Don't Look Back! Series

Lot was too scared to go to the mountains and begged the angels to let him escape to a small village named Zoar. The angels agreed to his request but told him to hurry. The angel couldn't do anything until Lot made it there. Genesis 19:18-22 Just as the sun was rising, Lot made it to Zoar. It was then God rained down fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah. Everything and everyone there was destroyed. There were no survivors. Not even the vegetation survived. Genesis 19:23-25 To this day, the place were Sodom and Gomorrah used to be is still barren. Nothing will ever grow there again.

Unfortunately, tragedy struck again. Lot's wife disobeyed the order not to look back and was turned into a pillar of salt. Genesis 19:26 Some people have wondered over the years how she became a pillar of salt. There was some talk that she got caught in the blast and became salt. There's a statue in Israel that is known as Lot's wife.

As far as why she looked back, nobody knows. She made had decided to give the city one last look before leaving for memory. She could have looked back because her friends and sons-in-law were dying. She could have been thinking about the possessions she was leaving behind. Or despite the city's great sin, her heart still belonged there.

Something similar happened to the Israelites after they left Egypt. They were physically free, but mentally and spiritually were still in Egypt. Sometimes when God frees us from something, the enemy will sometimes put false memories in our minds about what we left behind or heavily remind us of the good times we had. Numbers 11:5

It's a struggle for a ton of people to truly let the past go...especially when there are strong emotional and spiritual ties involved. But we can't turn back to the things God delivers us from. This will lead to coming under the same bondage or worse. Matthew 12:43-45, Proverbs 26:11, 2 Peter 2:20-22, John 5:14, Luke 17:32

After Lot's wife died, Lot left Zoar because he was afraid of the people there. He and his daughters moved into a cave in the mountains. Interesting how Lot originally didn't want to flee to the mountains when the angels first commanded him, but after he had lost everything, he eventually obeyed. Genesis 19:30 Delayed obedience is the same as rebellion. When the Holy Spirit prompts us to do something, we are to do it as soon as humanly possible.

Sometime later Lot's daughters: traumatized from losing their husbands, mother, friends, and home, came up with a wicked plan. They decided to get their father Lot drunk with wine and took advantage of him. They did this because they believed there weren't any men left to marry them. Lot was so drunk he had no idea what was happening. Having intercourse with someone drunk is not only unethical, but it's against the law. It's assault. As a result, the daughters got pregnant. The older daughter had a son named Moab and the younger had a son named Ben-Ammi. Genesis 19:31-38

This is how Lot's story ended. A lonely cave with two daughters and two babies that were his sons and grandsons at the same time. This is what happens when you surround yourself with the wrong people and environment. Don't allow yourself to be separated from Godly influences for as iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. Proverbs 27:17 Lot allowed himself to be separated from Abraham because his herds men and Abraham's herds men couldn't get along. The separation proved to be disastrous for Lot because he ended up in a situation more wicked than he could imagine. Genesis 13-14.

Sadly, Lot and Abraham never saw each other again. Lot didn't know this, but before Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed Abraham had gone to God asking Him to spare Sodom if there were any righteous people there. Genesis 18:20-33, Genesis 19:27-29

It's important to continue to pray for people because your prayers could be the very thing keeping someone from disaster. Despite Lot's ending, he was still honored according to 2 Peter 2:6-9

However, something to remember is that while it's good to pray for others, they still must make the choice to do the right thing. You can't force it.