S147P3 – Lost to disobedience: a life
Gen. 19:23-26
The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar. Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur 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 Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
Angels had just appeared and warned Lot to take his wife and daughters and flee Sodom. Lot and his family did not behave as if time was of the essence, but one can understand their hesitation as this was their home. In fact, the angels had to physically get them going from that place. [v. 16] Then, they gave the critical set of instructions to flee, not look back and not stop in the plain. [v. 17] To do otherwise would bring destruction. It seems like such a harsh consequence for merely throwing a glance in the wrong direction, but other scriptures seem to indicate that looking back was about much more than just a glance.
Lot’s wife is mentioned once in the scriptures outside of Genesis. In Luke 17, we are told to remember her. [v. 30-33] In this context, Jesus is not talking about merely looking back at the old life or at this system of things. He is talking about those who try to remain there or go back there. He is talking about those who try to keep their lives and end up losing them in the process. If we couple that with the fact that Lot’s wife died by being turned into a pillar of salt, there is a strong argument that her death was the result of returning to Sodom and being a victim of the fire and sulfur which fell from heaven. This was not about simply missing that old life. This was about returning to it knowing that it would bring destruction.
We come into this world with incomplete and imperfect lives which lead to physical and spiritual death. God offers us the option to trade those doomed lives for real life which lasts for eternity. Those who are foolish enough to keep those old lives and choose against the Lord will suffer the natural consequence of that imperfect life. It is bound to end and be lost. The command for all those who would choose the Lord is the same command that Lot’s family received. If we miss the old life and try to return to preserve it, we will die. Father, give us the wisdom and the discipline to keep our eyes and our intentions focused on moving forward to the life You promise will know no death.