What Old Testament examples illustrate the dangers of looking back? The Plow and the Rearview Mirror Luke 9:62: “Jesus declared, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’” From the first page of Scripture, God calls His people forward—out of sin, out of slavery, into promise. The Old Testament records vivid moments when a backward glance proved costly. Lot’s Wife – A Statue of Nostalgia • Genesis 19:15-26: Angels hurry Lot’s family out of Sodom. • Verse 26: “But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.” • She lingered over the life God had just judged. One wistful look chained her forever to yesterday. • Jesus Himself warns, “Remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17:32). Israel Craving Egypt’s Menu – Settling for Slavery • Exodus 16:3: “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt, where we sat by pots of meat and ate all the bread we wanted.” • Numbers 11:4-6 & 14:2-4: The people weep for fish, cucumbers, melons. They even plot, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.” • God answers with quail, plague, and forty years of wandering (Numbers 14:29-35). • Looking back turned a two-week journey into a generation-long funeral march. The Golden Calf – Old Idols in a New Camp • Exodus 32:1: “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses…the man who brought us up out of Egypt—we do not know what has happened to him!” • Aaron shapes a calf—an echo of Egyptian worship. Three thousand die and a plague follows (Exodus 32:28, 35). • Clinging to familiar idols in a moment of uncertainty cost Israel intimacy with the living God. King Saul and Amalek – Glancing at Personal Gain • 1 Samuel 15:3: Total destruction is commanded. • 1 Samuel 15:19: “Why did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you pounce on the plunder…?” • Saul preserves King Agag and the best livestock, savoring spoils from the past campaign. • Verse 23: “Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has rejected you as king.” • A backward look at status and loot ended his dynasty. Why Looking Back Is So Dangerous • It questions God’s wisdom (Genesis 3:1-6; Numbers 14:4). • It blinds us to present grace (Exodus 16:4). • It breeds disobedience (1 Samuel 15:22-23). • It steals tomorrow’s promise (Numbers 14:30-31; Hebrews 3:16-19). Forward-Facing Resolve • Psalm 121:1-2 – eyes lifted to the hills, not the rearview mirror. • Isaiah 43:18-19 – “Do not call to mind the former things…See, I am doing a new thing!” • Philippians 3:13-14 – pressing on, forgetting what is behind. The record is clear: every step backward toward old comforts, sins, or idols pulls us off the kingdom path. The Lord’s plow requires both hands, a steady gaze, and a heart fixed on the field ahead. |
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