“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!”…But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. Genesis 19: 17, 26
While our key verses for today teach on obedience and Lot’s wife’s clear disobedience to God’s instructions, verse 26 also speaks to me of regret. In Genesis 19, Abraham’s nephew Lot lived in the city of Sodom. As God was preparing to destroy the city, Abraham’s prayer sought to save Lot. As the story unfolds, Lot shows the customary hospitality to two strangers who are seemingly passing through Sodom. Lot is unaware these men are actually angels. When all of the town’s men show up at Lot’s doorstep to harm the strangers under Lot’s protection, the angels grab the hands of Lot, his wife, and two daughters and pull them to safety outside the city, telling them to run to the mountains and don’t look back at the destruction of Sodom. But Lot’s wife couldn’t help herself. She turned to give the town one last glance, a look that would cost her her life.
At the risk of turning into a pillar of salt (or stone as ancient historians have recorded), what made Lot’s wife turn back for one last look? Was it just sheer disobedience? Curiosity? Or could it be she was experiencing regret? Digging deeper into the Genesis text, I realized that Lot had other daughters in addition to the two that escaped with him. In Genesis 19:14, Lot urged his sons-in-law to leave the city with him but they laughed at him instead. Their wives were the sisters of the two daughters living at home. Perhaps Lot’s wife looked back to see if her other daughters were escaping the city, too. Or perhaps she knew they were not, and her mother-heart was filled with sadness, grief, and regret. Scholars believe that unlike her husband, Lot’s wife was from Sodom. Perhaps the look back was one of sadness to know that the rest of her extended family would soon perish. Or maybe she was filled with regret at not being able to bring her belongings with her. Whatever caused Lot’s wife to look back, her action was deadly.
Our own regrets can be emotionally deadly. I met someone recently who shared with me regrets he had involving a childhood friend. The guilt and blame he inflicted on himself over the years played havoc with his relationships until he came to terms with it through counseling. I could relate to his words as I have my own list of regrets. At the top of that list is not spending more time with my brother before he passed away. But other regrets surface, too, of bad choices in relationships, words said in haste and anger, opportunities missed, wrong opportunities taken.
Dictionary.com defines regret as “a feeling of sorrow or remorse” and “a sense of loss, disappointment, dissatisfaction”. Regret also involves a sense of guilt.
King David of Israel knew regret. His story of committing adultery and orchestrating the cover-up involving the murder of the husband wronged is recorded in the Bible in 2 Samuel 11-12. In this account, the prophet Nathan confronts David with his sin. David is struck with remorse, guilt, and sorrow over his actions. He pours out his heart to God in Psalm 51. Verses 10-12 say “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”
God can take whatever we’ve done, whatever regrets we have, and give us a fresh start. He can wash us clean from our sins and guilt and restore joy in our hearts. But to experience this renewal, we have to confess our wrong actions and acknowledge our regretful thoughts and feelings to Him. When we do, God meets us where we are, washes us clean, and sets our feet on a new path. We don’t have to look back to a place of guilt and regret. Our past does not define us. Instead of having hearts of stone, we’ll have pure, grateful hearts. Thanks be to God!
Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus Christ, to die for my sins. Belief in His sacrifice for my sake removes the stain of sin and regret. Wash me clean, O Lord, and create in me a pure heart. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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Text and photograph copyright © 2017 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the Côte d’Azur from the hilltop Jardin Exotique in Eze, France.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
While our key verses for today teach on obedience and Lot’s wife’s clear disobedience to God’s instructions, verse 26 also speaks to me of regret. In Genesis 19, Abraham’s nephew Lot lived in the city of Sodom. As God was preparing to destroy the city, Abraham’s prayer sought to save Lot. As the story unfolds, Lot shows the customary hospitality to two strangers who are seemingly passing through Sodom. Lot is unaware these men are actually angels. When all of the town’s men show up at Lot’s doorstep to harm the strangers under Lot’s protection, the angels grab the hands of Lot, his wife, and two daughters and pull them to safety outside the city, telling them to run to the mountains and don’t look back at the destruction of Sodom. But Lot’s wife couldn’t help herself. She turned to give the town one last glance, a look that would cost her her life.
At the risk of turning into a pillar of salt (or stone as ancient historians have recorded), what made Lot’s wife turn back for one last look? Was it just sheer disobedience? Curiosity? Or could it be she was experiencing regret? Digging deeper into the Genesis text, I realized that Lot had other daughters in addition to the two that escaped with him. In Genesis 19:14, Lot urged his sons-in-law to leave the city with him but they laughed at him instead. Their wives were the sisters of the two daughters living at home. Perhaps Lot’s wife looked back to see if her other daughters were escaping the city, too. Or perhaps she knew they were not, and her mother-heart was filled with sadness, grief, and regret. Scholars believe that unlike her husband, Lot’s wife was from Sodom. Perhaps the look back was one of sadness to know that the rest of her extended family would soon perish. Or maybe she was filled with regret at not being able to bring her belongings with her. Whatever caused Lot’s wife to look back, her action was deadly.
Our own regrets can be emotionally deadly. I met someone recently who shared with me regrets he had involving a childhood friend. The guilt and blame he inflicted on himself over the years played havoc with his relationships until he came to terms with it through counseling. I could relate to his words as I have my own list of regrets. At the top of that list is not spending more time with my brother before he passed away. But other regrets surface, too, of bad choices in relationships, words said in haste and anger, opportunities missed, wrong opportunities taken.
Dictionary.com defines regret as “a feeling of sorrow or remorse” and “a sense of loss, disappointment, dissatisfaction”. Regret also involves a sense of guilt.
King David of Israel knew regret. His story of committing adultery and orchestrating the cover-up involving the murder of the husband wronged is recorded in the Bible in 2 Samuel 11-12. In this account, the prophet Nathan confronts David with his sin. David is struck with remorse, guilt, and sorrow over his actions. He pours out his heart to God in Psalm 51. Verses 10-12 say “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”
God can take whatever we’ve done, whatever regrets we have, and give us a fresh start. He can wash us clean from our sins and guilt and restore joy in our hearts. But to experience this renewal, we have to confess our wrong actions and acknowledge our regretful thoughts and feelings to Him. When we do, God meets us where we are, washes us clean, and sets our feet on a new path. We don’t have to look back to a place of guilt and regret. Our past does not define us. Instead of having hearts of stone, we’ll have pure, grateful hearts. Thanks be to God!
Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus Christ, to die for my sins. Belief in His sacrifice for my sake removes the stain of sin and regret. Wash me clean, O Lord, and create in me a pure heart. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Want to subscribe to future posts? Click here.
Text and photograph copyright © 2017 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of the Côte d’Azur from the hilltop Jardin Exotique in Eze, France.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
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