Episode 7 - The Danger of Looking Back (Genesis 19:17)

Have you ever found yourself looking back at a season God already called you out of?

In this episode, Val explores the story of Lot's wife and the powerful warning God gave as He led Lot and his family out of Sodom: "Don't look back."

Together, we'll uncover why looking back is often more than a glance—it can reveal where our hearts are still attached. Through this familiar story, you'll discover the danger of holding on to the past when God is calling you forward into something new.

If you've been struggling to let go of a relationship, a season, a disappointment, or a former way of life, this message will encourage you to trust God, keep moving forward, and resist the temptation to return to what He has already delivered you from.

Because sometimes the greatest danger isn't where God brought you from—it's refusing to let it go.

Scriptures Referenced:
Genesis 19
Matthew 5:13-14
Philippians 3:13-14

Thank you for listening to Valetha's Greatest Moments with God.

If today's episode encouraged you, be sure to follow the podcast and share it with a friend.

Until next time,

Hear God's Voice.
Find Healing.
Build Intimacy and Trust.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hello, and welcome to Valetha's Greatest Moments with God. I am so glad you're here because in this space we are going to hear God's voice, find healing, and build intimacy and trust. So, what are we talking about in this episode? Don't look back. So, we're going to dig into the story found in Genesis when God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. But right before he did, he poured out Lot and his wife and his daughters. And he was instructed, the whole family was don't look back. So we're going to talk about specifically Lot's wife and how because she looked back, she died on her way out. So if you don't know the story that is found in the Bible about Sodom and Gomorrah, let me talk to you a little bit about it today. So, overview quickly. Abraham and God were meeting at their usual spot, um, talking about whatever they talk about in prayer. Before Abraham came over, and I'm paraphrasing this story in Genesis, but when Abraham finally met up with God, God had something on his heart he knew he had to do, but he was bringing that conversation up with Abraham. So they talked about the city of Sodom and Gomorrah and how there was so much evilness and wickedness in the city. So God told Abraham, look, I'm about to destroy the city. Well, Abraham knew that he had family in that city, but he also knew how bad and corrupt that city was. So after interceding, is what I like to say, but he went back and forth with God and said, God, if you find 50 people, save the city. If you find 40 people, save the city. God, if you just find a few, just save the city. So God agreed. So he sent his angels down to the city, take a look of the land, and report back what you see. Long story short, Lot, who was in the city, God had made a decision. It's time to destroy the city, but I will save Lot and his all those that Lot can bring to him and say, This group is going out. Well, Lot had his wife and his daughters. And if you know the story, he also tried to save the daughters' future husbands, but they just didn't want to come. So he grabbed those who would come out. But in the midst of going out, in the midst of running out, the angels grabbed Lot and said, It's time you need to leave right now. And when you do leave, I'm going to pull out the Bible so I can quote exactly what he said. The angels were talking about. So with the coming of dawn, and I'm in Genesis 19, starting with verse 15. And this is the NIV version, by the way. With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, Hurry, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished. When he hesitated, they're talking about Lot, the men grabbed his hands anyway, and his wife and his two daughters and led them safely out of the city. For the Lord was merciful to them. As soon as they were brought them out, one of them said, Flee for your lives, and don't look back and don't stop anywhere in the plane. Flee to the mountains, or you're going to be swept away. So I was en route with my son in the car, and we were driving to a specific place. Actually, he had to play football, so I had to be Uber mom today. I had my older son give me a call. And there is, I guess, a group, some um, and he told me who the group was. I don't want to mess it up, but they have a song out called Sodom and Gabor, and they're literally talking about the things that kind of happened in the city, and so it sparked my son's curiosity so much that he pulled the Bible out and read that story in Genesis 19. I was more impressed. My son got enough from a song that he wanted to go in the Bible in itself and read on the story. He was so just like, wow, I can't believe God actually destroyed a city like that. I just can't believe he did that. And then what caught his attention the most is why did God kill Lot's wife? And when she died, why did she turn into a pillow of star? So he had some very specific questions, and that's what brought about this topic today that I'm titling Don't Look Back. So let's start off with what the angels specifically told Lot, his wife, and the and his two daughters when they were escaping. He said in Genesis 19 and 17, Escape for your life, do not look behind you, do not stay anywhere in the valley, escape to the mountains, lest you will be swept away. Now God gave Lot and his family specific instructions. And what's so key here is what I read in the earlier verses. Let me grab my Bible. Lot didn't just give it to the angels, did not give it to just Lot. He also gave it to the