When Love Goes Wrong Genesis 19:15-16

In the book of Genesis beginning in chapters 11 & 12 we are told that Abram at the age of 75, and upon the death of his father, Terah, was told by God to leave his homeland for another land that He would show and give to him, and that Abram obeyed the Lord.

He took with him Lot, his brother Haran’s son. The Bible tells us that both Abram and Lot as livestock farmers prospered to the point the land could no longer support and their huge flocks. So, they decided to part ways. Even though God had promised the land to Abram, Abram allowed Lot to take his choice of the land to decide where he wanted to live. We read in Genesis 13:10-12

“And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom.”

The scriptures also give us a footnote in vs 13: 

“Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD.”

The scripture for our message takes us a little over 20 years down the road from the decision Lot made to choose to live in the area around Sodom. Over those last 20 years, the situation in Sodom had not improved. It had gotten much worse. It had gotten so wicked, that God had decided that the city of Sodom, along with Gomorrah and other small towns had to be destroyed.

And that is where we pick up with Genesis 19:15-17: 

15 As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.” 16 But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. 17 And as they brought them out, one said, “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.”

Now, one would think that having the opportunity to be spared from this destruction, Lot would have just agreed and followed orders, but Lot had to argue and try to make a deal more to his liking. We read on in verses 18-20:

18 And Lot said to them, “Oh, no, my lords. 19 Behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life. But I cannot escape to the hills, lest the disaster overtake me and I die. 20 Behold, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me escape there—is it not a little one?—and my life will be saved!”

Now before we come down too hard on Lot, isn’t that also what we often do? God gives us instructions, but we think we know better than Him, so we try to play “Let’s Make a Deal”.

I can only imagine that this angel was beginning to lose patience with Lot. God had given him a job to do, and he couldn’t do it until he got Lot out of the way. Can’t you hear the exasperation in his voice as He says to Lot:

21 He said to him, “Behold, I grant you this favor also, that I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken. 22 Escape there quickly, for I can do nothing till you arrive there.”

And then we read in vs 23-25:

“23 The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar. 24 Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the LORD out of heaven. 25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.”

Prayer

The year was 1965 Hal David and Burt Bacharach wrote a song that was released on April 15 and reached number 7 on the US Hot 100 in July of that year. The song was sung by Jackie DeShannon. It started off with the lyrics: “What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It's the only thing that there's just too little of.”

THE EMPHASIS ON LOVE

The word “love” first appears in Genesis 22:2 when it tells us that Abraham “loved” his son, Issac.

We find “love” all throughout God’s Word. In the KJV, it appears 310 times. In the NKJV it’s mentioned 361 times. The ESV, 551 times and the NLT mentions love 645 times!

We are told that God is love, and that we love Him because He first loved us.

In 1 Corinthians 13 we are told:

“13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

In the New Testament there are at least 28 commands to love. We are told to love God, and we are told to love one another. We are told to love sincerely and we are told to love obediently. We are told to love as brothers and men, we are told to love our wives. We are even told to love our enemies.

In John 3:16 we read:

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

2. THE WARNING ABOUT LOVE

After reading so much about love, you would think we should love everybody and everything every time, wouldn’t you? But then we get over to 1 John 2:15 we find the startling words:

“15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

In the Gospel of John, we are told “God loved the world” but then in the book of 1 John we are told that “Do NOT to love the world”.

I think we all agree that love is good. So, is there a disconnect between the Gospel of John, and the first book of John? This passage brings a question to my mind: Is there a time “When Love Goes Wrong”?

In language, we have words that sometimes have multiple different meanings. For example: If I asked you to define “race,” some would say it is a competition between a group of people to see who can complete a task first. Others would say it is a description of a person’s ethnicity. If I asked you to define “well”, some would say it is a place where you get your water, others would say it is a description of a person’s state of mind or condition. A “bow” can be something you put in your hair, or something you launch an arrow with. A “row” can be a column of something or a way to propel a boat. “Light” can mean something that is not heavy or something that illuminates the dark. “Bark” can be the outside of a tree or sound a dog makes. You can drive a “nail” with a hammer or paint one on the end of your finger (or strike it with a hammer as well).

The word "bank" can mean a place where you keep your money or it can mean the edge of a river, depending on the situation.

It's especially important to know the context or situation when you are reading words that can mean different things. If you don’t, it can cause confusion and make it hard to understand.

The same is true with the word “world” in both John 3:16 and 1 John 2:15. In both scriptures the Greek word used is “kosmos” and it can have multiple meanings: The planet we live on; The people who live on the planet; The cultural system that governs those people’s priorities and actions.

In John 3:16, we are told that God loved the “people” of the world so much that He sacrificially “gave” His only Son to die for them. So, does that mean that 1 John demands that we not love “people” if God loves “people”? Of course not. The “world” we are commanded to NOT love in 1 John 2:15 refers to the “cultural” system that governs the priorities and actions of most of the people who live here.

