The word 'apprehended' here is 'katalambano' in Greek, which means 'to get hold of, to attain, to comprehend, to understand why'. Here, the apostle Paul wrote that there may be things we cannot understand why (or why certain things happened in our past), but one thing we can do now is 'forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead'.
I released these words to the congregation last Sunday:
"Look
not to the past, or how things used to be done or have been done in your
past! In this changing of season, I will teach you a new way, and I will show
you how. Look to Me! This is also a time to let go of your Sodom and
Gomorrah, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to
those things which are ahead!"
The word ‘Sodom’
in Hebrew means 'to scorch, to burn (like volcanic activities)', which
speaks of 'the sins that burn you', whereas the word ‘Gomorrah’
in Hebrew means 'a ruined heap', from the word ‘aw-mar’, i.e. 'to heap up
(ruins), to pile up (misery), to keep on chastising oneself'.
As you can see from the definition of the words 'Sodom' and 'Gomorrah' above, the context of our Bible-study today is not so much about 'leaving a place, a city, or a country', but instead 'leaving your sins. ruins, or misery behind'!
In cross-reference, Hebrews 12:1-2 says, 'Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight (burden), and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has (now) sat down at the right hand of the throne of God'.
Indeed, let go of your 'Sodom' and 'Gomorrah', and look to the beauty and holiness of Jesus instead! Just as 'you are what you eat', it is also true that 'you become what you behold'. Therefore, as you keep looking to Jesus (and His Word), that's when you can be changed (transformed and renewed) to be more and more like Him! In other words, the more you look at the beauty and holiness of Jesus, the more beautiful and holy your life will be!
2 Corinthians 3:18 says, 'But we all, with unveiled face (i.e. putting away our facade, putting away our masks), beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord'.
Let's go all the way back to the book of Genesis now, where the words 'Sodom' and 'Gomorrah' were first mentioned. Genesis
19:15-17 says, 'When the morning dawned, the angels
urged Lot to hurry, saying, "Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who
are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city." And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand,
his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful
to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city (of Sodom).
So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, "Escape
for your life! Do not look behind you
nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape
to the mountains, lest you be destroyed."'
By the way, the name 'Lot' in Hebrew simply means 'covering'. This speaks of 'the Lord's mercy and covering over you in spite of your weaknesses as a human'.
Notice these statements:
'Do not
look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain'.
The word 'plain' here is 'kikkar' in Hebrew, which means 'a circle'.
This speaks of 'going round and round in the
circle of sins'.
'Escape
to the mountains, lest you be destroyed'.
The word 'mountains' here is 'harar' in Hebrew, which means 'exaltation'.
This speaks of 'the Lord God who
is highly exalted above all else'.
People of God, will you respond to His call to run away from the 'plain', and run to the 'mountains' today? The apostle Paul wrote, 'Flee youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart' (2 Timothy 2:22).
Well, it pays to live a life of holiness (i.e. to walk in the holiness of God), because everything becomes so much clearer in your life, and you will also be able to make clearer decisions in life. As a matter of fact, a person who is bound in a circle of sin, bondage, or addiction cannot make clear decisions in life!
The apostle Paul also wrote, 'If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus, that you put off concerning your former conduct, the old man, which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness' (Ephesians 4:21-24).
Genesis
19:24-26 then says, 'Then the
Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah (speaks of 'the judgement
on sins'), from the Lord out of the heavens. So He overthrew those cities, all
the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But his
(Lot's) wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt'.
Notice here the 'fire of judgement' fell on 'Sodom' and 'Gomorrah' (i.e. your 'sins', your 'ruined heap'), not
you (who are His sons and daughters). Today, let this same 'fire' burn away the 'sins' that have been ensnaring (besetting) you, and the 'misery' that have been heaping up against you!
And of course, never look back!
Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar
of salt! Why 'pillar of salt'? The answer can be found from the word ‘salt’
in Hebrew itself, which is 'melach', meaning 'something easily dissolved, like powder'. This is the nature of salt. Once you add water, it’s gone! You see it no more! True
enough, Lot’s wife also ‘melach’, so much so the Bible never even bothered to
mention her name, but calls her "Lot's wife", even though she actually has a
name! That’s what happens when a person keeps lingering in the past and
dwelling in the past (i.e. holding on to those 'sins' and 'ruined heaps' of the past), instead of looking forward to what God has in the present
or future!
Therefore, people of God, never look back! And never allow the devil or anyone to bring you back to those past (or the ruined past) of yours! Instead, as the apostle Paul put it aptly, 'I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus' (Philippians 3:14). Behold, He makes all things new (Revelation 21:5) even for your life!
May the light of God enlighten your eyes of understanding, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in your life, His saints, who are the redeemed of the Lord (Ephesians 1:17-18). In Jesus' name. Amen.
