Earl – Sea of Galilee
Lately I have had a preoccupation with Lot’s wife. The Bible doesn’t mention her name, though some Jewish traditions indicate that her name was Edith (Adith or Ado). But I can’t help but wonder, why after being told by the messengers of God, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you, ………” (Genesis 19:17), did she still look back?
Reading in Genesis before this event, you get the basic idea of why God was angry with Sodom and Gomorrah. The cities as God states in Genesis 18:20 states, “And the Lord said, “The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave.” Due to their unrepentant sins, God’s patience was tested to the point where He could not look upon the evil – thus He determined to end the evil by destroying it.
Lot lived there along with his wife and two daughters. The messengers of God came to Lot’s house and spent the night, but not without the sins of the city affecting Lot’s family and his guests. Lot pleaded with the men of the city to not act wickedly. They had demanded to have sexual relations with his guests. As Lot contended with the men at his door, the men of God reached out to bring Lot back into the house, and they struck the men of the city with blindness.
So Lot, his wife, and two daughters were escorted out of the city and were headed for Zoar. Once there, God rained down brimstone and fire from heaven and in verse 26 “But his wife, from behind him, looked back; and she became a pillar of salt.” The more I thought about this story, the more I realized that the same directive from God is given to every Christian. Don’t look back.
There have been times in my life where I have looked back on the decisions that I had made, and I’ve cried out to God, repeatedly. I’ve sat crying, beating myself up for years over the decisions that not only affected me, but others around me – others that I love and adore. One such time was the decision to divorce my first husband. Though it wasn’t working for us as husband and wife, my children were put in a horrible position. My one time decision has affected the decisions that they have been making for 17 years. I see it, I sense it, and I’ve been told by them that it has. That hurts! It’s raw! It’s life. We ALL make decisions, but once made, we have to reconcile ourselves with God and ask Him and Him alone, where do I go from here?
My son – Craig
Throughout the New Testament, we are told not to look back. Luke 9:62 Jesus states “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” In Philippians 3:13, “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet, but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead.” And look at Hebrews 10:39 “But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.” And finally, Peter 2:21-22 “For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment delivered to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, ‘A dog returns to its own vomit,’ and ‘a sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire,’”
God pulls us out of our old lifestyle and forgives us and offers us a new life. He pulls us out of a life that perhaps was controlled by other things that we were sucked into – not knowing how to get out. The amazing thing is, God has a plan for us. What He asks is simple. Don’t look back.
Don’t look back on that sinful past, that sinful lifestyle, those sinful friends, and those bad decisions. Don’t look back on mistakes made, decisions that affected not only you, but others. Don’t look back on the pleasures of sin, but rather look forward to the promises of a new future with God. You can’t be useful to the Lord today if you’re still feeling guilty about the past. God uses those past hurts, failures, and mistakes to strengthen us to become the people He wants us to be today.
My Daughter – Maddie
My decision and my cry to God eventually brought a new life to me. I have not looked back since. God gave me the great gift of forgiveness, which not only was granted from Him, but also from my children. He gave me one of the greatest of gifts – Earl. He is my spiritual leader even as my husband. I will follow him anywhere because I believe God directs Earl, and Earl always responds with trust in Him. I have to believe that perhaps Lot’s wife was looking back with regret, for having to lose a lifestyle that she enjoyed. Why else would God turn her to a pillar of salt? Perhaps she had no remorse. Perhaps she had not asked for forgiveness. Perhaps she had turned away from God’s call in her life. God told Abraham that He would save anyone found righteous in the two cities. I believe that out of all those people, only three were righteous in God’s eyes.
Related articles
- Don’t Look Back (eruba.wordpress.com)
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