Almost Saved

You will do well to read all of Genesis 19 but we will take our emphasis from 16-17.

When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them. As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, "Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!" Gen 19:16-17NIV

Remember Lot's wife! Luke 17:32NIV

The account of Lot’s wife is one of those parts of scripture I don’t like to look at more than once. Similar to this is the account of Samson and Delilah. I look at these scriptures with trepidation and always hear my heart pounding as I move from verse to verse.

This woman’s story is one terrible example of wasted opportunities and privileges.

1. Her husband was reported as a righteous man. No matter what was happening in Sodom, the presence of a godly husband covered her, hence the angelic visitors.

2. She prepared food which heavenly visitors ate and this I see as a great honor. Just like those of us who serve in prominent offices in churches.

3. She obviously shared in the food and had such close proximity with those angels. Many would give anything for such experience; to host and feast with angels

4. She witnessed raw manifestation of the power of God as those angels struck the violent men that were pressing in to break down her door with blindness and she heard them groping about as they bemoaned their misfortune. Just like those of us who have met and served under anointed servants of God

5. It was in her company that her husband left those heavenly visitors as he went out to seek other souls. In his own view, she was safe and counted as confirmed candidate for heaven

6. The angels laid holy heavenly hands on her and brought her beyond the scourge of flames of divine anger. 

7. I mean that they touched her; angels touched her hands and made sure that she was safe

8. She was not the only person so saved but her entire family; there was nothing close to her left in those cursed cities. Just like those of us from godly homes where everyone serves the Lord

9. Age was on her side to have reasoned better because her two daughters were younger. Yes, it was her place to caution her daughters to heed the instruction of the angels but she was the one that failed to listen

10. The instruction was not one hard thing to do; it was simple, DON’T LOOK BACK. God has secured everything; just keep moving forward

The Lord Jesus Christ chose to use this woman’s story to warn the Church about what the end of the age will be like. REMEMBER LOT’S WIFE

I want to state here that many people in the day of destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah did not know about the visit of the angels until fire fell from heaven. Yet, my lamentation is for the woman who had all the privileges and for whom all opportunities abounded, yet she did not make it at last. She was not destroyed with the fire from heaven but met her doom alone. Permit me to say further that her family might not have known that somebody was missing in their company until they arrived in the safe abode. 

May it not be that we will only know that you have looked back when the rest of us arrive in heaven. You are still with us and you even preach with us but….

Wasn’t the punishment too severe?

As it is, unlike us, she was not told the nature of the punishment for those who looked back; there was no bible and there was no story for them to learn from. Yet, the punishment was instant and too harsh, but then, that was the punishment and that was how she ended up. God is the one to detect, not us.

What excuse then shall we give, if we continued to live in disobedience to the commands of God?

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? Heb 10:26-29NIV

You man or woman in the church and yet you deliberately do the things that the Lord has commanded us not to do; what shall you give as excuse?

You Christian that have repeatedly argued that God is too kind to send His beloved children to hellfire, pause and REMEMBER LOT’S WIFE.

She was not a prostitute, she was not a murderer, she was not a kidnapper nor did she do any of those horrible things we scream against every day.

She only LOOKED BACK!

Yet, that sin was enough to doom her. It was just simple disobedience and it was not disobedience in a great matter.

She just moved her neck and looked back.

She was almost saved but then…..

Can you please bow your head in prayer and cry …

Lord, HELP ME!

Emma your brother emmanjnwosu@pnurnigeria.org