By Derek Gitsham
"And while he lingered the man laid
hold upon his hand, and upon the hand
of his wife and upon the hand of his
two daughters; the Lord being merciful
unto him; and they brought him forth,
and set him without the city." Genesis 19:16
As staggering as it appears, Lot, during his
encounter with the angels of the Lord before
they destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah,
procrastinated about leaving. Having been
forewarned by them that the city was to be
destroyed, he lingered. The angels had to
forcibly remove him and his family.
Notice from the verse that the angels laid
hold of his hand, his wife and children. Not
only did Lot linger, but because of Lot’s
lingering they did the same. Boy, do we
have something to answer for, regarding
our families! How often the head of the
family produces in his wife and children
the same response as his own.
So often when God sends warnings to His people
we are oblivious to the urgency of the
situation. A very dramatic event was about
to unfold. The destruction of so many people
and all they owned was about to take place.
Yet, seemingly, no one is taking this seriously enough.
Lingering sometimes is connected with the
fact that we still want our own way in things.
Self is hanging on tenaciously, stubbornly.
In the things of God it is better to obey God
immediately. Any delays will have reasons
attached to why you should not do what God
wants. Thankfully, God in His mercy, showed
mercy by taking them all by the hand, as this
verse reveals.
Is there anything in our lives today that we
are lingering over? The consequences could be
disastrous if we do not follow God’s leadings.
Lot’s wife did not heed the angels word to not
look behind, and was turned into a pillar of
salt. When God does not want us to see but to
believe, it behooves us to believe. Had the
lingering produced this final result? Only God
knows. The day is fast closing, linger no more,
escape for thy life and do what He says.
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