Genesis 19:15-17

2007.Aug.07 21:57

Delay

Read Genesis 19:15-22 | Full Chapter

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.” 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. 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.”
(Genesis 19:15-17, ESV)

If I find myself wondering about Lot’s sons-in-law refusing to believe Lot’s warning, I find myself quite annoyed that even Lot, when it comes to it, doesn’t take the warning seriously. I find this frustrating, because this is often my attitude: I’m pretty certain, God, that you want me to…but I’m not quite ready.

Jehovah directs Jeremiah to raise a similar warning, this time for the people of Judah:

Raise the signal to go to Zion!
Flee for safety without delay!
For I am bringing disaster from the north,
even terrible destruction.
(Jeremiah 4:6, NIV)

Again, the destruction is a result ”"of the evil [they] have done" (Jeremiah 4:4, NIV) , of their determined disobedience. Again, delay is not an option. The time to repent is immediate, if not already past. To delay when Jehovah has commanded us to move, be it physically, spiritually, or otherwise is to invite destruction. It may be only because of Abraham that Lot escaped despite his delay.

Contrast this to the reaction of Ninevah at Jonah’s warning:

When the king of Nineveh heard what was happening, he also dressed in sackcloth; he left the royal palace and sat in dust. Then he and his officials sent out an order for everyone in the city to obey. It said: None of you or your animals may eat or drink a thing. Each of you must wear sackcloth, and you must even put sackcloth on your animals. You must also pray to the LORD God with all your heart and stop being sinful and cruel. Maybe God will change his mind and have mercy on us, so we won’t be destroyed.
(Jonah 3:2-9, CEV)

Obedience to Jehovah is an inherently drastic action for our fallen species. Obedience after delay, while still worth something, is a statement to God that I either do not take him fully seriously or I do not trust him. Lot fears for leaving what he knows, as did the Israelites upon Jeremiah’s warning. To fear earthly things is to not trust Jehovah. Lack of faith breeds disobedience because our flesh has an avenue (fear, worry, other emotions) to deceive.

Obedience is an immediate decision, usually followed by immediate action. It is incorrect to say, “I will stop this behavior tomorrow.” When Jehovah instructs me, I need to respond without delay. Even in cases where the instruction includes “do this tomorrow”, the decision is for now. Watch the brothers James and John react to Jesus’ calling: "Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went away to follow Him" (Mark 1:20, NASB) . Particularly instructive about this passage is that even Jesus acts immediately. However the Jesus-God-Holy Spirit thing works, Christ is immediately obedient to call the brothers Zebedee, and they are obedient to follow.