Sweet Sisters,
There is a very interesting story in the 19th chapter of Genesis. Abrahams’ nephew, Lot, has moved to the city of Sodom. He has two grown daughters and a wife. God has become very angry with Sodom and its sister city Gomorrah. Ezekiel 16:49 tells us why.
“‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.”
God decides to destroy these cities (plus three others). Abraham begs for the lives of Lot and his family. God agrees to spare them. God sends two angels to Lot’s house. I want to focus on the events that occur in Genesis 19:15-17 and Genesis 19:26.
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!”
25 Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying 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.
There are important events in these verses.
1) the angels actually take Lot and his wife and daughters by the hand and lead them to safety.
2) the angels command them to keep moving and don’t look back
3) Lot’s wife stops and looks back and becomes a pillar of salt.
Let’s fast forward hundreds of years to Luke 17. Jesus is teaching about the coming of the Kingdom of God. In verse 32 He makes a really interesting comment.
Remember Lot’s wife!
There are approximately 170 women mentioned in the Bible. Some we know the names of, some we do not.
This is the only place in scripture that the word “remember” a particular woman is used. Jesus said that the actions of the woman who poured perfume on his feet would be remembered always but He doesn’t call her by name.
What was so important about Lots wife that Jesus specifically tells us to remember her? I think Jesus wanted us to understand how very dangerous the consequences are when we “stop and look back.”
I have a quote hanging on the wall in my bathroom that has been there for years. I don’t remember where I found it. “Never allow anyone or anything to drag you back to what God has delivered you from”.
God sent angels to deliver Lot’s wife from the evilness of Sodom, but instead of focusing on moving ahead, she stopped and looked back, longing for what she was leaving behind.
I think there is a huge lesson in this story for us today. Covid has changed our world. How many times do you hear people say, “Before Covid, we did it this way or things were so much better before Covid.”
Sweet Sisters, I think God wants us to focus on Him and keep moving towards how we can better serve Him now. I want to share some scriptures with you about “looking back”.
Exodus 14 is one of my favorites. The Israelites have fled from Egypt. They come to the Red Sea. They look behind them and see that the Egyptian soldiers are chasing them and they panic!
In verses 13 and 14, Moses tells them that God has everything under control.
13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
I love verse 15.
15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.”
God tells Moses to tell the Israelites to (Debbie’ version) “quit freaking out and start moving”
How many times do we look back and panic over what we see instead of keeping our eyes focused on Jesus and what He can do if we just move forward?
Solomon had wise words to say in Ecclesiastes 7:10 about looking back.
Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?”
For it is not wise to ask such questions.
In Isaiah 43:18, 19 we read these words:
18
“Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.19
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.
Do we trust God enough to believe that He really is capable of doing a “new thing”?
In Luke 9:62, Jesus addresses the issue of what happens when you look back when you are plowing:
62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
I have discovered this to also be very true when I drive my van. I’ve learned that wherever my eyes look, that is where my car will go. If I allow myself to get distracted, I will almost always end up going in a direction I did not intend to go.
I think we are all familiar with Philippians 3:13 and 14.
13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Paul knew that in order to reach his goal and win the prize he had to forget what was behind and press on to what God was calling him to do.
The writer of Hebrews spends all of chapter 11 talking about people who because of their faith in God were able to keep moving and accomplished great things. In chapter 12:2, he tells us that we can also do what they did if we keep our eyes focused on Jesus.
… fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
It’s so easy for us to let the past define us. Satan loves to whisper in our ear, “remember when”. Jesus says, “Keep your eyes fixed on me. Follow me. I will be with you. I will fight with you and for you.”
When the Israelites stopped looking behind them and moved forward, God parted the Red Sea for them.
My sweet sisters, God still sends angels, He can still make a way where it seems there is no way. He still performs wonders that no one can fathom if we will keep our eyes focused on Him and just keep moving forward.
Debbie
p.s. I want to let you know that Paul and I will be going on a great adventure the month of June. We are planning on taking a road trip that will take us through Oklahoma where we will visit Rachel and her family. We will also spend time with my parents and sisters, Jack and Helene Brohamer, and Paul’s relatives. Then we will make our way north and plan to end up in Maine. We’ve never been to that part of the country, so I am very excited. Paul has promised to buy me lobster in Maine in celebration of my 65th birthday on May 25.
I may or may not continue to send out my lessons during this time. If you don’t hear from me for a while, you will know why.
MAY 17, 2022
