In Luke 17, the Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God would come. His answer warned them to be ready for the kingdom to come suddenly and unexpectedly like a flash of lightening that instantly lights a night sky. He compared it to the coming of the flood in Noah's day and to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Lot's day. He warned his listeners to be ready to go when the Lord comes, and warned against turning back for anything.In the midst of this teaching, He said, "remember Lot's wife." And He used words that made it clear this statement was not a suggestion. It was a command. He didn't say, "it would be nice if you occasionally tried to think about Lot's wife." No. He very emphatically commanded His listeners to "remember Lot's wife." He was a man of few words. But powerful words. Words that mattered. The verb tense Jesus used even meant that it was to be continuous action. Jesus asks us to START remembering and CONTINUE remembering Lot's wife.
LOT'S WIFE. Not Abraham, Isaac or Jacob. Not Moses or Joshua. Not even Ruth ... or Rahab. Remember LOT'S WIFE.
LOT'S WIFE. Scripture never even calls her by name. It doesn't record a single word she ever spoke. Yet, we are told to remember one woman who passed through this world, lived in sin and died in sin.
What do we need to remember?
We need to remember that she was a woman with PRIVILEGES - PROBLEMS - and PUNISHMENT.
Let's look first at the PRIVILEGES; for LOT'S WIFE was privileged in her
- relationships
- revelations
- and responsibility
First, she was privileged in her relationships. She was privileged to be married into the only family on earth that was serving the one true God! Have you ever thought about that? While all around her were worshiping worthless idols, she was privileged to be in the midst of a family that worshiped the true and living God.
She had the opportunity to see the clear faith of her husband's uncle, Abraham. If she were married to Lot in Ur she would have traveled with Abraham and witnessed his dedication to the Lord. She would have seen his altars and his worship. If she was (as some commentators believe) a woman Lot had married in Sodom, she still would have been exposed to belief in the one true God through interaction with her husband and his extended family.
Genesis 14 records that she (along with Lot and many others from their household) was taken captive when a group of kings raided Sodom. Abraham gathered an army and rescued them all. (Gen.14:16) She heard Abraham refuse to receive tribute from the King of Sodom for the battle's victory, telling the king that he (Abraham) would not take even a thread or a shoe lace from him because he didn't want anyone to be able to say that anyone but God Himself had blessed Abraham and made him rich. That's a real loose paraphrase of Genesis 14:22-23 but what I want us to realize is that Lot's wife had the privilege of belonging to a family whose whole identity was tied to the one true God.
Besides the clear faith of Abraham, Lot's wife saw the "cloudy" faith of her husband. Lot was a man of many spiritual failures yet the Bible calls him a righteous man. 2 Peter 2:7 says he was "distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless" people in Sodom. Surely, if Lot was distressed by the depravity around them, he would have shared his feelings with his wife.
Girls, we, like our sister - Mrs. Lot, are privileged by the relationships in our lives. Some of them help point us TO Christ by the examples they set for us. Others - like Lot - may present an inconsistent or confusing witness - but even those are a privilege. We often learn "in spite of" as much as "because of." God can - and will - use the relationships in our lives - good and bad - to encourage us in our walk with Him if we keep our focus on Him and not the "relationship."
Lot's wife was privileged in her relationships but also in her revelations.
Revelation #1: She was acquainted with Deity.
She certainly knew who God was and how one approaches Him. This had been revealed to her in her years of association with Abraham's family. Yet - we are are left to wonder if she ever appropriated this revelation personally. Had she ever embraced the one true God for herself?
You see, head knowledge is never enough. The truth of Who God is must make its way from your head to your heart before it makes any difference in your life. Did you hear that last sentence when you read it? Can I repeat it for you? The truth of Who God is must make its way from your head to your heart before it makes any difference in your life.
Revelation #2: She was aware of the coming destruction.
God graced her by sending angels to warn her and her family of impending doom. (Gen.19) Still, she refused to flee from the wrath of God. The angels had to grasp her hands and literally lead her out. She was plainly told the destruction was coming. She had the privilege of that revelation - but it didn't phase her! How many people do you know today who know that judgment is coming and still they do not flee to Jesus for refuge??
LOT'S WIFE was privileged in her responsibility. Often times we don't view our responsibilities as a privilege, do we? Here is a woman who knew the facts and was given every opportunity to act upon them. She was given the chance to change - the chance to believe - and the chance to be saved - Yet she squandered the privilege of those chances and died without God.
Has it ever dawned on you that the conviction the Holy Spirit brings to your heart when there is something that needs to change is a privilege? It is. It's a privilege straight from the abundance of God's grace. When God asks you to pray, it's not so He can turn you down. When He asks you to trust Him about something, it's not so he can deny you. When God asks you to have His desires, it's not so He can frustrate you. When He asks you to follow Him, it's not so He can lead you astray. When God brings the conviction of His Spirit upon your life, it's never to harm you. It's to remind you that He loves you. It's a privilege. It's grace!
LOT'S WIFE had all these privileges in her life - but she also had some major PROBLEMS. We'll talk about those tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment