YEA Lesson Library
Don’t Look Back!
About This Lesson
This lesson teaches that God’s judgment fell on Sodom and Gomorrah because of their wickedness. Lot’s wife looked back. The student is encouraged to keep seeking, trusting and obeying God.
Scriptures
Genesis 18:23-19:26
Proverbs 14:11-12
Proverbs 29:1
Matthew 16:24-26
Luke 9:57-62
Romans 12:1-2
2 Corinthians 4:3-4
James 1:13-15
1 John 2:15-17
Words to Know
ABUSE- to use wrongly, mistreat
BILLOWING - a large swelling mass
HERDSMEN - men who take care of cattle or sheep
RIGHTEOUS - acting in a right manner, morally right
The Lesson
Linda heard the fire engine's siren. A few minutes later she heard an ambulance. She ran outside to see what was going on. She was met by smoke billowing from her neighbor's house. Flames were already coming through the roof. The garage was also on fire. People were gathered around watching as the firemen worked with hoses and axes. Everyone who lived in the house had escaped safely.
Suppose that when the family first smelled the smoke, they said they didn't want to leave their house. Maybe the dad was watching football and didn't want to leave the TV. Or, what if the kids had said they liked their toys too much to leave? Or, what if Mom said, "This is my house and I will not leave." They would have been lost in the flames.
It is foolish to think that things are more important than your life. When you have been warned of danger and shown the way of salvation, it is foolish not to heed the warning. In today's lesson we will see someone who was just that foolish.
God had blessed Abraham, Lot and their families in many ways. Their herds of sheep and cattle began to multiply. Soon there were so many animals that there was not enough pasture land for them. Their herdsmen began fighting. So, Abraham told Lot to take his family and herds and choose where he would like to live. Lot chose the well-watered green pasture land around the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Now, the people who lived in these two cities were very wicked. Their sins were so bad that God heard from heaven. God hates sin in all of its forms. He sent messengers to Abraham saying that He would destroy the cities.
Abraham didn't want harm to come to his nephew, Lot. So Abraham begged God to save the cities. God finally agreed. He said if ten righteous people could be found in Sodom and Gomorrah, He would not destroy them. But when God's messengers went to warn Lot, they found the men of the cities were even worse than they thought.There were not even ten righteous people in Sodom.
Lot invited the messengers to stay at his house. He prepared a feast for the messengers and treated them kindly. But the men of Sodom had other plans. They surrounded Lot's house and demanded that he send the messengers out. They wanted to abuse and mistreat them. It got so bad that God made the wicked men go blind. But they still kept trying to find the door.
The messengers told Lot to gather his family, his daughters and sons-in-law and leave Sodom. The Lord would send fire and rocks from heaven to destroy the city. But, Lot's sons-in-law didn't listen. They didn't want to leave all their possessions.
The next morning God's messengers told Lot to leave in a hurry. But he and his family looked around at all their things. Were they really going to lose it all? They had forgotten how wicked the men of Sodom were. So, the messengers took Lot by the hands. They pulled Lot, his wife and two daughters out of the city. They told them to run for the hills to escape the fire. They told them not to look back at Sodom.
While Lot and his family were escaping they smelled the smoke.They heard the cries of the people of Sodom as the fire and rocks fell on them. They knew Sodom was facing God's judgment. But instead of obeying God, Lot’s wife turned around and looked back. God's Judgment fell on her - she was turned into a pillar of salt!
Jesus used the example of a farmer plowing a field to teach why it is not good to look back. As long as the farmer looks ahead, he knows where he is going. If he keeps his eye on a goal, he can see how to plow a straight row. His field will be ready for planting. But if he takes his eye off the goal and looks back, his rows will be crooked. He will lose his direction. His field will not be productive. He is not fit for service in God's Kingdom (Luke 9:62).
Lot's wife lost her life because she refused to obey God. She took her eyes off of God’s way of doing things. She rejected His plan to save her. She was not fit for service in the Kingdom of God.
Sodom had looked good when Lot first saw it. It was a prosperous city. The pastures were well-watered. But, think of the loss. Lot lost his wife and his daughters lost the men they were promised to marry. They lost all their possessions as well.
God wants us to obey His laws and to try our best to do what is right. Jesus died for our sins and made a way for our salvation. The Bible warns us of the consequences of ignoring God's way. The choice is up to you.Will you obey God and accept that salvation, or will you refuse and reject it?