wife, and he gave it to the children. He wanted to make sure that those instructions were very clear because God was coming to destroy the city, but God wanted to make sure those who He said can get out, get out, but they had to follow each instruction to the T. What were those clear instructions God gave? He said, escape. He said, Don't do not stop, keep it moving. And he said, Do not look back. Now, some of us were asked, Well, what is wrong with looking back? And then I tried, me and my son was having this conversation. He was like, Mom, but it's natural. If you're running and you're fleeing and you hear a lot of commotion going on behind you as you're going, it's kind of natural where you want to look back. But you know, she okay, so she looked back, but God, God just God, you know, just turned her into a pillar of star. She died right on the spot. So, looking at it from a biblical sense, so I had to do some digging in that one. And what I learned that many scholars believe Lyot's wife wasn't simply just glancing behind her to say, Oh my gosh, what's that commotion? Wow, did you hear that big boom that went in the city? Oh my gosh, let me take a look. The when you look at it from a biblical sense as to why she looked back, and then scholars came back and said that the Hebrew implication suggests more than just a quick look. Maybe she lingered, maybe she had in her heart that she was longing for the place that she's leaving, and she wanted to look back, and because she was looking back, her heart was still kind of where she was. So even though her body was physically running, her heart might have still been in that space. So let's let's kind of take a look at this. We have where we always hear God is moving us to new territories, new situations, new seasons, new open doors. But when that door opens and it's time to go through it, God tells us don't look back, don't go back to where you came from. He always makes sure that we continue to embrace the new things, but that means we have to release those things that are behind us. You have to understand that when God has moved you forward, he also understands where your heart is positioned, he also understands what you are still kind of emotionally attached to. So he gave specific instructions. He didn't say walk, he didn't say let's stroll our way on out. No, he said flee. And when you look up flee, flee means run, like like everything depends on it. I need you to get out, and why not look back? Because you're instantly reminded of what you're walking away from, and the heart is always good. This is why I've gotten in trouble plenty of times growing up, is that it remembers the good things of a situation, and it tends to block out where you forget the bad times. Have you ever been in a past relationship where you were in a relationship with someone, then you guys separated, and then a couple months, years later, you see that person again, and you're instantly reminded of all the good times you had, the good things you did together, what it felt like to be with them, and you just don't even recall why you broke up in the first place until you're back together again, and then those bad things remind you this is why you left in the first place. God understands that, that's why he told Lot's wife, don't even look back, don't for a second try to turn and shift and try to go into those memories, but instead flee. And then he specifically told her, don't even stop halfway, keep going until you reach the mountaintop. Why did he do that? He did it because he knew where we could make it, where we would find strength, where we can be reassured. But for me, this is my interpretation. I think he did it because if we go so far in the future that even if we try to look back, we too far away from it, that it's not even worth it. But when you get to a point where you try to keep forward and you find yourself in the middle from where you left, and you haven't quite arrived to where you're going. They hadn't reached that mountaintop. In the middle of that is when she turned around. In the middle of when you first step out, you're out of your comfort zone. This newness is not always a good feeling. Sometimes it's scary. You're in new territories, you're not around the people you used to be with. You knew what to do back in the era. That's just like when the um the Hebrews left Egypt and they were walking around in the wilderness, and then they said, Well, at least I had a meal back when I was back in Egypt. At least I knew where I was sleeping when I got back when I was laying in Egypt. They could instantly understand from being in a place where they were comfortable and familiar with the surroundings, they knew what to expect, they knew what to do. Even though they were slaves, they had to endure turmoil and hardship and all that cruelty that comes with that environment. That part was easily not in their mindset. It's natural for people that when they get their deliverance, when they start walking through that open door, because they facing new challenges, new situations that it takes God to help get them through, that they want to cling back to their old way of life. Now, another thing that came out of that conversation with my son is the salt. He was like, Why does she turn into a pillar of salt? You know, why she just didn't die and her body just fell? What's what is the salt? That is a very interesting topic as to why God had her turn into a pillar of salt, but he was also showing us or reminding us in that passage that we are the salt of the earth. Isn't that what the Bible tells us? So, what when you think about salt, what is salt known for? What does it do? So we had that conversation. Salt is used for preserving things, you know. When