Are you the salt of the world or a pillar of salt?
Don’t Look Back
By Machelle McDowell
(Genesis 19)
There is so much we can glean from the story of Lot and his family found in Genesis 19. A chapter that lays out how compromise can lead you on an undesirable journey.
When I was a sophomore in high school I loved rock music! I am reminded of a song that hit the billboards back in 1978 by a rock group called, Boston. The name of the song was, “Don’t Look Back,” the song, “Don’t Look Back” was not really about looking back but pointed to the “the road that lies ahead.”
Lot had no clue what lay ahead for him when he chose a life of compromise. Obviously, he was a righteous man who strayed from God at the pace of a slow fade. How is this possible? Maybe because of his wealth and prestige? Maybe, he liked fitting in with the crowd?
The Bible does not say for sure, but indirectly leads us to believe he lived a life of compromise. God may allow us to dabble in sin but as this story reflects; it was costly! Is it possible to be guilty of sin and not be directly engaged in it? I will venture to say, “Yes;” it is no different when a person decides to be the driver in a bank robbery but actually never does any of the dirty work….are they guilty?
Quick recap: If we look back to Genesis ch.13, we find the life of compromise lining up already as Lot chose to live near Sodom when he and Abraham separated from one another because the land was not able to support their flocks. Out of love for Lot and trust in God, Abraham let Lot choose his spot first and then he went the opposite direction.
Lot chose the land by what he could see firsthand and that was that it was well watered even though he knew the people of that area were ungodly. So the Bible says that he pitched his tent near Sodom. Sodom and Gomorrah were known for wickedness in more ways than one and he never considered the consequences of his choice. Sound familiar?
Let’s jump ahead one chapter, Genesis chapter 14 we learn that Sodom has been attacked and Lot has been taken along with all of his possessions. In God’s Sovereign plan, Abraham rescues Lot (again) and retrieves all of his possessions and people.
Did Lot learn anything from this experience?…..Apparently not.
Jumping forward to Genesis 19 we now find Lot not only moved his tent from the outskirts of Sodom but living in Sodom and sitting at the town gate which leads us to believe he had some sort of leadership role in Sodom?
Side bar- So it seems, men found sitting at the gate were important decision makers. They would help bring judgments in certain disputes or confrontations amongst the town people. So ironic….the men at the gate had no control over the judgment and wrath God brought on this city.
Lot did not think about how his choices along the road would affect his family in the future. So, here we can already see the road that lies ahead. Lot and his family are right dab in the middle of compromise. The slow fade began and continued to spiral.
2 Peter 2:7-8 tells us that Lot was grieved by what was going on in the city but because of his actions to accept behavior that was ungodly and not take a stand against it tarnished his testimony. Are we guilty of the same? How often are we grieved by sin but fail to stand up for God boldly? How often do we stake our tents just outside of sin?
But there is hope friends. If we read the very next verse in 2 Peter 2:9- the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment. Praise God he loves us even when we are skirting around sin that can be detrimental to us!
As the story unfolds judgment was unleashed. Lot and his family were spared. But, even then, Lot’s wife could not help but to look back at what she was leaving behind or maybe just out of curiosity but failed to keep her eyes on the God that came to save her.
Don’t look back at what you’ve left behind, (good or bad), but look forward to where God wants to lead you.
We are to be the salt of the world and spread his light into the darkness; we are not to become a pillar of salt-useless.
Moral of the story: We cannot blend in with the world and compromise God’s standards. Simple truth friends