Vision Quest – Free From Fear: Lot's Wife vs. Lydia

*Some call it a quiet time. We call it a Vision Quest. This is a simple Bible study to help you along your journey of discovering God’s purpose for your life.

The kind of legacy we leave can be determined by our choice to listen to fear or to God. Lot’s wife was afraid to leave what was comfortable, but Lydia allowed God to influence her life for good.

The two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting near the city gate. When he saw them, he got up and went to them and bowed facedown on the ground. Lot said, “Sirs, please come to my house and spend the night. There you can wash your feet, and then tomorrow you may continue your journey.”

The angels answered, “No, we will spend the night in the city’s public square.”But Lot begged them to come, so they agreed and went to his house. Then Lot prepared a meal for them. He baked bread without yeast, and they ate it.
Before bedtime, men both young and old and from every part of Sodom surrounded Lot’s house. They called to Lot, “Where are the two men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so we can have sexual relations with them.”

Lot went outside to them, closing the door behind him. He said, “No, my brothers! Do not do this evil thing. Look! I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. I will give them to you, and you may do anything you want with them. But please don’t do anything to these men. They have come to my house, and I must protect them.”

The men around the house answered, “Move out of the way!” Then they said to each other, “This man Lot came to our city as a stranger, and now he wants to tell us what to do!” They said to Lot, “We will do worse things to you than to them.” They started pushing him back and were ready to break down the door.

But the two men staying with Lot opened the door, pulled him back inside the house, and then closed the door. They struck those outside the door with blindness, so the men, both young and old, could not find the door.

Genesis 19:1-11

Describe the city that Lot’s family lived in. Would you consider it a place where God was present?

In verses 10 and 11 what do you learn about God by sending the angels to Lot’s house?

The two men said to Lot, “Do you have any other relatives in this city? Do you have any sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or any other relatives? If you do, tell them to leave now, because we are about to destroy this city. The Lord has heard of all the evil that is here, so he has sent us to destroy it.”

So Lot went out and said to his future sons-in-law who were pledged to marry his daughters, “Hurry and leave this city! The Lord is about to destroy it!” But they thought Lot was joking. At dawn the next morning, the angels begged Lot to hurry. They said, “Go! Take your wife and your two daughters with you so you will not be destroyed when the city is punished.”

But Lot delayed. So the two men took the hands of Lot, his wife, and his two daughters and led them safely out of the city. So the Lord was merciful to Lot and his family. After they brought them out of the city, one of the men said, “Run for your lives! Don’t look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Run to the mountains, or you will be destroyed.”

Genesis 19:12-17

In this passage, it says the angels were insistent in urging Lot’s family out of the town to keep them safe, but they hesitated.

God was offering freedom, safety and protection so why would they hesitate?

Fear makes us hesitate. What do you think they were afraid to leave behind?

How does fear make you hesitate to do things in your life? What are you afraid of giving up so you can be closer to God?

At that point Lot’s wife looked back. When she did, she became a pillar of salt.

Genesis 19:26

Lot’s wife was warned not to look back, but she did and would forever be remembered for being becoming a pillar of salt.

What was so important that she felt the need to look back? What do you think she still wanted to hold onto?

In her fear she did not listen to God. Instead she feared losing the comfort of her sinful life.

What sins do you tolerate in your life and feel comfortable not changing?

Let’s Compare Lot’s Wife to Lydia…

We left Troas and sailed straight to the island of Samothrace. The next day we sailed to Neapolis. Then we went by land to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city in that part of Macedonia. We stayed there for several days.

On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate to the river where we thought we would find a special place for prayer. Some women had gathered there, so we sat down and talked with them. One of the listeners was a woman named Lydia from the city of Thyatira whose job was selling purple cloth. She worshiped God, and he opened her mind to pay attention to what Paul was saying. She and all the people in her house were baptized. Then she invited us to her home, saying, “If you think I am truly a believer in the Lord, then come stay in my house.” And she persuaded us to stay with her.

Acts 16:11-15

What two things happened when Lydia heard the word preached about Jesus?

What do you think it means by “the Lord opened her heart”?

Is this the way you respond to the bible?

What happened to her and her family as a result of listening to God?

Compare the results of Lot’s wife and Lydia’s responses to hearing God.

Would you rather live a life of comfort, but leave no legacy or listen and accept the word and change your life and the lives of those around you for good?

Challenge:

What sins do you tolerate in your life and feel comfortable not changing?

Pray about what those sins are and ask God to help you change.