Don't Look Back

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

DON'T LOOK BACK

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

Two truths, maybe more, but the two that stand out are regarding the two men pledged to marry Lot's daughters, and Lot's wife. These two sons-in-law were told the truth about what was going to happen to Sodom, that the LORD was about to destroy the city. We are told they thought he was joking and did not respond by getting out, so that they perished. We wonder if they thought he was joking about the LORD, or what the LORD was going to do. Did they even believe there was a God, as they were residents of Sodom, living among wickedness? We don't know the character of these two, although we would think that if Lot approved them to marry his daughters, they should have been better than the rest of the men of Sodom. Nevertheless, they thought he was joking. How many people today think we are joking about what is going to happen to this earth? Of course, that would depend on us telling them that God is going to destroy this earth, instead of just telling them of the love of Jesus. Yes, Jesus loves them, but should we not be like Lot and warn those around us? Secondly, why did Lot's wife look back? Did she want to see the destruction, or was it one last look at what she once had? We have always thought it was the look back at her possessions being gone, but maybe that look back was about watching those wicked people getting their just due. But she was not supposed to look back, because as she did, God caused her to turn into a pillar of salt. This gives us two clues for life. First, we should not put too much value on any possessions, because they can be destroyed, or we can lose them at any time. Second, we should not watch someone go through destruction or hardship with the attitude that they are receiving their just reward. Because we are told to love others as Jesus loves us, we should warn others about what will happen, show compassion and love to those experiencing trouble, and not look back or put too much value on our stuff.