Student Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for providing a way for Lot and his family to escape the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. You have also provided away to save us from the penalty for my sins. Help me, Lord, to understand and accept what Jesus did for me. May I choose to live in a way that pleases you.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
Daily Devotions
Sunday - Matthew 16:24-26
Monday - Romans 12:1-2
Tuesday - 2 Corinthians 4:3-4
Wednesday - James 1:13-15
Thursday - 1 John 2:15-17
Friday - Proverbs 14:11-12
Saturday - Luke 9:62
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, the students will be able to:
1. State that making bad choices will lead to bad consequences.
2. Tell why Lot's choice was a bad one.
3. Name some things Lot lost because of his choice.
4. Discuss some choices they will have to make.
Topics & Themes
Choices
God's Judgment
Lot
Obedience
Salt
Sin
Sodom/
Gomorrah
Wise/Wisdom
Materials Needed
Bible, YEA teacher's and students' books, songbook, cassette/CD player and music tape or CD, attendance and memory verse chart, stars
Preparation
Junior aged kids need encouragement for self-direction. Girls, especially, are self-conscious and may need to be prompted to get involved in discussions. They want opportunities to make choices and plan projects and offer their opinions. Allow time to hear what they have to say - it might surprise you!
How to Teach This Lesson
Object Lesson - Begin today's lesson by showing the class a real diamond (ring) and one that is not real (cubic zirconium). Ask them to choose which one is the most valuable. Sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference between what is good and what is best.
There are times, however, when the difference and choice are obvious. Ask: Which advice do you think would be best for you - your friend's or God's Word? Sometimes we make our choices based on how things look, or what our friends think instead of following God's plan for our lives.
When it comes to matters of our eternal destiny, there is only one right choice. God laid out His directions for our life in His Word. Will you follow His directions? Will you heed His warnings? The choice is up to you. Lot and his wife made some really bad choices and suffered some great losses. Let's see; was it worth it?
It Looked Good - God had been blessing Lot and Abraham in this new land. Their herds were growing. Since there wasn't room for all of them to find enough to eat, the herdsmen began to fight. Abraham took Lot to a high place and told him to choose a place to live. Lot looked around. There were rivers and green pastures near Sodom and Gomorrah. Everything a person would need to prosper was in the valley.
Rotten On The Inside - Abraham had already had dealings with the people of Sodom in Genesis 14. He made an alliance with the rulers of the cities and went to battle with them. But when the going got tough, the men of Sodom and Gomorrah turned tail and ran. Abraham had to go and rescue Lot. Genesis 18:20-21 states that, "the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and . . . their sin is very grievous." The men of the city surrounded Lot's house and demanded that God's messengers be turned over to them. Their hearts were so perverted that they planned to assault and abuse the messengers. Sodom was so bad that not even ten righteous people could be found there. It was a terrible place to live and raise a family!
Lot's Choice Left Him With Little Influence - You would think after living in the city and among its people Lot would have influenced some to worship God and obey His law. But even the men who were promised to marry his daughters wouldn't listen to him. They didn’t believe the messengers that said God would destroy Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone.
The Lure of Luxury - Lot was reluctant to leave Sodom. He and his family had to be dragged to safety by the messengers of God. Ask: What would be your reaction if someone told you that your house was on fire? When the people who worked in the World Trade Center in New York heard that their building was on fire, what did they do? No amount of money, fame or possessions is worth losing your life.
One Last Look -The messengers told Lot and his family to run to the hills. They were not to look back at God's judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah. But, Lot's wife disobeyed. Whether she missed her things, or heard the cries of her neighbors as the fire fell from heaven, we do not know. But the moment she looked back she was turned to a pillar of salt. She lost her life. Ask: Was it worth it? Luke 9:62 states, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the Kingdom of God.” When we take our eyes off the goal, God and His commands, we become unfit.
Heed the Warnings - In the book of Psalms we read that, "The judgements of the Lord are true and righteous altogether . . . Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward" (Psalm 19:9, 11). Whenever God gives us a warning, the wise choice is to pay attention to the warning. If we continually reject God's salvation we will suffer God's judgment.
Review Questions
1. Why did Lot choose to live near Sodom and Gomorrah? Why was this a bad choice?
2. Name some things that Lot lost by making a bad choice.
3. What does the example of the farmer plowing a field teach us?
4. What do bad choices lead to?
Teacher-Directed Activity
Make two columns on a newsprint pad. Label one "Good Choice" and the other "Bad Choice." Divide your class into groups of 4or 5. Give them a few minutes to brainstorm about situations in which they will have to make a choice. Have them
write the best ones down. Begin by presenting the following situations, and ask the kids to think of a good and bad choice. Write their answers in the proper column. Then have the students give their own examples of situations with good and bad choices.
