Great Balls Of Fire

By John Stallings



Two men stood on a hill overlooking the lush, fertile plain below.

One of the men was quite old, the other very young -but both were super- rich. It’s interesting that the young man was rich. That would have been quite unusual in that era.

It was obvious that these men & their flocks were taking up a lot of room & logistically speaking it was best that they split up.

Abraham, the uncle, told his nephew Lot, “you take the direction you want & I’ll take what’s left.” Pretty large of the older man wouldn’t you say? Since this is one of the oldest stories in the Bible we all know what happened. Lot made a bad choice. He immediately transitioned toward & acquired property close to the big city of Sodom.

Five cities, Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zebolim & Bela [Zoar] dotted the plain of Jordan. In this fertile plain Lot chose to settle. Evidently Sodom & Gomorrah were the chief cities. Sodom was a beautiful place. The temperature was nice practically all year round. It was full of palm trees, olive orchids & flowers bloomed everywhere. Sodom sounds a lot like Palm Springs California to me.

The men of Sodom were mean, evil, wicked & nasty & that’s just their good traits. They were homosexuals. Since children were still being born, many of these rascals must have been bi-sexual. I read somewhere that a large percentage of young Hollywood actors/actresses are bi-sexual. Just a point of information.

The men of Sodom wanted wives to cook & clean for them, then at night they’d go chasing men while their wives went chasing women. What a sick place. Lot had two daughters that he took to live among these reprobates.

We don’t need to know much else than God’s destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah to realize that He especially despises homosexuality. Some people would put this sin in the same category as others but in truth, any place we look in the Bible- from cover to cover -where homosexuality is mentioned, it’s abjectly condemned. To say that homosexuality is an alternative form of sexuality is like saying that bulimia is an alternative form of eating & that drunkenness is an alternative form of drinking. Homosexuality is nothing less than a wholesale abandonment of God’s ways with respect to sexuality.

God loves the homosexual but He hates homosexuality. Did Lot know what a rotten town Sodom was? Of course he knew. But he reasoned; “all these sinners will buy my corn, oil, cattle & wool. And besides that I’ll be in a fertile mission field & I’ll be a light in a dark place.” Right. It’s obvious that Lot had no impact on Sodom but Sodom decimated his family & almost killed him.

The Bible says that “Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom.” He wanted to be facing the big city. However, it wasn’t long before Lot & family were living in Sodom. The next step was that Sodom finally moved into Lot & his family. We see here the progressive nature of sin. Satan is incredibly patient. Lot may have eventually been Sodom’s mayor. Lot’s wife especially liked the raucous lifestyle of the town.

One evening two men [angels] visited with Lot & Lot invited them to stay for a meal. As the evening wore on the angels unfolded to Lot God’s plans to destroy the city, admonishing he & his family to flee. To see how perverted they were, in Genesis 19, we read about the men of Sodom surrounding Lot’s house desiring to gang-rape the visiting angels inside the house. God struck the men blind so they failed in their attempt. A sickening aspect of the story is that Lot tried to appease the mob by offering his own daughters to them but this only roused them against him. The depravity of these men was so deep that both young & old, rich & poor participated in this grotesque riot.


HUGE FIRE BALLS FELL FROM HEAVEN ON SODOM

The next morning a small cloud appeared over the city of Sodom. The Angels continued to beg Lot & his family to leave. Lot didn’t want to go & his wife lingered even longer. She wanted to sort through her jewelry & the daughters wanted to pick out some clothes. The women folk dillydallied around & Lot argued with the angels.

But the lightening produced huge balls of sulfuric fire & poured torrents of blazing brimstone & scalding sulfur from the sky as the heaving earth belched oil & pitch from beneath. Fire came from heaven like hell was breaking loose & hurricane like wind swept the fire over the city & the plain.

Balls of fire fell on Lot’s wife as she stood there lingering & looking back & she was struck dead & became a pillar of salt.

UNUSUAL ADVICE FROM JESUS - “REMEMBER LOT’S WIFE”

In Luke 17:32 Jesus uttered one of the shortest verses in the Bible;-Remember Lot’s wife.