you have meat and you pack salt all around it, it keeps that meat placed. Salt keeps things from changing. So as that meat is still processing, it doesn't have you know, it's packed with the salt, right? Amen. Think about when you put salt on something that is has no flavor, meat, any type of food, when you add a little salt to it, it gives it a little bit more richness, it gives it a little bit more flavor to make it go a little bit more satisfying when you taste and eat. So now if I take that and try to apply it to what Lot's wife was doing, she herself was we're salt of the earth, right? But she was not utilizing her salt in the earth like God intended for us to do. So, what do I mean by that? When we are considered salt of the earth, if we find that verse in Matthew 5 and 13, Matthew 5 and 13 literally says you are the salt of the earth. So salt has purpose. We just talked about how it perseveres, so it perseveres righteousness. Salt is used as influencers in the environment, or it brings flavor. We talked about that. So when you think about your purpose here on earth, and when God places you in certain rooms, certain situations, gives you certain assignments, you are doing that on behalf of showing off his light to whomever is in that space. And what are you doing in that moment? You're adding to the environment, you're being an influence, you're bringing light to dark situations. I like to say you're bringing a little flavor into the room, right? But we also notice that God does say, if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? That contrast is powerful. Lot's wife became salt, she lost her saltiness. How could she do that? It's because when she went through, she made it halfway down the road, but she looked back. She was still clinging to what she just walked out of. And when you cling to what you just left, when you constantly looking back and being reminded and reminiscing, and oh, how I wish things could be like they used to be. So as you are taking steps forward, that light is shining bright to let you see which way to go. Now, when you leave your past, when you leave things that you used to cling on to, it is a frightening experience, it's uncomfortable because you have left familiarity. We all have gone through that, and what did the Lord tell me when I did when I walked out? He said, get used to being uncomfortable. Because sometimes when you're walking with God, it is not going to always want to be comfortable, but we always got the enemy that's in our ear reminding us, do you remember when? Do you remember when you used to do this? Do you remember when this was that? Do you remember what you have that? And all those good memories, which are very good, instantly pop back up, and we seem to forget why we left in the first place. So God is asking for us to move forward, to stay focused on the things ahead, and don't look back, don't turn around because if you haven't gone out far enough, you too can die in the process because you're holding on to what's behind you and it's slowing you down from grabbing what he has placed in front of you. So I'm gonna ask you, what door has God called you out of? And just like the angels told Lot and his wife and his two daughters, he said, flee! He said, run forward and don't look back. What door have you walked through that you have started going, but you haven't arrived? Because he told him to keep going until you reach the mountaintop. So because you haven't reached that mountain yet, what are you still looking back at? And God has already called you out of it. Remember that when she went through, Lot didn't die in Sodom. God pulled her out of that city before he released his punishment on that place. She died between where God had brought her from and where God was taking her to. She died in the process. Many believers are not trapped in their past because God has already opened the door. He has already made a way. He has already pulled you out of that situation. That door is open and you did walk through. But a lot of believers get trapped when they're in the middle because they haven't reached the mountaintop yet. But they turned around because they were still trying to hold on to something in the past. So we learn a very, very, very, very special point here found in Philippians 3, 13, and 14. Forgetting those things which are behind us and reaching forth unto those things which are before us. I press towards the mark. When Paul wrote that verse in Philippians, he understood one thing, or a couple things. He understood something that Lot's wife didn't pick up. Is that one you can't look back? You cannot go back. Paul says just forget it. Forget those things behind you. You have to forget those things. And how do you forget it? By reaching forward to the things which are in front of you. Pressing sometimes because it's not an easy journey. It doesn't feel good when you're in an uncomfortable, unfamiliar environment. But he says, press towards the mark and reach, reach for it until you arrive. Amen. So I hope today's episode really encouraged you, really challenged you to really ask yourself what door, what situation, what season did God pull me out of. But yet I am finding myself looking back. When he told me to flee and don't stop running until you arrive to your mountaintop. Ask God to help you get through it. Ask God to help you as Paul told us. Just forget about it, forget it. And the best way to do it is to reach, reach for the what's in front of you. Allow his light to illuminate the pathway, to make it easier, even if you take one step at a time. So I hope this encouraged you. I hope it blessed you. And I can't wait to see you in the next episode. I'm Val Mitchell, and I'll see you soon. Bye bye.