1. You forgot to study for your math test. You are stuck on problem number 5. The student sitting beside you gets up to sharpen a pencil. What is your choice?
2. At a birthday party some of the kids are playing with an Ouija board. You know it involves witchcraft, but it seems harmless. What is your choice?
3. Your best friend is mad at another kid in school. He/she has been calling the other kid names and telling lies about him. What is your choice?
REACH Activity
Back to the Bible: Looking Back
When the Israelites came out of Egypt, they quickly became discouraged and they started longing for Egypt and the things they had in Egypt. Exodus 16:3 and Numbers 11:5 relate this. Read both of these passages. Look for God’s reaction to their grumbling and complaining and longing for Egypt! Then read Philippians 3:13-14. Here the Apostle Paul is exhorting the saints not to look back at what is behind (what they were, what life was like, anything!), but to keep their eyes focused on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2).
Do you ever find yourself looking back? Thinking about “the good old days”? It doesn’t do any good to wish you could go back. It just makes you discontent with what is happening now. And in fact, wishing you could go back is a form of grumbling and complaining against God because you’re not trusting that He’s leading you, He’s growing you, and that He’s intimately involved in guiding you to His kingdom.
After you have read all of the passages cited above, write about this in your Bible notebook. And then resolve to keep your eyes focused on God and to trust Him to bring you into His kingdom.
Journal Jot: Looking Back
Luke 9:62 has a warning from Jesus about putting your hand to the plow and looking back. Read this verse. Why would Jesus give this warning? Think about it. What if you had an important job to do and you had someone helping. How happy would you be if they just quit right in the middle of the job? Has that ever happened to you? Write about your experience. Then think about the importance of following Jesus always - never looking back to do something opposite of His will. Write your conclusions in your Bible notebook.
Word Study: shâbar
The word “destroyed” in your memory verse is shâbar (Proverbs 29:1). It means “to burst, to break in pieces, to break to pieces.” It has the connotation of violence and destruction. (Quote from Zodhiates’ NAS Key Word Study Bible)
God is extremely patient with us all, warning us many times. The person who refuses to obey God will be destroyed; nothing can save him.
Think about this. Write about it in your Bible notebook.
Just Toolin’ Around: Sodom
Scholars believe that the Dead Sea today is much larger than it was during the days of Sodom and Gomorrah, so the location of Sodom is likely within the southern part of the Dead Sea. Using a Bible dictionary, atlas, or other reference material, find out the elevation of the Dead Sea, the salt concentration, the area/size of the Dead Sea, what river flows into it, what other minerals are found in the Dead Sea, and how the Dead Sea loses water. How is the Dead Sea used today?
Share your findings with your family.
Did you Know? Raining Fire and Brimstone
“Sulfur deposits are found in the valley of the Dead Sea and other areas of seismic and volcanic activity in the Near East. This highly flammable mineral can spontaneously combust during an earthquake, producing a scorching flame and an overpowering stench. The ancient Israelites thus associated it with God’s fiery punishment of the wicked, such as the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah.” (Source: Illustrated Dictionary of Bible Life and Times, 1997)
Stretch It Out: Drawing
On a piece of 11 x 18 drawing paper, draw a picture of Lot, his wife, and his two daughters escaping from Sodom. As they were running for their lives (with the urging of the angels), God’s judgment was pouring down on Sodom and Gomorrah and all the cities of the plain. Genesis 19:28 says there was dense smoke rising from the plain that Abraham could see even from where he was!
Write your memory verse across the bottom of the drawing. Display where you can see the reminder to always be obedient to your parents and to God.
Music Notes: Be Thou My Vision
This song is on page 120 of the CEM Hymnal.
This ancient Irish text was set to a traditional Irish melody. Don’t you love knowing that the importance of seeking God was a priority for some people centuries ago - even while they were surrounded by paganism and false religion?! And actually, it’s not all that different from today. We have paganism and false religion all around us. Read the words to this hymn. Pick out the lines which stand out to you. Write a couple of them in your Bible notebook. Then find a recording to listen to this amazing hymn which reminds us to keep our eyes focused on Jesus Christ.
Questions?
Write down any questions you have in your Bible notebook so that you can remember to ask your parents or your pastor.
Song
"I Have Decided To Follow Jesus" is on page 23 of Kids Classics Collection.
Closing Prayer
Ask if one of the students will lead in prayer, asking God to help them make wise choices, and thanking Him for providing a way of salvation.
Printable Pages
