SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY: Genesis 19:15–26
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: 19 Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die: 20 Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live. 21 And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken. 22 Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. 23 The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar. 24 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; 25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. 26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
MORE LESSON: Number 14:1-5
1 And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. 2 And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! 3 And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt? 4 And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt. 5 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.
Monday, 13 October
Memory Verse: No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. Luke 9:62
The wickedness of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah became too much to be ignored, so God decided to destroy the city. Since God will not destroy the righteous with the wicked, He chose to spare Lot and his family. The Angel who was sent to destroy the city warned Lot and his family to escape to a nearby city without looking back. Unfortunately, there was a casualty as Lot's wife looked back and turned to a pillar of salt.
One would have thought that the account of Lot's wife turning into a pillar of salt was a coincidence of history, but Jesus' comment in Luke 17:32, 'Remember Lot's wife' reinforces the lesson of obedience to God's instructions. It may not be easy to tell the possible reason why she looked back, but the consequence is evident. It doesn't matter the motivation(s) to disobey the Lord, we cannot handle the repercussion.
In several biblical instances looking back is something that God detests. In looking back, the past is brought into focus in a way that diminishes future possibilities; that is why we are told to forget the former things and consider not the things of old, but to focus on the new thing and the new order that Jehovah is bringing to pass (Isaiah 43:18-19). No matter how good or bad the past was, we must not stay fixated on it. The past is the best place for the past and it should be left there.
Lot's wife shouldn't have had any problem if she had trusted God and entrusted her future to Him, despite the fire from Heaven that consumed whatever precious things they left behind in Sodom and Gomorrah. 'Trusting' and 'entrusting' are two key words to be mastered in our spiritual journey in order to arrive at our destination safely. Jesus says in Luke 9:62, …No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. Why was Lot's wife not struck with thunder or made to die in some other way than being turned into a pillar of salt? Turning into a pillar of salt is a symbolic preservation of her life for generations to see that when God forbids you from looking back, just set your face like a flint (Isaiah 50:7) looking onto the Almighty.
Prayer/Action
* Ask for grace to walk in perfect obedience.
* Pray that in whatever situation you are found you will always trust God.
TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER: My father and my God, thanksgiving and praise await you in my family this month, in the precious name of Jesus.
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