Pastor's Column 10/25/20

PASTOR’S COLUMN

“Lot reached the village just as the sun was rising over the horizon. Then the Lord rained down fire and burning sulfur from the sky on Sodom and Gomorrah. He utterly destroyed them, along with the other cities and villages of the plain, wiping out all the people and every bit of vegetation. But Lot’s wife looked back as she was following behind him, and she turned into a pillar of salt.

Genesis19:23-26, NLT

4th Sunday- “Looking Ahead and Not Behind!”

There is in each of us the need to linger with memories and have a fixation on customs and places which have had an impact on our lives. While the memories can serve a good purpose, to linger with thoughts of what we’re comfortable with can be self-defeating, if not destructive. Lot, the nephew of Abraham, was lured from Canaan to Sodom because of the city’s hedonistic attractions. There was no shortage of excitement and enticement in Sodom. It appears however, that Lot found his moral compass, settled down, and became an honorable citizen. According to some rabbinic traditions, Lot met his wife, Adit, who was a resident of Sodom, possibly born there. Adit’s roots were in Sodom, and like most hometowns, the city grew on her. Before Lot moved to Sodom, his uncle, Abraham, noticed the deteriorating moral and spiritual conditions of the city. He tried to intervene for its redemption, to no avail. God sent three messengers to Sodom, who received gracious hospitality by Lot and his wife. However, the men were threatened and treated harshly by the residents. God pronounced judgment on Sodom and told Lot and his family to flee the city. Lot, at first was reluctant to leave, but conceded to God’s warning. Mrs. Lot left with her family, but trailed behind her husband. They were all warned not to look back to the city’s inferno. As the entourage headed to safety, toward a small city named Zoar, Adit looked back. She was destroyed by the sulfuric acid from the fire. It was hard for Adit to go forward, because her past held her back!