But He Hesitated…

But He Hesitated… is a simple thought reflection from Genesis 19:16 about the dangers of entanglement in sin when one hesitates to follow God’s will.

“But he hesitated. Because of the LORD’s compassion for him, the men grabbed his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters. Then they brought him out and left him outside the city.” (Genesis 19:16, HCSB)

Three simple words. Yet they provide us a picture of the power of sin’s influence in our lives. Lot, Abraham’s nephew – the one who chose to live in Sodom, now had a choice to leave that same city – and he hesitated.

Maybe it was because he enjoyed the bright lights, the party image, and the mystique which allured him to Sodom in the first place. Sodom was an exciting city, full of pleasure, and the lure that comes with being a cosmopolitan city. There was just one problem.

God said that Sodom was evil. We don’t know why God said it at the time. We only know that God said it was evil. Like Adam and Eve before him, Lot chose to ignore God’s warning and discover for himself what Sodom was all about.

In the end, Sodom could never be called home for Lot and his family. His future son-in-laws doubted his faith, his daughters were threatened with rape, and he was an outcast in a city that lured him in. This is how sin works on you. It changes you and not for the better.

But still…it had its allure. Sin still was enticing. Sin still called out to him. So when God’s agents of judgment provided a way of escape for Lot and his family, Lot still hesitated. Had it not been for God’s mercy for Lot, he still would have stayed there (because as another theologian noted – sin makes you stupid) and would have received the punishment which was due to the city for its sinful nature.

Hesitation can cost you. That same hesitation which Lot had, his wife revealed after they had left the city. You might remember it because her hesitation famously turned her into a pillar of salt. Why and how she turned to salt is still debated, but one clear reason was that she hesitated. She still found sin alluring. That allure cost her her life.

How many times have we hesitated when God called us out of sin’s trap? How many times have we resisted when God showed up with compassion on us, while He was equally willing to judge sin?