Reading some of the available translations today gives a little more insight to what this passage is telling us: The Phillips translation says it this way: “15 Never give your hearts to this world or to any of the things in it.” The MSG translation says it this way: “15 Don’t love the world’s ways. Don’t love the world’s goods”

The text of 1 John 2:15-17 begins with a command: “15 Do not love the world or the things in the world”

Everything else in the text is a reason, for why we should not love the world:

“16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

John's initial argument is that if someone's affection is directed towards the world’s culture, it indicates an absence of love for the Father.

Basically, John suggests that it is impossible to simultaneously prioritize love for both this world’s culture and God.

Why is that? When you are focused on worldly desires, it diminishes your capacity to love God, and if you prioritize love for God, it displaces affection for worldly things.

Jesus said it like this in Matthew 6:24:

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

Today, we live in a world where sinful behavior is frequently praised and celebrated.

Hollywood promotes the idea of idolizing sin and sinners and encourages us to measure our worth against what it defines as the "beautiful people." Many celebrities gain popularity because they make us feel discontent with our own lives.

Advertisers take advantage of our natural inclination to desire worldly things, and craft marketing strategies that appeal to our desire for pleasure, physical satisfaction, or ego boost.

Loving the world means being devoted to the world’s treasures, philosophies, and priorities. In other words, it’s culture.

Let me make this simple: this world does not love God. So, it is best for us to not to love the world. If you do, without even realizing it, you might find yourself aligning with those who not only do not care for God, but even hate God.

When we accept Christ, we are supposed to distance ourselves from the ways of the world. The world is what we leave when we come to Christ.

When the Bible advises us against loving the world, it is talking about rejecting its corrupt values.

Satan, according to the Bible, is the god of this world system and promotes values that are contrary to God's. 1 John 2:16 details describe exactly what Satan’s system promotes: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life.

Every sin imaginable can be summed up in those three evils.

The first two, "lust of the flesh" and "lust of the eyes," are about wanting things we don't currently possess. The third, "pride of life," is about feeling boastfully proud of what we do have.

If you do not have something, these “lusts” can make you want it bad. And if you do get it, you might feel proud about having it.

But here is the thing: anything in this world that isn't about God can and will distract you from loving God. Anything that is not about God can pull your attention away from Him.

In the Bible, 1 John 2:15 tells Christians not to become too attached to the things of the world. Do not get overly focused on material stuff, popular trends, or selfish desires that go against what Jesus taught.

What does this look like in today’s world?

1.Today, many people focus a lot on buying things and getting rich. Always wanting more money, things, or status can take us away from growing spiritually and helping others. This is contrary to what the Bible teaches about being humble, being happy with what we have, and not being too greedy.

2. Today we have a “pop culture obsession”. We spend too much time following celebrities, TV shows, or fads and that can distract us from building a strong relationship with God and living the way He wants us to.

3. Today we get too caught up in social media, trying to look perfect, and seeking approval from others online. That can make us focus too much on ourselves instead of what is important.

4. Today we have an addiction to entertainment. We spend hours playing video games, watching TV, or browsing the internet and that can keep us from doing things that really matter and growing closer to God.

5. Today we put our own success and goals above caring for others goes against Jesus' teaching of loving others and being selfless.

6. Today this world says that there's no such thing as absolute truth or that spiritual things aren't important but that’s not what Jesus taught.

7. In today’s culture, the main goal in life is getting ahead in our careers and achieving worldly success. Lots of people want to be famous and successful, but the Bible says we should focus on serving others and making God's kingdom more important than being popular or rich.

8. Today, modern American culture often promotes a more permissive attitude towards sexuality which conflict with Biblical teachings on sexual morality. Engaging in behaviors like casual or premarital sex, cohabitation, and LGBTQ+ relationships, or watching inappropriate things online can lead us away from God's plan for healthy relationships.

9. Society today wants to control the lives of others or seek power over them and that goes against Jesus’ message of treating everyone with fairness, kindness, and humility.

10. And no list of the ills of today’s society and culture would be complete without recognizing the prevalence of substance abuse which is incompatible with Biblical teachings on sobriety, self-control, and stewardship of one's body. 3. WHEN LOVE GOES WRONG

So, you may be asking yourself the question, “Is it really that big of a deal? If I live ‘right,’ go to church, do not hurt anyone? Can’t I be both a Christian AND enjoy the pleasures this world has to offer?”

Well, my opinion does not really matter, now does it? Why don’t we see what Jesus says about it? Let us look at three passages of scripture:

In John 12:25, Jesus said,

“25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

Matthew 10:37-39 “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Luke 17:26-33 “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.”

Let us go back to that last passage and take a careful look at verse 32: “Remember Lot’s wife.” What about Lot’s wife? Let’s go back to our original text in Genesis 19 read one more verse. Remember vs 17: “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley.”

Then in vs 24-25: “24 Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the LORD out of heaven. 25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.”

Now let’s look at verse 26:  “But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”

There are over 170 women mentioned by name in the Bible. Women like Eve, Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Ruth, Rahab, Esther, Elizabeth, Mary Magdalene, and even Mary, Jesus' own mother. Yet, Jesus specifically only tells us to remember just one: Lot's wife.

