Don't look back

 

In Genesis Chapter 19:1-36 we read how Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. I will not dwell on the story; I'm sure you know it well.

What I want to concentrate upon is Lot's wife. The angels who appeared to Lot advised him to leave the town and escape with his wife and daughters; and not to look back. As they left, Lot's wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt.

What is the lesson for us there? It is not necessarily that Lot's wife, (who is nameless in the Bible), disobeyed God's instructions. It is because she looked back and longed for her previous life. She looked back with envy, with longing to be back there in the comfort of her previous life and surroundings and friends. She did not want to move forwards to new horizons and a better future as offered by God.  

Reminiscent of the Israelites when they left Egypt with Moses and wanted to go back to the "comforts" of slavery where they had plenty to eat and drink.

Jesus reminds us about the dangers of looking back when He says, “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulphur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.” Luke 17:28-30

And again, in Luke 9:62 we read:  Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

There are many people in difficult situations right now and who are afraid to move forwards. It could be a wrong relationship, an abusive environment, addiction, wrong employment, being with a bad crowd, the wrong place in life altogether. And yet, one is afraid to move forwards and to try something new. To walk away and start afresh. People become too cosy, too comfortable, in the situation they are in to bother to move on and forwards hand in hand with God.

I appreciate that many cannot leave their present situations for a variety of reasons; and if so, they need to seek professional advice. But besides that, how many are there who can move on and start afresh and do not do so. Perhaps because of inertia or because they look back with longing for what they are about to leave behind if they move on.

God loves us; and He often speaks to us, opening doors and opportunities to move on, to change, to step forwards in blind faith that He will not let us down; and not to hang on to a situation that has gone wrong. By all means, we can look back and learn from our past; but it does not mean we should remain in our past.    

That's what Lot's wife did. She wanted to remain in her past. She looked back and longed to be there again.

God will sometimes lead us to new beginnings. When it is Him speaking He makes sure we know it is Him. Let us listen to His quiet still voice urging us to move on when He calls us. We are always in life in the very place that God wishes us to be; but there are times when He calls us for something new in His service.

Is anyone listening?

In the beginning ...

 

In the beginning, when God created the universe ... (Genesis 1:1 onwards).

Then God created Adam and gave him the task to name all the animals, birds and creatures of the sea. Adam was enthusiastic at first and as the animals passed by he said in monosyllables "Ant, bee, cat, dog, cow, pig ..." and so on.

In time, he became more adventurous and used longer words, "giraffe, horse, llama, lion, tiger, panther, zebra ..." and so on.

But there were many animals and birds, not to mention all the fishes in the sea, still to be named. So Adam grew tired and he could hardly keep his eyes open. When the next animal walked by him he said, "Hippopotamus amphibius or Choeropsis liberiensis or Hexaprotodon liberiensis depending on the size of the animal."

At which point God hit Adam on the head with a dead bat and said "Don't be too clever, lad!"

And that's how we got the word Hippopotamus.

Anyway, this went on for a while and Adam grew tired and forlorn, whatever forlorn means. So he asked God, "I wish I had some company other than these dumb animals!"

God scratched His beard and asked, "What do you want?"

Adam replied, "I wish I had another person like me ... but not totally like me if you understand what I mean. I like her to be beautiful. I want her to love me and to be faithful and loyal to me. To be always with me. To be able to cook and clean when things get a little untidy; but not when sports is on TV. And generally to be the best companion and friend any one in the world would wish for. "

"Good Lord!" said God mentioning Himself, "you're not asking for much are you? To have a wife like that would cost an arm and a leg!"

Adam hesitated and then replied, "All right ... what do I get for a rib?"

So God was pleased and told all His creations to go forth and multiply. 

A while later, (not sure how long), God came back to check, and sure enough, every one had had a good time and there were plenty of baby everything everywhere. Baby people, baby animals, baby fish, birds and so on. And God was pleased that they had learnt their multiplication tables.  

However, He noticed that there were only two snakes. So He asked them, "Did you not have a good time? Why did you not multiply as I said?"

 

They replied: "We are adders. We need logs to multiply!"

[Mathematical joke. Logs means logarithms.] E.G. log₂ 64 = 6

Mrs Frosdick-Borehead

I met Mrs Frosdick-Borehead two days ago. She is a very old lady who lives nearby. So old she is in Genesis; and I don't mean Genesis the rock group with Phil Collins. I meant the first book in the Bible which she helped edit.

She approached me as I was getting out the trash and she said, "Is that yourself ?"

I hesitated and said, "Yes ... it is me!"

She screwed her eyes a little to focus better and then added, "It is you ... isn't it?"

I smiled and replied gently, "yes ... I've always been me ... at least I was this morning when I checked!"

"Where have you been all these years," she said angrily, "I have not seen you for thirteen years. Ever since I asked you to go to the kitchen and get some olives!"

