“At dawn the next morning the angels became insistent. “Hurry,” they said to Lot. “Take your wife and your two daughters who are here. Get out right now, or you will be swept away in the destruction of the city!”
When they were safely out of the city, one of the angels ordered, “Run for your lives! And don’t look back or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away!” But Lot’s wife looked back as she was following behind him, and she turned into a pillar of salt.”
(Genesis 19:15, 17, 26, NLT)
When they were safely out of the city, one of the angels ordered, “Run for your lives! And don’t look back or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away!” But Lot’s wife looked back as she was following behind him, and she turned into a pillar of salt.”
(Genesis 19:15, 17, 26, NLT)
The scripture above contains part of the story of the destruction of sinful Sodom and Gomorrah. Sodom and Gomorrah were two towns filled with sinful people. Not even ten righteous people could be found in either city (Genesis 18:32)! God looked for righteous people but found much sinfulness. In response, the Lord God decided to destroy the cities. Before doing so, God decided to save Lot and his family, who lived in Sodom.
Lot was related to Abraham and believed in God. Lot was not as close to God as was Abraham, but God saw the possibility of faith in Lot. Therefore, God sent Angels to save Lot from the destruction coming to Sodom. When the angels arrived, they warned Lot and his family to leave. The family hesitated. They stalled. They did not want to leave. So, the angels warned Lot to take his family and flee urging, “Get out now, or you will be swept away in the destruction of the city!” (Genesis 19:15). Finally, Lot and his family fled.
As the angels parted ways, they warned the family, “…don’t look back or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away!” (Genesis 19:17). Right after the angels left, destruction poured down from heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah. Even though the family was specifically warned not to look back at the destruction, Lot’s wife turned and looked back. Immediately, she was “turned into a pillar of salt” (Genesis 19:26). Her life ended at that moment. Her body was forever cast in the position of turning around and looking toward Sodom, even though the angels had warned her not to do it.
Like Lot’s wife, there are many people who will look back, dwell in the past, or live with regret even though God urges them to move on. They cannot move beyond some past event. They cannot seem to forget and forgive. They might refuse to deal with a past sin. They might live forever in regret of a poor decision or an unholy judgment. Unable to let go of the past, they become cynical and live with remorse. They refuse to give up to God their resentment or bitterness or depression. Instead, they live with a life that is stuck in the past and unable to move on. They will not let God heal them. They will not let go of their sin to receive grace. Like Lot’s wife, their focus is forever locked on past events, past regrets, past choices, or past decisions.
“In May 1954, Roger Bannister became the first man ever to run a mile in under four minutes. The following month, Australian John Landy shaved another 1.4 seconds off his record. A showdown was inevitable, and in August, the two athletes raced in Vancouver, Canada. By the time they got to the last lap, Bannister and Landy were well in front of the other runners, with Landy in the lead. It seemed certain he would win. But as he approached the finish line, Landy could not help wondering how close behind Bannister was. His need to know was so strong that he couldn’t resist the temptation to look over his shoulder. And just as he did, he lost his stride. At that point, Bannister took the lead and won the race. Later, Landy said, “If I hadn’t looked back, I would have won the race.”” ( Tony Llewellyn, Hot Sermon Illustrations)
Like John Landy and Lot’s wife, many people feel the desire to look back, to worry about what is behind them, or to live in the past. So many people fail to move on in life, even when God is ushering them forward! The angels pushed Lot and his family to move forward and leave the city of Sodom behind. Though the family left the city, Lot’s wife could not leave that past. Maybe she had regrets about leaving her home. Maybe she longed to go back to better days. Maybe she could not deal with leaving her material possessions behind. Even though God wanted the family to leave that city and that part of their lives, Lot’s wife couldn’t do it. Even when angels gave the family a stern warning, she could not let it go. She looked back, only to die in her disgrace. John Landy too looked back, only to lose his most important race.
Don’t look back on a past sin or tenaciously hold onto past hurtful memories when God is wanting you to move forward. Those who continually focus on past sins will find that they will never be forgiven. Those who live in the past often cannot find joy in the present. Those who cannot let go of a past hurt will often turn bitter and resentful. God will warn you of the dangers of living in a sinful past. To not heed God’s warning is to be forever mired in your past sin.
A tornado search team was traveling by car through “tornado alley” in the United States. Every summer, tornadoes are produced in certain portions of the Midwest. When the conditions are right, powerful tornadoes arise and threaten. The search teams help bring early warnings to communities about to be devastated by tornadic activity. Often, they also study how tornadoes form or move. They might further the study of how to save lives when a tornado threatens. This search team was out looking to photograph and record how tornadoes form in certain land formations.
As the team was about to have dinner, a tornado warning went off less than five miles away. The team set up their video and still cameras. They set up their instruments. Then, they saw the tornado touch down not a mile away. As the tornado moved through the landscape, the team got lots of research. Then, the leader shouted for the team to get in their cars and get out of there. At that moment, one of the team members froze in fear. His feet would not move. He was seemingly rooted to the ground. Fear grabbed hold of him. His mind went blank. Finally, one team member went to shout at him over the wind saying, “Let’s go! Let’s get out of here!” The man could not get his feet to move! Fear had him frozen in that place. Then, the other team member slapped the man in the face and told him to get in the car. The man seemed to shake himself awake. He dashed to the car and the team was spared, with only minutes before the tornado hit.
A few minutes later, the man who had been frozen with fear said to the other man who slapped him, “Thanks for slapping me. You saved my life back there!” The friend smiled at him and said, “Hey, every now and then all of us need a slap or two of reality to make it through life!”
