My brother-in-law, Clint Holden, sings a beautiful song entitled “Don’t Look Back.” It’s about Lot’s wife turning into a pillar of salt.
Lot’s wife disobeyed God by looking back. She held on to useless things as the Lord’s angels led her and her family by the hands to safety. I think this bears repeating. Angels! Angels are leading her and her family by the hands and she still looks back.
The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. . . When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them. As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!”. . . But lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. Genesis 19
I suspect that there are several reasons why she did this; maybe fear, pride, worry, lack of trust, worldliness, or blame. But, disobedience is the result. All of these attributes are sin.
Lot also had his problems as we see that he hesitated initially, prompting the angels to grasp their hands to lead them out of the city. So, while they had been living in a sinful environment, they had become blind to the evil and now at this crucial time, it was their choice. Lot also argued with the angels about their destination and concessions were made to him. It is clear that their relationships with the Lord were not what they should be. And yet, “the Lord was merciful to them.”
How often do we as Christian women choose the safety of what we know rather than trusting God with the uncertainty of change in our lives? How often do we harbor memories of disappointment that keep our family members, our friends, our selves, and even the Lord in boxes to protect ourselves, so that changes are not made that we so desperately want and hope for? How often do we focus on the temporal things of life rather than on the Lord God Almighty? We block the progress that we and our families might make, while all the while, our Jesus is right here indwelling us in the person of the Holy Spirit, as He intercedes for us, His saints, in accordance with God’s will.
There were no godly men for her daughters in this evil city that they were fleeing. So, she held back the wonderful progress that her family would have made had she only trusted God, the one who “was merciful to them.” This story might have ended with a wonderful family including grandchildren had she lived in obedience. But instead, her sin and self-destruction ended her life on earth, and led the way for her daughters to also sin by not trusting the Lord. What a sad commentary!
We are called to lose our life for the Lord, just as He gave His life for us.
Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. Luke 17:32-33
As we who believe lose our life, we really gain the life that counts and it is the life that we want.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13