Certainly everything Jesus said should be remembered. As a matter of fact Jesus never said anything that wasn’t vitally important.

However, Jesus is clearly exhorting us to remember someone. Isn’t it interesting that Jesus never asked us to remember Abraham? Isn’t it interesting that He never asked us to remember Isaac, or Jacob, or Sarah, or Hannah or Ruth? Jesus could have told us to remember & ponder on the great flood of Noah’s day. He could have requested of us that we remember the rebellion of Adam & Eve our first parents. He could have asked us to remember ancient Israel & their deliverance from Egyptian bandage.

 Jesus asks us to remember something that happened 1900 years before he was born, & really one of the “less memorable” things in all of Holy Writ. He singles out only one person to be remembered & that was a person who was lost forever. He cries out—Remember Lot’s wife.

Jesus was saying this in the context of His own second coming to judge the world; he’s describing the awful state of unpreparedness in which many souls will be found. Jesus isn’t saying this to the Scribes & Pharisees who hated Him, but Peter, James & John & many others who loved Him. Even to these good folk He sees fit to warn—Remember Lot’s wife. He speaks as if we are in danger of forgetting something exceedingly important. He speaks of Lot’s wife & wants us to keep firmly in our minds what happened to her. He cries out—Remember Lot’s wife.

Remember- that Lot’s wife was a favored woman.

Remember- that she had a believer for a husband.

Remember- that she had an uncle by marriage who was the father of the faithful.

Remember- that Lot’s wife lived close to these two men & she knew their God was real.

Remember- that she knew her husband & uncle served God not out of religious formality. - Serving God was the ruling principle of their lives.

Remember- that having a Christian relative isn’t enough to save anyone.

Remember-that spiritual advantage won’t open heaven’s doors to anyone.

Remember- that Lot’s wife saw the angels who came to warn & rescue them.

Remember- an angel took her by the hand to lead her out of the city.

“Remember Lot’s wife.”

Remember that close association with good people even spiritual people doesn’t rub off on us. Joab was David’s captain. Gehazi was Elisha’s servant. Demas was Paul’s companion & Judas was Christ’s disciple. These all died in their sins showing that rubbing shoulders with spiritual friends or relatives won’t save us; only God’s Grace can do that.

"Remember Lot’s wife."

WE SHOULD TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT WHO’S ASKING HERE.

This is asked by no mere man. The one doing the asking here is none other than God’s only son, the Lord Jesus Christ himself. You will remember that when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, God’s voice was heard to say; - this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased-HEAR YE HIM!
We should honor the request to remember Lot’s wife if for no other reason than the fact that it was made by none other than God’s Son.

WE SHOULD REMEMBER LOT’S WIFE BECAUSE SHE LIVED IN A DAY NOT UNLIKE OUR DAY.

We can see many parallels between Sodom of old & our beloved America. Homosexuality, free love, pre-martial sex, cross dressing, same sex marriages, & spouse trading are all being accepted as alternative lifestyles.

AIDS has killed & is killing millions & man is trying to find a cure for it. In my opinion we should stop looking for a cure & start looking at the CAUSE of it which is SIN! If we get rid of the CAUSE we won’t need the CURE!

Maybe we should remember Lot’s wife because she was warned of judgment to come just as you & I have been warned.

WE SHOULD REMEMBER LOT’S WIFE BECAUSE SHE CAME SO CLOSE TO BEING SAVED.

She made an honest effort to be saved. Unlike her sons-in-law who made no effort to escape the wrath of God, Lot’s wife actually left Sodom with her hand in an angel’s hand. If we miss heaven by a few inches we may as well have missed it by a million miles.

“Almost” is a sad word in anybody’s dictionary. In Acts 26:28 Agrippa told Paul that he’d almost persuaded him to be a Christian. Almost is a traveling companion to expressions like “If only,” as we say in the South, “near bout.” “Almost” smacks of missed opportunities & fumbled chances.

THE RICH YOUNG RULER

This young man’s story is repeated in Matthew, Mark, & Luke. Each version is slightly different so we tend to mix it all together into one composite story. This wealthy young man came running to Christ to learn more about the eternal life He preached. Jesus told him to go sell his possessions & give the money to the poor & come follow Him.

