Genesis 19:23-26
The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar. Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of Heaven. And He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But Lot's wife, behind him, looked back and she became a pillar of salt.
Lot and his family had lived in the land of Sodom and Gomorrah, and although he was righteous, the place was very wicked. Before destroying it, God sent His angels to save Lot and his family from the city that was about to be totally annihilated. On their way out, the angels told them not to look back at the city; they were told not to miss such a wicked place. But as the family fled for their lives, Lot's wife looked back at the city and was punished for it by being turned into a pillar of salt.
This story is the story of every Christian's life. We were saved from the city of destruction and led away out of its evil clutches. When God saved us from our sins, He told us not to look back just like He told Lot and his family. After all, why should we miss such a terrible place marked for destruction? It's important to recognize that every temptation we face is really a temptation to look back. We used to be slaves living in the city prepared for destruction, but now we have been set free. So why should we look back and miss that wretched place? Why should we re-shackle ourselves to the old sins that used to control us?
Part of overcoming temptation is recognizing the real battle. The real battle is deciding which way is better; which way is more satisfying; which way is more pleasant. The only reason we fall again into sins is because we believe the devil's lie that it will be more wonderful than living in God's way. When we feel tempted to believe that lie we need to remember what our sin truly is; it isn't joyful, it isn't pleasant, it doesn't satisfy; it's nothing more than slavery.
So why did Lot's wife look back? Because she didn't really see Sodom and Gomorrah for what they were; wretched and terrible. If she had, she wouldn't have missed them but would have kept pushing on forward glad to have escaped its destruction. But she was deceived; she looked at the city like it was better than moving on to the next place, and so she sinned, and her punishment was quite severe. Let's not make the same mistake; let's see our sin for what it really is; a dungeon with no light, and let's learn from Lot's wife's lesson; let's never look back at our sins.
The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar. Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of Heaven. And He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But Lot's wife, behind him, looked back and she became a pillar of salt.
Lot and his family had lived in the land of Sodom and Gomorrah, and although he was righteous, the place was very wicked. Before destroying it, God sent His angels to save Lot and his family from the city that was about to be totally annihilated. On their way out, the angels told them not to look back at the city; they were told not to miss such a wicked place. But as the family fled for their lives, Lot's wife looked back at the city and was punished for it by being turned into a pillar of salt.
This story is the story of every Christian's life. We were saved from the city of destruction and led away out of its evil clutches. When God saved us from our sins, He told us not to look back just like He told Lot and his family. After all, why should we miss such a terrible place marked for destruction? It's important to recognize that every temptation we face is really a temptation to look back. We used to be slaves living in the city prepared for destruction, but now we have been set free. So why should we look back and miss that wretched place? Why should we re-shackle ourselves to the old sins that used to control us?
Part of overcoming temptation is recognizing the real battle. The real battle is deciding which way is better; which way is more satisfying; which way is more pleasant. The only reason we fall again into sins is because we believe the devil's lie that it will be more wonderful than living in God's way. When we feel tempted to believe that lie we need to remember what our sin truly is; it isn't joyful, it isn't pleasant, it doesn't satisfy; it's nothing more than slavery.
So why did Lot's wife look back? Because she didn't really see Sodom and Gomorrah for what they were; wretched and terrible. If she had, she wouldn't have missed them but would have kept pushing on forward glad to have escaped its destruction. But she was deceived; she looked at the city like it was better than moving on to the next place, and so she sinned, and her punishment was quite severe. Let's not make the same mistake; let's see our sin for what it really is; a dungeon with no light, and let's learn from Lot's wife's lesson; let's never look back at our sins.