I did not know what to say for a moment or two. My mind focussed on the olives. I like olives. Black ones, green ones, with stones, without stones, stuffed with that red pimento something. How do they get that red thing in the olive? Is there a man with a hole punch making a small hole and then pushing in the pimento with a toothpick? Or are the olives grown with the pimento in them?

She interrupted my tasty train of thought.

"I bet you still haven't found the olives, have you?" she cried.

I wondered who she must have mistaken me for. Her husband perhaps. I've never met him. I assumed he was dead not in the kitchen looking for olives. Maybe he went in the kitchen and stepped into a magic portal which transported him to another world. Maybe he is in an olive grove somewhere in another world still searching for olives.

"Well, don't stand there like an idiot not saying a thing," she continued, "have you got the olives or not?"

I don't know why I said this next thing. May the Good Lord forgive me. The devil tempted me and I succumbed.

"Yes," I said, "I've got the olives. Let me get them for you."

I then went into the house and got her a jar of olives which we had bought just recently. A new jar. Unopened. Full of lovely olives with pimento inside each of them.

I gave it to her with a smile.

"I prefer the black ones," she said, "but these will do". And she walked away with my olives.

This morning, whilst pruning the roses in my front garden, a neighbour said to me, "I hear you got caught by Frosdick-Borehead the other day. She always asks people for things she wants to save her going to the supermarket. I gave her a packet of tea the other day. We always buy a few extra in case she asks again. You'd better stock up on olives!"

Abraham in Genesis

Some time later God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he answered. "Take your son," God said, "your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will show you." So Abraham got up early the next morning, saddled his donkey, and took along two of his servants and his son Isaac. He split wood for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had designated. (Genesis 22:1)

I have never understood this Bible story. I am sure you know it. God asked Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice. Just as Abraham lifted his hand with a knife ready to kill his son, an Angel stopped him. Abraham had proved he would obey his God.

If this story happened in modern times the police and social services would soon be knocking at Abraham's door. Abraham would be prosecuted and most probably pronounced insane and would spend the rest of his life in a mental home. Poor Isaac would never recover from the traumatic experience and would sleep with one eye open from thereon.

What I cannot understand is why would God go to such dramatic lengths to test Abraham's love and obedience? If God is all-knowing, surely He would know that Abraham loved Him and would obey. Did God not think of the traumatic effect this episode would have on Isaac?

When I go through difficult times, (often), I ask the Lord, "Why are you testing me so if you already know how I would react?"

He never responds; and I often go through the bad times, and, perhaps, I learn something from the experience.

However, the Abraham story, and my experiences, beg some questions to which I would like your opinions.

Does God test us every now and then?

Why? He already knows how we would react.

What possible purpose would our being tested have as part of God's plan?

Now read this bit from St Paul’s letter to the Corinthians a couple of times.

“Every test that you have experienced is the kind that normally comes to people. But God keeps His promise, and He will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, He will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out”. 
(1 Corinthians Chapter 10 Verse 13).

Let’s face it – God is not in the business of losing His followers. Those devoted to Him. It does not further His cause one bit if His own followers are so tested by the world’s evils that they loose their Faith in Him. This is contrary to His love for us. He will not allow us to just perish.

So why do you think we are sometimes tested?

Over to you ... ... ...    

Genesis

GENESIS Chapter 2 Verse 18-19

God took some soil from the ground and made the birds and animals and brought them to Adam so he can name them.

At first, Adam was very hesitant, and as each animal passed in front of him he mumbled monosyllables: "Ant, bee, cat, dog, cow, pig ..." and so on.

In time, he became more adventurous and used longer words, "giraffe, horse, llama, tiger, panther, zebra ..." and so on.

But there were many animals and birds, not to mention all the fishes in the sea, still to be named. So Adam grew tired and he could hardly keep his eyes open. When the next animal walked by him he said "Hippopotamus amphibius or Choeropsis liberiensis or Hexaprotodon liberiensis depending on the size of the animal."

At which point God hit Adam on the head with a dead bat and said "Don't be too clever, lad!"

And that's how we got the word Hippopotamus.

Make sure you spell it correctly.

And don't abbreviate it to Hippo. For Adam's sake!

Genesis - Without Phil Collins

GENESIS Chapter 2 Verse 18-19

God took some soil from the ground and made the birds and animals and brought them to Adam so he can name them.

At first, Adam was very hesitant, and as each animal passed in front of him he mumbled monosyllables: "Ant, bee, cat, dog, cow, pig ..." and so on.

In time, he became more adventurous and used longer words, "giraffe, horse, llama, tiger, panther, zebra ..." and so on.

But there were many animals and birds, not to mention all the fishes in the sea, still to be named. So Adam grew tired and he could hardly keep his eyes open. When the next animal walked by him he said "Hippopotamus amphibius or Choeropsis liberiensis or Hexaprotodon liberiensis depending on the size of the animal."

At which point God hit Adam on the head with a dead bat and said "Don't be too clever, lad!"

And that's how we got the word Hippopotamus.

Make sure you spell it correctly.

And don't abbreviate it to Hippo. For Adam's sake!