'Remember Lot's Wife'

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The sun had risen over the earth when Lot came to Zoar. Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven, and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But his wife, from behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:23-26).

I don’t know about you, but I have heard numerous sermons that included mentions of Lot’s unnamed wife and her transformation from living flesh to a pillar of salt. I’ve heard several different takes on what happened to her, and I think they have all been focused on the “why” of this situation – as in, “The reason Lot’s wife looked back was because …”

Some of those possibilities are: she wanted to go back to Sodom; she was sad about the people there being destroyed; she was glad for the destruction because of the evil there; she was curious about what was happening; it was simply reflexive – she didn’t really mean to look. Maybe we could even blame it on Lot, who was in front of her instead of following her in a more protective role, making sure she was safe from the mayhem behind them (and not looking where she shouldn’t have). I’m sure there are others.

But do you know what I don’t think I have ever heard covered on this topic? The “what” of Lot’s wife’s actions. Yes, we know she turned around, but let’s take a step back and look at the angel’s instructions in verse 17 of Genesis 19:

When they had brought them outside, one said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you, and do not stay anywhere in the valley; escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away.”

There is no equivocation. There is no explanation except that she would be “swept away.” There is only a command: “Do not look behind you.”

Again, people can speculate from now until Jesus returns about why Lot’s wife looked back. But the point is not about her motivation for looking back … the point is that the angel gave specific instructions to Lot and his family, and the woman chose to disobey, leading to her own demise.

It’s not about the “Why”

There is a trend in society these days that is quite concerning, and it reminds me of the attention given to the motivation of Lot’s wife in the story about Sodom’s destruction. This trend is evidenced in movies that take a sympathetic view of notoriously evil characters, giving their backstories so the audience will understand why “the bad guys” became so bad (e.g., Cruella, Maleficent, and Wicked). Such movies seek to create sympathy for people who have acted with malice, extreme cruelty, and destruction.

We also see this trend every time there is a well-publicized attack of some kind in society, whether it be a person driving a car into a crowd of people, a mass shooting, “mostly peaceful protests” that destroy large swaths of cities … or mothers who murder their children (yes, I went there). It seems that every time one of these events occurs, the first news reports will inevitably include remarks that “authorities have not yet determined the motivation for the attack.”

I am a very sympathetic person. I am also very inquisitive and want to understand the root causes of things, including everything from medical problems (find the cause … don’t just treat a symptom) to “lifestyle” choices people make. There is always something at the foundational level that instigated the current problem, and I think it is important to determine that source and uproot it.

That being said, the motivations behind evil actions will never justify the evil. Just because something has a believable, understandable, sympathetic motive does not mean the action is not still wrong, sinful, or wicked.

And that brings me back to Lot’s wife.

It’s about the “What”

When we look at the action that led to Lot’s wife and her salty demise, the punishment seems so unfair, doesn’t it? I mean, all she did was turn her head! That hardly seems to merit a death sentence, right?

We humans tend to assess the punishment for disobedience according to the severity of the crime or misdeed. And in general, that is a fair way to determine disciplinary actions.

But consider this: What if your daughter was standing on the lawn when you saw a deadly snake behind her? Realizing the snake would strike if it felt threatened by any sudden movement, you told your child to be very still. How important would it be for your child to obey you, no questions asked? If she moved, would it matter that her ankle was itching or that she was afraid or that she was simply accustomed to ignoring your instructions? No … none of those would matter at that point. It would be too late.

Likewise, it doesn’t really matter what the scenario is; when God gives us instructions (like, say, in the Bible), there is a purpose for it. And it doesn’t matter why we don’t like His rules or His guidance; it only matters that we obey Him – preferably with full compliance and no hesitation. Anything less is sin. As I have heard it said, “Delayed obedience is disobedience.”

That is not to say that God doesn’t allow us to approach Him with our questions. Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matt. 7:7). However, our obedience should not hinge on receiving the answers we seek. It may be that some questions we ask won’t be answered for many years – maybe not even until we reach heaven. But we can trust that God knows what is best for us. He sees the future as if it has already happened, and He knows exactly how every decision we make will affect our lives and maybe the lives of our families, our neighbors, or our nation – whether that be for our good … or for our destruction. I think that is at least part of the reason Jesus gave this warning:

And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the same as happened in the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, the one who is on the housetop and whose goods are in the house must not go down to take them out; and likewise the one who is in the field must not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17:26-32).

God knows how difficult it can be to faithfully follow Him in a world that refuses to even acknowledge His existence. But He also knows how much blessing lies in a life surrendered to Him, and that is what He desires for all people. So, when the sacrifice of obeying God feels too hard or unreasonable, let’s remember Lot’s wife and be reminded of the cost of disobedience … and find joy in submitting to the One who willingly paid the price for our freedom.

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:1-2).

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