Why is that? Why would Jesus choose Lot's wife out of all these women to remember?

This woman was given a simple instruction: "Don't look back."

But despite this clear warning, she could not, did not resist the temptation to glance back. We all know the consequences of her disobedience, right?

This looks on the surface to be a straightforward situation. The angels told her not to look back, but Lot's wife decided to do it anyway, and her story ended in dramatic fashion.

Have you ever wondered why she looked back? Without being able to ask her directly, it is difficult to understand exactly what she was thinking and why she would disobey such a clear command.

We can speculate about her reasons all day long. However, if we dig deeper into the original Hebrew words used in this story, we might find a clearer understanding of what we are supposed to learn from it.

Reading from the Amplified Bible gives us insight into what those words meant: “26 But Lot’s wife, from behind him, [foolishly, longingly] looked [back toward Sodom in an act of disobedience], and she became a pillar of salt.”

It means that she stopped going the way she was supposed to be going because she still really longed for or wanted the things she was leaving behind.

She is not mentioned in any other scripture before Genesis 19, so perhaps Lot met her in Sodom. That may have been her hometown.  Maybe it's all she had ever known and now everything was about to change. We know at a minimum she and Lot had been living in or near Sodom for more than 20 years. It was probably the only life her daughters had ever known. Lot's wife likely had friends there and enjoyed living in the city.

She looked back “longingly…in an act of disobedience.” She loved this “world”, this “life” that she had created for herself and the “things of the world” more than her willingness to obey God.

The idea of "looking back" is something Jesus takes VERY seriously.

So, what is the important lesson we can learn from Lot's wife? What is the story trying to warn us about, and what should we do with this knowledge?

We need to remember why Jesus told us to remember Lot's wife. Let us take another look at Luke 17: 32 Remember Lot’s wife. 33 Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.”

When we read that verse, it might seem like Jesus is talking about the choice between living or dying physically. But I don’t believe that’s all there is to it.

The angels were not leading her to physical death, they were trying to save her. So Lot's wife was not trying to save her life in terms of staying alive physically, because the only way she could physically survive was by following the angels' instructions.

She was given the only chance to move forward in her life's story and continue her journey. But that would mean saying goodbye to her old life and everything that came with it.

This was not about Lot's wife trying to avoid losing her life. It was more about her not wanting to lose "her life" as she knew it.

She made the decision to end things by not fully committing to the only option she had. The Lord had brought her to a point where all she had to do was let go of her old life and embrace the new one. All she had to do was not look back.

But she could not fully let go of what she had before to accept something new. And because of that, she lost both.

Not loving the world extends to our own lives as well. Jesus said if we love anything more than Him, we are not worthy of Him.

This world tells you to "follow your heart". I want you to know that “follow your heart” is one of Satan’s most effective slogans and has ended more marriages, caused more addictions, mutilated more bodies, destroyed more souls, and ended more lives than even he imagined. Don't follow your heart, follow the One Who created your heart!

When Lot's wife felt a fervent desire and stayed behind, she stopped and looked back at Sodom, disobeying the warning.

Can I ask you something? Are you yearning for something that is gone, something that cannot come back? Are you still hanging around in a place you should not be, wishing for what used to be? Are you stuck in the past, hoping that if you wait long enough, you will get back what God told you to leave behind? When God takes the “trash” out of your life, don’t go dumpster diving!!

Maybe you are thinking, “I don’t feel very much love for God right now.” If that’s the case, there are two possible reasons for that: Reason number one: You have not been born again. You might be a Christian in name only. You might be just following the traditions of your family without really experiencing it in your heart. You might go through the motions of religion because it is expected of you, but you have never truly experienced a deep change inside brought by the Holy Spirit. So, if you have not experienced that transformation in your heart, your faith might just be about appearances and not about genuinely loving God inside. If that is the case for you, it is time to turn your heart towards Christ.

Reason number two, another possibility you do not feel very much love for God right now, is your love has grown cool and weak. You have been born again, but your love for God has faded over time. You remember a time you had a strong love for God. You used to feel that knowing Him was better than anything else in the world. But now, that passion has faded.

The same Bible that first sparked your love for God can reignite it. The same Jesus who once saved you from darkness can bring light back into your life. I beg you, do not settle for being lukewarm. Instead, seek a renewed enthusiasm and love for Christ.

1 John 2:15 tells us “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” So, if you are not feeling passionate about God anymore, it might be because your heart is getting filled up with love for the things of the world, leaving less room for your love for God.

Everyone's heart is filled with love for something. We all crave something.

If you focus on satisfying your desires with worldly things, you will not be able to quench your thirst for what God offers. It is like trying to breathe underwater and above water at the same time. You will drown.

You cannot really love both the world and God at the same time. Remember Lot’s wife.

Maybe you're facing a similar choice in your life. Perhaps the Lord has given you a special purpose, but following it means leaving your comfort zone behind forever.

For many of us, it is not the obstacles ahead that hold us back, but the things we will need to give up move forward. Love is good. Until When Love Goes Wrong.