to appetite (change these stones into bread), to seek affirmation (throw yourself down from the temple and the angels will protect you), and to unbridle his ambition (bow down and worship me and you’ll have all the kingdoms of the world). Jesus resisted every one of these and remained true to the Father.
Simon was all about ambition. He wanted to be able to do what Peter and the other disciples were doing. But his motives were apparently not true. He wanted to have the notoriety. Perhaps he even wanted to gain financially with that gift. Peter calls him out on it. And Simon immediately repents.
There’s even a name for this. It’s called Simony: attempting to buy church privileges or favored decisions. Whatever it’s called, when our ambitions take over we are in danger of falling prey to dangerous sins – disguised as they may be.
Thank God we have a Savior who never gave in to these desires and who forgives those who repent when they do.
David Bahn - Reflections 
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