Sunday Morning Podcast December 28, 2014. Bro. Dave Goble.
TEXT: GENESIS 19:15-18
15 And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.
16 And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.
17 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.
18 And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord:
Sometimes one might ask for something different than God would want for them. The result would be a diminished prosperity of soul. There are so many questions here concerning Lot’s end of life story. What we read here, (Genesis 19: 19-38) doesn’t illustrate a good end. Luke 17:29-33 tells us “Whosoever seeks to save his life, shall lose it, and whosoever loses his life, shall preserve it.” How can I seek to lose my life? How can I seek to save it? In our text of Genesis, we see Lots wife looked back (essentially desiring to save the life she had), “But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.” Genesis 19:26. So she lost her life. Lot’s wife’s affections were divided. So tho she left with her family… she looked back! Her affections showed a divided heart, and that she didn’t really believe the warnings from God’s angels.
A divided heart will work in you an unbelief. Unbelief is the rejection in your heart of God’s divine will. God can work with you through many obstacles, but not with unbelief. For unbelief doesn’t allow for faith. It takes faith to only look forward towards God’s will, ..and to not look back to self and sin. Is it okay to believe, based on fear? If God ask us to remember Lot’s wife, then fear is okay for God to stir us with, …to rescue our soul. After salvation, the spirit of the world tries to persuade us to look back to the sin we once partook of. To keep spiritual life, we need to forsake any affection or curiosity for the things of sin. The mountain God instructed Lot to flee to (Genesis 19:17), is a symbol of the will of God.
The world (like Lot’s wife), doesn’t take the will of God seriously. Curiosity was the tool Satan used, to get Lot’s wife to look back. Similarly, curiosity about sin, will lead us back to it. We need to heed the warning to flee the destruction of sin. A divided affection, is to place our hope in sin’s empty promises, while still hoping in the foundation of God’s will. We need to live with our end of life in mind. This is the only way to victory for our soul, and to lead others to God.
Are you concerned with your end? Remember Lot’s wife…..