Remember Lot’s Wife – Part 1

Remember Lot’s Wife – Part 1

I feel there is a current theme God is wanting to have us focus on, and that is the importance of paying attention to and following the Holy Spirit in our every-day living.

Text: Luke 17:32-33, Isaiah 43:16-19

Short story of Lot’s wife. Gen.19. [God sent angels to Sodom to warn Lot and his family that God was going to destroy the city. The angels told them ver.17 "Escape for your life! Do not look behind you …. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed." After they were a little way away from there, the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah. Ver.26 “But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.”]
The wording suggests she did more than a quick glance, but she took a longing gaze.

Now let’s look at the context of Luk.17 where we get our theme verse.
In this chapter, the Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of God would come, and what will be the signs.
People are still fixated on this – when will the rapture take place?
Jesus said, when you see crazy things happening, (ver.20-31) instead of giving an explanation they wanted, Jesus simply said in all this, “Remember Lot’s wife.”
What was it Jesus communicate using this OT happening?

I think Jesus uses the story as a warning against the danger of:
Longing for what was in her past, for what has been when we are called to move forward to where the Holy Spirit is leading. Being distracted by the way it used to be. A danger of dividing our focus & loyalty. My hesitation to move forward being attached to the way things used to be.

This event was a major turning point in the overall OT story.
I believe we are living in a major turning point in history.
Around the world, in almost every aspect, not just spiritually, politically, socially, culturally, it feels like we are in a turning point.

As I read the Genesis story, it appears Lot that recognized the Angles but not his wife. She didn’t know how to host God’s presence.
She was so focused on her life, she didn’t recognize she was on the edge of a shift orchestrated by God to change their life.
She should have been sensitive to Godly spiritual things, yet the culture she had giving herself to seems to have captured her focus.
To the point, she didn’t even recognize the Angel of God as God’s messenger.

I won’t find God’s next season, or recognize God moving, while fixated on living in my comfort zone, wanting things the way it I want it, or the way things have been.

I think “remembering Lot’s wife also represents our resistance to change.
It feels like a major aspect of church life is a un-willingness to embrace change.
The greatest resistance to a fresh move of God is the people who enjoyed the experience of that last move.

We can get stuck in our mindset of revival mode – this is the way it was, so this is how revival will look.
“God I am totally willing for You to move, but I want the Holy Spirit to do this way.”
I want to be in control.

Ecclesiastes 3 – there is a time, there is a season, things keep moving, changing.
God has set a divine order and timing for all things, but there is movement forward.
God moves from season to season. Seasons mean change.

Lot’s wife was chosen by God to move into a new season, into the unknown.
Yet She had no idea that her season had changed.

Think about the major changes in seasons we have witnessed in the last few years.
Globally, Spiritually, Financially, Politically.
The happening of Coved.
The social atmosphere during President Joe Biden.
The social atmosphere during President Donald Trump.

I can’t move forward, focused on the rear-view mirror.
It’s hard to follow the Spirit if I am like Lot’s wife.

How many will agree that Peter, after Acts 2, became a world changer moving in the Holy Spirit in signs and wonders.
Yet I hear a warning for me in how much Peter resisted the “new shift” or “changing of season” when the Holy Spirit gave him the vision of the sheet being let down from heaven full of unclean animals.

I often say, “God I want a move of Your Holy Spirit – bring revival.
John 4:35 "Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!
Do you remember right after Jesus said this to His disciples, who showed up? The Samaritans. How did Jesus’ disciples feel about Samaritans?

Lk.17:33 “whoever seeks to save his life will lose it….”
Isa 43:19 “Behold, I will do a new thing…”

God, we want a fresh anointing for where we are going.
Help us to not be stuck with the way things happened in the past.
Lift up our eyes to where You are leading us.