Quick Note: Genesis 19:15-16 – Don’t Linger

Genesis 19:15-16 – “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.”

In high school and college, one of the things I did very often was procrastinate; it almost became like a part of me, in that, whenever I had an assignment due in two to three weeks, I would feel the urge to put it off until the last minute.  I would watch television shows, check on the news, surf the net, do anything to avoid having to do my required work.  I just did not feel like working on it.  But as I put it off more and more, the pressure and stress would build up to its climactic point of panic – the night before it was due.   Every time I would tell myself, “I won’t do that again.  It’s too stressful,” but would repeat the cycle the next time.  I would procrastinate instead of work.  Fortunately for me, the results of my procrastination were not fatal to my grade point average, my health, or my life; but it definitely helped me realize the importance of doing what needs to be done as soon as possible.  I must admit that I often still fall into the trap of procrastination, but I am learning to overcome it slowly and surely.

In our passage today, we find the story of a man whose procrastination/lingering almost cost him and his family their lives.  Genesis 19 recounts the destruction of the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah; these two cities were so evil in the sight of God that God felt the need to judge it immediately with complete destruction.  One man in that city though was saved by God due to his relationship with Abraham, the friend of God; this man’s name was Lot, Abraham’s nephew.  Lot was actually a righteous man in his heart but made a bad decision to dwell in Sodom.  By staying there, his heart became calloused to the wickedness to the point where he could live there without feeling so guilty.  He got so used to this place of sin that when the angels urged him to leave, he lingered.  To linger is to wait around and delay doing something that you feel that you should do.  To linger is to know the need to do something and not to do it.  To linger is to procrastinate.  Instead of running from the upcoming destruction, Lot lingered.  Why?  Likely it is because he got so used to this wicked city that he couldn’t bear to leave his home, his friends, and his familiarity.  Luckily for him, the two angels dragged him out of there before the destruction, leaving him alive and leaving us a lesson to learn from his example.

No matter how good we are or how little we have sinned, we are all considered sinners in the sight of God, deserving of judgment.  That judgment awaits us every day, for immediately when we leave this earth in death, we will appear before the judgment seat of Christ to get the punishment we deserve – hell and eternal separation from God.  That judgment is hanging on top of our heads like an axe on a burning string, just waiting to snap.  Jonathan Edwards, a famous preacher during the First American Great Awakening, preached a wonderful sermon to describe this called Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God; I recommend reading it.  Like Lot, the judgment is on our doorstep.  But just like with Lot, God has provided a way to escape through His Son Jesus Christ.  By receiving Him into our hearts as Savior and Lord, our sins can be forgiven and the judgment appeased.  But like Lot, many people are lingering.  They know exactly what to do yet wait thinking that they can forgo the need to be saved until the last minute.  They act as Felix did with Paul, putting it off until a more “convenient season” (Acts 24:25).  You, who are reading this right now, may be like Lot, lingering, while God is urging you to turn to Him today.  Do not make Him wait, for He will not drag you as the angels did with Lot.  One day, it may be too late.  One day, you may die without Him unexpectedly.  Run away from sin now and into His arms.  Do not linger.  He is urging you today.

For Christians and growing disciples of Christ, God has called us to step away from sin and into His holiness.  He has called us to a close and tight-knit relationship with Him that requires a clear cut separation from sin.  Too many of us are holding on to our idols and our “pet sins,” instead of choosing obedience and giving them over to Him.  We would rather entertain are dangerous lusts than to obey Him.  These sins and idols will eventually enslave us, if they haven’t already, leaving our Christian walk and witness destroyed.  Rather than linger in our sin, let us run away from these destructive habits and grow in Christ.  Let us seek His face and grow ever closer to Him.  Don’t linger, get up, and run – run now.

Whether you need to give your life to Him or need to recommit and rededicate your devotion to Him, whether you need to run away from sin or you need to run into His arms, don’t linger.  Do it now.