Jesus wasn’t against money neither was He against prosperity. Money in itself is morally neutral. When Nicodemus came to Christ, he wasn’t asked to sell his possessions. The reason He required this of the young man was that Jesus knew he was using his money as a security blanket & not trusting God. But neither did Jesus make the offer to Nicodemus that he made to this young man. He actually told him that after he had liquidated all his possessions, he could come & follow Him. This young man turned down an offer that was made to precious few people. People were usually encouraged by Jesus to stay where they were & be faithful, but Jesus must have had a place for this young man. He could actually have been one of Christ’s disciples. One of the saddest passages in the Bible is—he went away sorrowful for he had great wealth. The rich young ruler almost found eternal life, but Jesus’ instructions to sell everything he had & give it to the poor to him was way too much.

I remember the great preacher, the late C.M Ward saying once that the main reason he didn’t want to go to hell was because of all the stupid people who would be there. At first that might sound a little snarky but this is what Ward meant; God arranged for all our sins & mess-ups to be transferred to the shoulders of Jesus when He died on the cross. In exchange, we can be clothed with the righteousness of Christ. What a trade! All we must do is endorse it by faith, confess our sins, & trust in the risen Christ as our personal Lord & Savior. Ward’s thought was that anyone who’d stumble over that fifteen second transaction, has to be a little stupid.

Lot’s wife took a step in the right direction. She separated herself from her sinful surroundings even though the angels had to hold her hand & lead her out. She was being whisked out of harms way by heaven’s angels & was given the instructions—Escape for your life-Look not behind thee….lest thou be consumed. Genesis 19:17

WE SHOULD REMEMBER LOT’S WIFE BECAUSE SHE REFUSED THE SIMPLE WARNING OF GOD.

When Lot, his two daughters & his wife were led out of Sodom they were all warned not to look back. But as they reached the little town of Zoar, Lot’s wife turned & looked back. She was out of Sodom but Sodom wasn’t out of her. When she looked back, she was immediately turned into a pillar of salt. In one scintillating moment she lost her life & her soul.

What a contrast this story is to the testimony of the great Apostle Paul. He said—

This one thing I do, forgetting those which are behind & pressing toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13,14

A FINAL QUESTION

What did Jesus really mean by that cryptic expression—Remember Lot’s wife? What does that woman who lived & died so long ago have to do with people who’re watching the closeout of history?

After all Lot’s wife did leave the city. Her only fault was her focus problems. She looked back. Lot’s wife serves as a warning to all of us. Jesus said,-No one having put his hand to the plow & looking back is fit for the kingdom of God.

You & I can’t cling to heaven with one hand & cling to hell with the other. We can’t walk the broad road to hell & the narrow road to eternal life simultaneously. We can’t leave a world of sin by looking longingly over our shoulder missing what we left behind.

Hebrews says,

For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, & every transgression & disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord & was confirmed to us by those who heard them.

We aren’t told what Lot’s wife’s eternal destiny was but given the fact God saw her sin as great enough to deserve a death sentence, it’s likely the sentence was permanent. Many people sin & don’t let it bother them because they’re certain God will forgive them of anything. I believe what we could use in 2015 is a good healthy dose of reverential fear of the one who sits upon that throne.

Hebrews also says;--Therefore since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to come short of it.

Listen again to Jesus’ words;

Woe to you Korazin! Woe to you Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre & Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth & ashes.

But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre & Sidon on the Day of Judgment than for you. And you Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the Day of Judgment than for you.—Matthew 11:21-24.

While we’re remembering Lot’s wife, let’s not forget Lot. He didn’t fare so well either did he? How much did he lose in Sodom? He lost his wife & all his possessions. What happened to him can happen to any of us who love the world more than we love God.

Sodom still lives, not externally but internally. We can see traces of Sodom in our beloved America. We can follow the way of Abraham or we can go the way of Lot.

Why did our Lord admonish us to –Remember Lot’s wife? Jesus spoke those words because He knows if we don’t remember her, if we forget her story, the dreadful prospect exists that we will repeat her mistake.


Blessings,


John