Warn

Dorma Guice
Sep 15, 2020
4 min read

Definition: to inform someone in advance of an impending or possible danger, problem, or other unpleasant situation*

Approximate Number of Occurrences in Scripture (76)

Read: Genesis 19:1-29 for full context of this account

Genesis 19:14 (NIV) So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said, "Hurry and get out of this place, because the LORD is about to destroy the city!" But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.

That Was Then

Genesis 19 is chock full of wickedness and warnings against committing or condoning such acts. The chapter begins with two angels arriving in Sodom with a dual mission – rescue and destroy. They were to rescue Lot (Abraham’s nephew) and his family before destroying the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah. We quickly learn that finding cause to destroy the cities was not hard. The bigger challenge was warning and convincing Lot and his family to escape certain destruction. The angels realized it was as difficult to get Lot and his family out of Sodom as it would be to get Sodom out of them.

The warning was clear: Genesis 19:12-13 (NIV) 12 The two men said to Lot, "Do you have anyone else here--sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, 13 because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it." However, Lot and his family members responded to the warning in different ways.

Lot: believed GOD, but didn’t really want to leave. His time among the people of Sodom so clouded his judgment and weakened his convictions that he condemned the men’s sodomy as wickedness; but in the same breath offered up his virgin daughters to them to “do what you like with them” (vs. 8). Hesitating, he was nearly dragged out of Sodom; and asked to remain close, settling in the nearby town of Zoar.
Lot’s Sons-in-Law: thought Lot was joking and refused to leave. Ultimately, they were destroyed. (This speaks volumes about their impression of Lot’s influence and leadership.)
Lot’s Wife: believed him, but didn’t necessarily believe GOD. Although she loved Lot, she really loved her life in Sodom and didn’t want to leave it. She was warned “Flee for your lives! DON’T LOOK BACK, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain!” (vs. 17). The angel had to grasp her hand and the hands of her daughters and lead them out because they hesitated. Ignoring the warning, she looked back and became a pillar of salt.
Lot’s Daughters: also hesitated and needed to be led out to escape destruction. Sadly, we see the influence being raised in Sodom’s wicked culture had on them in the verses following their narrow escape (see vs. 30-38).

Scripture is full of warnings and commands us to warn each other. From this account, we see how we respond is as important as the warnings themselves.

This is Now

Since the earth was formed and people were placed on it, we endured horrific events that have wrecked and claimed innumerable lives. Whether natural or man-induced disasters, most of them could have had a much lesser impact and some could have been avoided altogether. We’re familiar with many of the following events and the end result, but little known are the people who sounded the alarm well beforehand. Meet the town criers who were courageous enough to warn us of impending doom, only to be blown off:

GOD – warned Adam, who warned Eve: And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." Genesis 2:16-17 (NIV) – they ignored the warning and ate from the tree, resulting in the Fall of Man and the entire earth being cursed;
Pacific Ocean Tsunami Warning System – called the embassies and government officials of several Asian countries immediately after a 9.2 magnitude earthquake in 2004 to warn them that a tsunami was very likely. Most of them ignored it and took no preparatory action. This tragic event claimed over 230,000 lives, injured 500,000 people and left 1.7 million people homeless. A top government official in Thailand warned of both the earthquake and tsumani 7 years before it happened, but was dismissed as “crazy” and banned from entering parts of Asia for fear that he would adversely impact tourism; **
Bob Ebeling – was an engineer who helped build the Challenger Space Shuttle, which exploded 73 seconds into its launch while millions watched on the ground in Florida and television on January 28, 1986. Ebeling insistently requested to push the launch date back, warning that the cold weather would prevent the O-rings from sealing properly and cause an explosion. The request was initially granted, and then retracted 6 days later as executives were pressured to get the shuttle into space. This decision claimed the lives of all 7 astronauts onboard. ***

Belgian Ambassador to Rwanda and Professor Filip Reyntjens – attempted multiple warnings to the Belgian senate and other leaders in 1992 that the Hutus planned a genocide attack on the Tutsis. As you can guess, the warnings were ignored. Two years later, General Romeo Dallaire sent what is now known as the “genocide fax” to the UN warning of ethnic cleansing and requested troops to attack the Hutu arms cache, to no avail. On April 6, 1994, this massacre claimed 800,000 Tutsi lives while the world stood by silently and watched. ****

Who Said That?!!!

"Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book." (Revelation 22:7) – Jesus Christ

What Do You Say?

AFFIRMATION: "When I see something, I say something."

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