“Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction.” (Micah 2:10)
Micah was a prophet sent to both Judah and Israel when the kingdom was divided. In this chapter Micah warns the people of Israel that destruction is coming because of their sins. In this verse, he warns them to leave because the land that was given to them by the Lord had been polluted because of their sin and therefore destruction was coming. It is so merciful of the Lord to warn the people that destruction is coming. The people’s sins had brought on the consequences. Yet God in His mercy warns the people to escape the coming destruction.
Lot was in such a situation. He lived in a very corrupt place. The people were so evil, God brought Lot and his family out of the city before He destroyed it. The Bible states that God sent angels to warn Lot, but Lot lingered and the angels had to take Lot out. (Genesis 19:15-16) There is Scripture to support the fact that Lot had an idea he should have left but didn’t leave. Peter writes, “And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)” (2Peter 2:7-8) Many times we get warnings from the Lord, but ignore them like Lot.
Peter continues in the next verse, “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:” (2Peter 2:9) Even today, God gives us warnings to leave a place, maybe our job or our family, if they have a sinful influence on us. He may give us warnings to leave our friends or even the church we are attending. It may be hard for us, but if we disobey, we likely will follow their ways to destruction. “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2Peter 3:9) Like in Lot’s situation, the Lord waits for us to obey. He is patient, but if we don’t, we will pay the consequence. If we linger like Lot did, the Lord will physically take you out like He had the angels take Lot out of Sodom. (Genesis 19:16) It may be through different circumstances that will arise, but He will forcefully take you out. This is especially true if you sincerely want to follow the Lord but are uncertain about what to do or for some other circumstances are held up where you are and feel like you can’t leave.
Even after the angels took Lot out of Sodom, Lot still didn’t want to leave the plain and asked the angels if he could escape to Zoar. The angels allowed him and spared Zoar which had been slated to be destroyed with Sodom and Gomorrah. “Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live. And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken. Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.” (Genesis 19:20-22)
But Zoar was much like Sodom and Lot was afraid there, so he went to live with his daughters on a mountain. “And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.” (Genesis 19:30) Are we sometimes like Lot? We want to rule our own lives and do what we want, even after the Lord has spared us. We want a certain thing or to live a certain way or place, but when we get what we want, we realize it’s not what we wanted. Lot didn’t know what he wanted. “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (James 1:8)
Once the Lord has spared us by removing us, we must be careful and choose not what we want, but what the Lord wants. James warns us to seek what God wants. To do otherwise, we will be double minded, confused and choose to do the wrong thing. “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.” (James 1:5-7) Ask in faith, believing that God will provide the answer, the provision, meet the need and lead you to the right place.
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