Behind or Ahead

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

BEHIND OR AHEAD

Gen 19:12-26

12 The two men said to Lot, "Do you have anyone else here — sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, 13 because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it." 14 So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said, "Hurry and get out of this place, because the LORD is about to destroy the city!" But his sons-in-law thought he was joking. 15 With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, "Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished." 16 When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them. 17 As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, "Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!" 18 But Lot said to them, "No, my lords, please! 19 Your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. But I can't flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and I'll die. 20 Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it — it is very small, isn't it? Then my life will be spared." 21 He said to him, "Very well, I will grant this request too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of. 22 But flee there quickly, because I cannot do anything until you reach it." (That is why the town was called Zoar.) 23 By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. 24 Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah — from the LORD out of the heavens. 25 Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities — and also the vegetation in the land. 26 But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

NIV

Of course, the story of about Lot’s wife looking back and becoming a pillar of salt. It is not that she wanted to see the devastation, but that her look back was with a yearning regarding her fine life there with all her possessions, her home, that she had made for her family, and all she knew for many years. Now she was looking to start over in some strange place. It is simple, there is no sense in looking to the past, it is our future that matters. The past is behind us, and we are told to leave it behind, including all our past sins, and strain forward toward the mark. Looking back should also help us to be aware of not becoming too attached to our possessions that we would not want to leave them. We noticed that even Lot hesitated for a moment, so the angels had to take them by the hand and lead them away, physically moving them out of danger. Even then Lot wanted to change the command of the angels about fleeing to the mountains, which they agreed to, and show him mercy, waiting until he was well out of the way before the fire came down from heaven. This too gives us another look at the result of the wicked life, being subject to fire from heaven, ultimately the lake of burning sulfur, and extreme heat within that will result in perishing, as John foretells about God so loving the world he sent his only son so whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. We wonder if this is not rather straightforward that there are two options, everlasting life, or perish. Interestingly, the Greek word translated as perish means to be fully destroyed, to be put out of the way entirely, to put an end to, ruin. We do not think that can be any plainer than only the ones who believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior, will have an eternal life. The others will not have an eternal life of burning up in a lake of burning sulfur, but they will be fully destroyed just as Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by the burning sulfur rained down from heaven. Again, the believers will see the mercy of the Lord, and the wicked will see total destruction. Yes, this is hellfire and brimstone theology, but that is what the Lord has said. We know the idea of being in hell forever is against the scriptures, and we do not know who came up with that idea, but we know according to the Lord’s own words, hell, and Hades will give up their dead and will be thrown into the lake of burning sulfur. Hell is not a permanent place of torment according to God’s word. Let us not look back, or hold to our possession tightly, for all that will perish,  but always keep the prize of eternal life before us, straining for what is ahead.