In a world that is changing daily, it’s easy to get caught up in the drama. One day we’re wearing masks, the next day, we aren’t. One day we’re eating turkey together; the next day, we aren’t. The rules and guidelines are frequently changing. No wonder there’s so much confusion and frustration in the United States today.
Today, I want to tackle the topic of condition, more specifically, our country’s condition. As I mentioned in previous blogs, we are a nation clearly divided. And if you think we’re the only ones who have noticed the division, watch oversees news stations. The division has never been more evident than in the last few weeks, starting November 3, 2020. The race shows the divide pretty even, and each side thinks the other side has lost their mind.
When I look at the condition of this nation, I look all the way back to 1962. In two landmark decisions – Engel v. Vitale on June 25, 1962, and Abington School District v. Schempp on June 17, 1963 – the Supreme Court declared school-sponsored prayer and Bible readings unconstitutional. I think it’s safe to say we started down the other side of the mountain when the Supreme Court ruled that prayer be removed from schools. It was the first major step toward removing God from our country.
Fast forward.
Today, as I write this, it happens to be the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower Compact signing. People escaped religious persecution in Europe and came to America. They signed the Mayflower Compact on November 21, 1620, celebrating their new religious freedom in America.
Since 1962, this country has been moving more and more away from the Biblical principles on which it was founded. Fast Forward to 2020, 400 years later, and for the first time in my memory, maybe ever, churches in America are being forced to close or reduce meeting size in several states due to COVID-19.
There’s are some passages in the book of Luke that I would like to look at today to help us understand why we need to remember Lot’s wife.
Jesus’ teaching.
Luke 17:26-33, “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying, and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.
“It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting, and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
“It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.”
What happened to Lot’s wife?
Lot and his wife lived in Sodom. Two angels came to their house and asked them to leave and take their family with them. The city was going to be judged by God, and in His mercy, he was sparing Lot and his family. The angels led them away from the city as sulfur rained down from heaven.
Genesis 19:17 records what the angels told Lot and his family. “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!”
But as they were escaping, Lot’s wife turned around. Genesis 19:26, “But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”
Why would she look back?
Lot’s wife turned to look back at a city she’d made her home in. Some biblical scholars think she didn’t want to leave the city she loved. Scripture says the angels had to grab their hands and escort them out of their home. It’s also thought she loved the life there more than she loved the Lord.
We must not get caught up as believers in loving the things of this world more than the Creator of the world.
Many Christians today are looking for the blessed hope, Jesus Christ. In a nation clearly divided, Jesus is our only hope.
The earthly days are ripe for Jesus’ return more than ever before. The warning in Luke 17:33 was a lesson for the disciples on the urgency related to the coming of the kingdom. It is a time not to look back or hesitate. My commentary says, “it’s a description of the second half of the tribulation, and it applies to the people of Israel.”
What about us?
We, as believers, are passing through. This earth is our temporary home, and it is in our best interest to keep our eyes fixed on the author and perfector of our faith each day.
There will come a day when the Lord returns for His bride. Will we be looking back at the world the same way Lot’s wife looked back at Sodom? Do we desire our possessions and earthly home more than we desire Jesus?
Do we currently live with an eternal perspective in mind, or are we too focused on the world and our possessions? Are we living in right relationship with Jesus Christ?
Remember Lot’s wife. Keep looking up and looking ahead. We are another day closer to Jesus’ return.
Hebrews 10:24-26, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
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