CHESHVAN 13
Leaving Them Behind
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father, his mother, his wife, his children, his brothers and his sisters, yes, and his own life besides, he cannot be my talmid [disciple].” (Luke 14:26 CJB, insert mine)
While studying the Torah portion vaYera (next week’s Parashat, Gen 18:1
through 22:24), the story of Lot’s wife pulls me up short, as it does every time
I read it. So much is understood about
the dangers of looking behind us, to that which we came out of, and
losing our focus on our Creator. Yet, is
it not something we all have done at some time or another, if not to remind us
of what we do not want to return to?
There is some speculation that the reason Lot’s
wife looked back toward Sodom had nothing to do with yearning for the lifestyle
she was leaving behind. According to
Ancient Jewish sources, she had other, older children that would not leave the
city, and were being left there, ultimately to their destruction. We do not
know this for certain; the biblical narrative does not give us clear
details. However, a mother’s grief over
the certain end of her children can be a traumatic thing – mothers, would you have looked back to see if maybe,
just maybe, your children had changed their mind? Regardless, it was because the entire family
had specifically been told not to
look back (a commandment she deliberately disobeyed) that she was turned into a
pillar of salt. This is a lesson for all
of us to take a hard look at.
As parents, we instinctively put our children’s
(and grandchildren’s) welfare before our own, to protect and nurture what is of
our flesh and blood. And this is not
always a bad thing. But there comes a
point in time when Elohim demands our
complete, total and instant obedience, without any hesitation. Obedience of this nature most generally will cost us something before the reward
becomes evident. As with the case with
Lot, it cost him his wife, yet it also saved his own life.
I have noticed as the level of commitment to my
personal relationship with my Creator becomes greater, the available choices
become fewer. Obedience is the only choice and trusting Elohim for our
families is also the only choice we
have available to us. One discipline
that has never changed is my commitment to pray for all my family members, and believe in faith, that their eyes and
ears would be opened, and that their hearts would be willing to receive the
truth of Elohim’s Torah.
“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My Name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. But many who are first shall be last, and the last first.” (Matt 19:29-30)
“I have decided to follow Yeshua … no turning back, no
turning back” (chorus, Public Domain)
©2020
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