City Life Starter

Written by Aisha Darwesh

The Word

²³ The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar. ²⁴ Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven. ²⁵ And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. ²⁶ But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

²⁷ And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord.
²⁸ And he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley, and he looked and, behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.

²⁹ So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.

Genesis 19:23-29 (ESV)

²⁸ Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, ²⁹ but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— ³⁰ so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. ³¹ On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. ³² Remember Lot’s wife. ³³ Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.

Luke 17:28-33 (ESV)

¹ Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV)

Aisha’s Analysis

Today’s verses behoove us to not turn back or cling too tightly to the things of this world, but to run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. 

As Jesus advises us in Luke 17:32, let’s remember Lot’s wife. In our verses from Genesis above, once Lot safely arrived to Zoar, God began to rain down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah to destroy the cities and their inhabitants. As all this was happening, Lot’s wife looked back and became a pillar of salt. 

As Jesus further illustrates in Luke 17 as He’s describing the coming of the Kingdom, He states in the days of Lot, it was business as usual. In other words, the people of Sodom and Gomorrah had grown so complacent in their sin, they no longer noticed it. They deafened their ears to the outcry which stemmed from their egregious acts and systemic wickedness. While their acts were totally abhorrent to God, I’m sure their destruction came as a complete shock to them. They became so desensitized to the heinous acts they were committing, that they were able to go about their daily lives without any remorse or repentance. 

This gives us an insight as to why Lot’s wife looked back. Could it be that she had gotten so used to the culture of Sodom and Gomorrah that she actually got desensitized to the great sin of those cities? Could it be that she didn’t fully believe what was happening and wanted to go back to her old life there? 

These are just my inferences as the Bible doesn’t specifically tell us; however, it does lead me to wonder why Jesus makes it a point to remember Lot’s wife in the context of anticipating God’s Kingdom. What could He have meant by that?

 It’s easy to turn back to something you’re familiar with (even if that former way of life was not good) when you fail to see what’s in front of you: i.e. God and His Kingdom. However, when you get even just a glimpse of who God is as He beckons you out of sin and into His Kingdom, you’re willing to leave everything behind and move forward in faith. It is God’s Presence that propels us forward and empowers us to leave evil in the dust. 

Application

Looking to Jesus is what gives us the ability to run with endurance in life. When you are focused on the captivating allure of God’s Presence, it’s hard to look back. Instead of exhausting your energy on not going back to your old way of life, simply look to Jesus and you’ll find your path getting brighter and brighter. 

Today’s application is to let go of the past, and move forward in faith. Stop dwelling on past mistakes or what life was like before God found you. Stay in the present, and let God have your future. 

Prayer

Father God, thank You for taking me by the hand and rescuing me out of a life of sin and defeat and bringing me into the Kingdom of Your beloved Son. I am supremely blessed because of that. I’m not looking back; I’m looking at You. In Jesus’ name, amen.