January 19, 2008 – Genesis 19

       The Way of the LORD – part II

“And as the [angels] brought [Lot and his family] out, one said, “Escape for your life.  Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley…But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.” -Genesis 19.17, 26

“Our fathers refused to obey [Moses], but thrust him aside, and in their hearts they turned to Egypt, saying to Aaron ‘Make for us gods who will go before us…’”
- Acts 7.39-40

“You shall be careful therefore to do as the LORD your God has commanded you.  You shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.” – Deuteronomy 5.32

“…and if you do not turn aside from any of the words that I command you today, to the right hand or to the left…” – Deuteronomy 28.14

“Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you.  Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.” – Joshua 1.7  

“Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you.  Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.  Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure.  Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.” – Proverbs 4.25-27

“And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher.  And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.” – Isaiah 30.20-21[emphasis added]

“Enter by the narrow gate.  For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.  For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” – Matthew 7.13-14

If it is true that “God is love” as John says, that God loves his people, and that God wants no one to perish, then it would make sense that the instructions that he gives to His people are not only good, but also for their good.  This is what the LORD means when he says, “You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them:  I am the LORD.” [Leviticus 18.5]  This verse should be understood in light of Yeshua’s comment, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” [John 10.10]  What it means that one “shall live by them” is that the person shall experience life for what it is truly meant for; a life-style that facilitates communion with the Creator.  Also, in Deuteronomy six God is very clear when Moses says, “And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are this day.”   To conclude that God would command instructions, statutes, and rules that are not good for his people to keep is contradictory to His Name, or His character.  If this simple logic is not enough to settle one’s mind on this issue, then all the passages that speak of repenting back to God’s ways or keeping on His paths should add more weight to the previously mentioned. 

The way of the LORD is what the disciples must have had in mind during the first century, or as long it remained that Yeshua’s followers/believers/disciples were called “The Way”. [Acts 9.2; 19.9,23; 24.14,22] 

Clearly, as one walks through life and makes decisions, whether small or large, there seems to be a right way to go about things and a wrong way, or good and bad choices.  This does not mean that life is always black-and-white, but it does allude to the fact that there remains a general separation between right and wrong, or good and bad.  Proverbs sixteen twenty five says, “There is a way that seems right to man, but its end is the way of death.”  This should make more sense in light of understanding some basics about the way of the LORD.  

It really is no more complicated than this; God’s ways are right and lead to life, man’s ways are wrong and lead to death.  It does not take a scientist to recognize or observe the destruction and futility of man’s ways, not the mention the emptiness and hopelessness as well.  “So what is the problem and why do people hesitate to embrace God’s ways?”  The simple answer is, “Sin.”  Sin is what causes men to turn to the right hand or to the left.  Breaking that down and practically working that out for individuals can provide a whole array of specific reasons why people hesitate and/or turn away.  For example, some people enjoy the sensual gratification of sex [lust], some cannot be submissive [pride],  and still others simply want to do it the easy way.  As one who believes reads these things its easy to default to thinking that this applies only to the unbeliever.  Though the unbeliever is in fact lifeless, the connection of these things should be more heavily applied to the believer.  History proves that in every generation there are some among God’s people who have turned away from living according to His ways; The Way.

Just as Israel in the wilderness turned back to the life they had while in Egypt, we too can incline our hearts toward a way of living that is not God’s plan for us.  Lot’s wife turned back.  To what?  To the life she had in Sodom; the life God came to deliver her from.  The Lord’s desire is to deliver men from the domain of darkness [Sodom and Egypt] to the Kingdom of his beloved Son [the sovereign rule of Yeshua]!  Therefore the author of Hebrews urges the believers…

“Take care brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.  But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. …and those who formerly received the good news [Israel in the wilderness] failed to enter [God's rest] because of disobedience…” – Hebrews 3.12 and 4.6