Beverly's Blurbs: LOT'S WIFE - PROBLEMS ALL THE TIME

The Bible describes Sodom as a city whose people "were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord." Genesis 13:13 So - do you ever wonder how a nice Hebrew couple like Lot and the Mrs. came to be living there?

Well. There is a slight possibility that Sodom was Mrs. L's hometown and she wasn't a nice Hebrew girl after all. The Bible doesn't say specifically - but that's the speculation by a lot of commentators.

But Lot. Lot we know. So - here's how he came to be living in the city of Sodom - along with Mrs. L and their daughters.

Lot left the home of his birth (Ur of the Chaldeans) with Abraham, his uncle, to go to a land that God would show them. Where Abraham went, Lot went. Over the years, as God blessed Abraham, He also blessed Lot. When their possessions had become so great that it became difficult for Lot's herdsmen and Abraham's herdsmen to stay together, Abraham allowed Lot to chose the land he wanted. Lot looked to where the "grass was greener" and chose the rich fertile plains of the Jordan and moved east. The Bible says he "pitched his tents NEAR Sodom." (Genesis 13:12 - emphasis added).

One of the girls in my SS class reminded me that Erma Bombeck used to say "the grass is always greener - over the septic tank." LOL That was sure true for Lot, wasn't it? The green grass of the plains outside Sodom led him right to a cesspool. By Genesis 14, we find him no longer living "near" Sodom - but living IN it. One commentator said "he traded his tent for a townhouse!"

By Genesis 19 when angels came to evoke the judgment of God upon this wicked city, we find Lot fully ensconced in city life. Gen. 19:1 says "Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city" when the angels arrived. The gateway of the city is a place of honor and leadership. The fact that Lot was seated there is an indication that he was deeply involved in the commerce and politics of the city. In all probability, this means that Lot was wealthy and influential. He was probably one of the city elders that judged disputes among the people. If it were today, perhaps he would be a City Councilman - or even Mayor.

What would that mean for our infamous sister, Mrs. L? Well? What's the old saying . . . "Behind every successful man is a woman . . . with one hand on his back and the other on his wallet." Oh. Wait. Maybe that's NOT the old saying. GRIN But you get the picture, don't you?

If Lot was wealthy, influential and highly thought of in city life, so much so that he was given a place of honor and leadership at the city gates - then, odds are pretty favorable that Mrs. L was too! She was probably a member in good standing of the Sodom Junior League. (I bet she didn't work on the cookbook committee though. Gen.19:3 says Lot prepared the meal - tee hee) You know what - she may have been president of the local Garden Club. What if the very day these two angels showed up she had just come home from an afternoon appointment of having her gown designed for the Charity Ball? What if she was up to her ears in preparation to host Bridge Club at her house the next day?

Okay. I know that all sounds silly - but you get where I'm going. Lot's wife was a woman who had a life. A busy life. A life she thought was pretty important. Friends she enjoyed. Places to go. Things to do. We may not know her name, but I'll bet everybody in Sodom did. Our sister, Mrs. L was "SOMEBODY." All in all, her life was undoubtedly a life she loved.

The day the angels showed up at the gateway of the city (and Lot brought them home to spend the night at their house) had probably been like every other day. Filled with the busy activities that make life . . . well, LIFE.

Then, angels arrive telling them in no uncertain terms that life as they have known it is over. Sodom will be destroyed; never to be seen again. Talk about PROBLEMS!! Mrs. L probably took one look at her "to do" list, glanced at her social calendar, and threw up her hands. "It's just PROBLEMS ALL THE TIME!"

The angels assured them God was being merciful to their family and had made a way of escape for them. Wouldn't you think they would have been thrilled? Wouldn't you think they'd have started grabbing photos off the walls and packing as fast as they could?

No. Twice the angels said "hurry." Three times they used the word "destroy." What did Mrs. L do? Well, Gen.19:16 tells us they all "hesitated" and it says the angels had to grasp their hands and lead them out. It doesn't say "kicking and screaming all the way" but that the picture that pops in my mind.

It was "Problems all the time" for Mrs. L alright - and the PROBLEMS were hers!

Her first problem was disbelief. She purely didn't believe that God would do what He said He would do! She had repeatedly heard the warnings but she simply did not believe she would really have to pay the price.

Oh, man! I don't want to see myself in this sister . . . but I have to ask myself . . . how many times has God taken me by the hand and led me away from a destructive habit, urging me not to look back but to press on to something better? How many times have I not believed He was really going to do what He said He would do?

Mrs. L's second problem was disobedience. And this was a BIG problem. The angels said "Flee" - walk fast, get out of here . . . and she lagged behind - waaaay behind. The angels said "Don't stop." "Don't look back." And what did she do? She stopped. She looked back. She looked back at a lost life, a lost lifestyle and a lost city.

I have to wonder, beloved, is there some level of disobedience in your life today? Have you stopped when the Lord said "GO"? Are you "looking back" at the cost of obedience instead of pressing on toward the blessing that will come from it in the future?

The last problem our sinful sister, Mrs. L, had was deception. She'd been deceived into thinking all the things that occupied her days - all the trappings of life - were what was truly important. She may have had her whole family fooled. They may have thought she was as righteous as her husband and equally distressed by the depravity around her. But secretly, she was enamored by it. Sex and the City held her interest long before it was a television serious in OUR culture!

Being enamored by the world is SO prevalent among believers today. Every where you look there are professing Christians who want to dress, act, walk and talk just like the world. They say they know Jesus, but they act just like the unsaved around them. We take sin too lightly these days, my friends! Sin is a deceiver!

LOT'S WIFE paid a great price for her