Where Your Treasure Is, There Your Heart Will Be Also
Matthew 6:20-21
Yahshua (Jesus) has called us to “Come out and follow Him” and we are not to look back. (See Revelation 18:4, Luke 9:23) Lot’s wife disobeyed Yahveh’s instruction she “looked back, and she became a pillar of salt” (Genesis 19:26). She had a love and longing for the continued comforts and familiarity of a life that she had to leave behind. Her disobedience and her rebellion against righteous instruction led to her destruction. “When you know what to do and don’t do it, it is sin, and the wages of sin is death (see James 4:17 and Romans 6:23). Regardless of the confession of your lips, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).
Those who have ears, let them hear and learn from these key words: “Lot’s wife looked back” (Genesis19:26) and “Remember Lot’s wife!” (Luke 17:32). Don’t look back! Flee from the coming judgments! Continue to “work out your salvation” with humility and sincere repentance, glorifying Yahshua (Jesus) your Savior, whose blood was poured out for the forgiveness of your sins and eternal deliverance of your soul. Listen and heed the words of the apostle Paul, “… Forgetting what is behind … I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which Yahveh (God) has called me heavenward in Messiah Yahshua” (Philippians 3:13-14).
In addition, let’s look at Israel’s deliverance as an example of those who looked back and craved what they had left in Egypt. Most of Yahveh’s chosen nation, who were continuously and miraculously delivered from Egypt—symbolic of the world, and wicked Pharaoh—symbolic of Satan, never entered the Promised Land. They rebelled against the Almighty’s righteousness through lack of faith and disobedience and fell under His sovereign judgments and curses. Yahveh was to be their exceedingly great reward as He was for their father Abraham (see Genesis 15:1) but He was not enough. Most were continually discontent, murmuring, grumbling, and complaining forgetting all the wondrous miracles the God of Israel had performed for their deliverance from evil. The Almighty had proclaimed to Moses, “for I, Yahveh your God, am a jealous God” (Exodus 20:5). Israel in her rebellion, discontent, and cravings aroused His jealousy and righteous indignation and consequently righteous judgments.
“Now the people became like those who complain of adversity in the hearing of Yahveh (the LORD); and when Yahveh heard it, His anger was kindled, and the fire of Yahveh burned among them…The rabble [apt term for the halfhearted] who were among them had greedy desires … saying ‘Oh that someone would give us meat to eat! ... Why did we ever leave Egypt?’ [They looked back and turned up their noses at Yahveh’s heavenly provision.] …the anger of Yahveh was kindled against the people, and Yahveh struck them with a very severe plague. So the name of that place was called Kibroth-Hattaavah [meaning grave of cravings], because there they buried the people who had been greedy- (with consuming fleshy desires)” (refer to Numbers 11:1,4-5,18-20,33-34).
“These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:11-13)
We are not to be enticed to look back to what once satisfied our carnal nature. We are to look to Yahshua, (Jesus) who died in our place for the wages of such self-serving, sinful preoccupations, and lifestyles. As the sacrificial Lamb, His blood covers our repentant hearts. He is also our Good Shepherd who is leading His redeemed little flock out of this doomed world into the safe pastures of His eternal righteous Kingdom. We are to be on our guard against such cravings and self-indulgence, instead we are to “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33) and to “hunger and thirst after righteousness” and we “shall be satisfied” (see Matthew 5:6). Yahveh (the LORD) will become our exceedingly great reward and provider of everything we will need to overcome and endure victoriously over our flesh, the Enemy, and the world and its pulls. We will be found unashamed and pleasing in His sight at His coming when we see Him face to face and have to give an account at the judgment seat.
