This man was spared and saved - but what did he do? Did he join the people of God? No. After experiencing deliverance, he went into an area of present-day northern Syria, and built another city called Luz - just like the city that had been destroyed.

The same thing happens today. When people go through hard times, they receive the blessing, mercy, and forgiveness of God. But then they soon find themselves going back to the old areas, rebuilding the old cities, and doing the old things once again. If the Lord has touched your life, if He has called you into His Kingdom, if He has brought you into His family, when things start getting easier, don’t give in to the temptation of saying, “I don’t have to be as intense any more. I can sort of kick back. I can go back up to northern Syria where I came from and kind of rebuild old ways.”

Don’t do it! That’s what this man did. What happened to him? The Bible doesn’t say. His name isn’t mentioned; his deeds are not recorded from this point on. Thus, it seems his life didn’t count for much in the economy of God.