Don’t Look Back!

Gen. 19.26

God told them “look not behind thee”, verse 17. Yet Lot’s wife “looked back from behind him”. The result was not good. In a few days I will turn sixty years old. Until this birthday I have never had any regrets or sadness because of another year disappearing. But this time I have had many thoughts of things I could have done different, or if I had a chance to “do over”, I may not do the same. Thank God that each time I started to “look back” I was reminded of how useless that process is. Let’s look at some reasons that we “look back”.

1. Lot’s wife “looked back from behind him”, verse 26.

• She was doing more than just taking a quick glance, she was really suffering loss.
  1. We are all going to suffer loss at some time in life, some sooner, some later.
  2. Our grip on those losses will cause us to not obey God, or even get made at God.
  3. Your childhood may have been very traumatic, looking back is not always a good thing.
• She was losing status, “Lot sat in the gate of Sodom”, verse 1, he was of importance.
  1. If you come from a poor background, you don’t want to go back.
  2. If you come from a rich background, you really don’t want to be poor.
  3. Paul learned to be content, 4:11
• She was leaving Family and friends, verses 14-15, she had other daughters.
  1. Loss of these through death will happen to us all.
  2. Loss of these because of relocation.
  3. Loss of these because of Christ, John 15:18
• She could have had a fear of looking forward- the unknown, leaving her comfort zone.

2. We are supposed to forget those things which are behind, 3:13-14.

Our identity is made up of what we do or what we have, and not who we are in Christ.

Your job can become your identity, such as a mother loses her identity when the children leave the house. Athletes lose their identity when they no longer compete, etc.

• 3:1-8, No trust or confidence in the flesh, gain for you, loss for Christ
• 3:9, You have the righteousness of Christ
• 3:10-11, You have access to power and fellowship
• 3:12-13, Paul had not attained it completely, so neither have we.
• 3:14, We must press forward, and not look back.