Don’t let your heart, mind, or thoughts get frozen in the past. Don’t let past sins keep you full of regret and remorse. Don’t let past hurts keep you from trusting others or God. Don’t let a fear of what’s ahead blind you to God’s leading. God sent the angels to warn Lot and his family. God often sends warnings to the faithful. Make sure you heed those warnings and follow God’s instruction. If you do find yourself getting buried in the past, reach out to a faithful, godly friend who will slap some godly sense into you! It will save you from a lot of heartache… or worse!
Lot was related to Abraham and believed in God. Lot was not as close to God as was Abraham, but God saw the possibility of faith in Lot. Therefore, God sent Angels to save Lot from the destruction coming to Sodom. When the angels arrived, they warned Lot and his family to leave. The family hesitated. They stalled. They did not want to leave. So, the angels warned Lot to take his family and flee urging, “Get out now, or you will be swept away in the destruction of the city!” (Genesis 19:15). Finally, Lot and his family fled.
As the angels parted ways, they warned the family, “…don’t look back or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away!” (Genesis 19:17). Right after the angels left, destruction poured down from heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah. Even though the family was specifically warned not to look back at the destruction, Lot’s wife turned and looked back. Immediately, she was “turned into a pillar of salt” (Genesis 19:26). Her life ended at that moment. Her body was forever cast in the position of turning around and looking toward Sodom, even though the angels had warned her not to do it.
Like Lot’s wife, there are many people who will look back, dwell in the past, or live with regret even though God urges them to move on. They cannot move beyond some past event. They cannot seem to forget and forgive. They might refuse to deal with a past sin. They might live forever in regret of a poor decision or an unholy judgment. Unable to let go of the past, they become cynical and live with remorse. They refuse to give up to God their resentment or bitterness or depression. Instead, they live with a life that is stuck in the past and unable to move on. They will not let God heal them. They will not let go of their sin to receive grace. Like Lot’s wife, their focus is forever locked on past events, past regrets, past choices, or past decisions.
“In May 1954, Roger Bannister became the first man ever to run a mile in under four minutes. The following month, Australian John Landy shaved another 1.4 seconds off his record. A showdown was inevitable, and in August, the two athletes raced in Vancouver, Canada. By the time they got to the last lap, Bannister and Landy were well in front of the other runners, with Landy in the lead. It seemed certain he would win. But as he approached the finish line, Landy could not help wondering how close behind Bannister was. His need to know was so strong that he couldn’t resist the temptation to look over his shoulder. And just as he did, he lost his stride. At that point, Bannister took the lead and won the race. Later, Landy said, “If I hadn’t looked back, I would have won the race.”” ( Tony Llewellyn, Hot Sermon Illustrations)
Like John Landy and Lot’s wife, many people feel the desire to look back, to worry about what is behind them, or to live in the past. So many people fail to move on in life, even when God is ushering them forward! The angels pushed Lot and his family to move forward and leave the city of Sodom behind. Though the family left the city, Lot’s wife could not leave that past. Maybe she had regrets about leaving her home. Maybe she longed to go back to better days. Maybe she could not deal with leaving her material possessions behind. Even though God wanted the family to leave that city and that part of their lives, Lot’s wife couldn’t do it. Even when angels gave the family a stern warning, she could not let it go. She looked back, only to die in her disgrace. John Landy too looked back, only to lose his most important race.
Don’t look back on a past sin or tenaciously hold onto past hurtful memories when God is wanting you to move forward. Those who continually focus on past sins will find that they will never be forgiven. Those who live in the past often cannot find joy in the present. Those who cannot let go of a past hurt will often turn bitter and resentful. God will warn you of the dangers of living in a sinful past. To not heed God’s warning is to be forever mired in your past sin.
A tornado search team was traveling by car through “tornado alley” in the United States. Every summer, tornadoes are produced in certain portions of the Midwest. When the conditions are right, powerful tornadoes arise and threaten. The search teams help bring early warnings to communities about to be devastated by tornadic activity. Often, they also study how tornadoes form or move. They might further the study of how to save lives when a tornado threatens. This search team was out looking to photograph and record how tornadoes form in certain land formations.
As the team was about to have dinner, a tornado warning went off less than five miles away. The team set up their video and still cameras. They set up their instruments. Then, they saw the tornado touch down not a mile away. As the tornado moved through the landscape, the team got lots of research. Then, the leader shouted for the team to get in their cars and get out of there. At that moment, one of the team members froze in fear. His feet would not move. He was seemingly rooted to the ground. Fear grabbed hold of him. His mind went blank. Finally, one team member went to shout at him over the wind saying, “Let’s go! Let’s get out of here!” The man could not get his feet to move! Fear had him frozen in that place. Then, the other team member slapped the man in the face and told him to get in the car. The man seemed to shake himself awake. He dashed to the car and the team was spared, with only minutes before the tornado hit.
A few minutes later, the man who had been frozen with fear said to the other man who slapped him, “Thanks for slapping me. You saved my life back there!” The friend smiled at him and said, “Hey, every now and then all of us need a slap or two of reality to make it through life!”
Don’t let your heart, mind, or thoughts get frozen in the past. Don’t let past sins keep you full of regret and remorse. Don’t let past hurts keep you from trusting others or God. Don’t let a fear of what’s ahead blind you to God’s leading. God sent the angels to warn Lot and his family. God often sends warnings to the faithful. Make sure you heed those warnings and follow God’s instruction. If you do find yourself getting buried in the past, reach out to a faithful, godly friend who will slap some godly sense into you! It will save you from a lot of heartache… or worse!