Don't Look Back!

             Most everyone has heard of Lot’s wife, the unfortunate woman who became a pillar of salt.  She and her family were rescued from the evil, sinful city of Sodom with one final command, “Don’t look back (Genesis 19:17b NIV84).  Apparently, Mrs. Lot’s curiosity got the best of her, and she paid the price for her disobedience.

            Notice that the Angel’s command was not, “Don’t remember.”  It was, “Don’t look back.”.  While they may sound very much alike, I think they are distinctly different actions in God’s eyes.

            In Scripture, God often tells us to remember.  The Jewish Passover is a remembrance celebration that God instituted so that the Jews would not forget how He had delivered them from Egypt.  He wanted them to remember!  On the night of His betrayal, Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper with the words, “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22: 19b NIV84).  He wanted us to remember the price that was being paid for our salvation.

            We all have fond memories from our past, moments that bring smiles and sometimes even laughter.  Many of us have family and friends who have passed on, but we remember those special moments with them or their special sayings that bring a longing for just a little more time with them.  Remembering can be a good thing.

            On the other hand, “looking back” can be different from remembering.  We may look back on our past sins and be filled with guilt and remorse all over again, forgetting that Christ’s blood is sufficient to cleanse us.  It’s okay to remember how Christ has saved us but don’t allow yourself to continue to condemn what God has already forgiven. 

            We may also look back over a sinful past and yearn for friends and relationships or habits or even success that are no longer consistent with our Christian walk.  Those times of “looking back” may be an indication that we haven’t left that part of our past behind.

            We don’t know why Mrs. Lot looked back.  We know that Lot was a wealthy man, and he was probably also well-respected since he was Abraham’s nephew.  Mrs. Lot may have had a big house with servants and all the luxury available and perhaps she wasn’t ready to leave it all behind.  Perhaps she and Lot had bought into the sinful lifestyle of their city and weren’t convinced of the need to leave it.

            Christ gives us a clue as to her reasoning in Luke 17.  He said, “Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it” (Luke 17: 32, 33 NIV84).  Mrs. Lot was trying to cling to a lifestyle that God had condemned.  The result was that she lost everything.

            There are many things that God wants us to remember, and first and foremost on His list would be His faithfulness.  However, we must be very careful when we look back.  Are we longing for our old life without Christ or are we remembering how He has redeemed us?  It may seem like the same question, just worded differently, but our answers might surprise us.

Genesis 18: 16 – 19:29

Luke 17: 28 - 33