Justin Hale

“Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it." (Luke 17:32-33).

Jesus mentions her prominently as an example of someone who 'looks back' at her former life instead of walking by faith into her new life. Lot's wife was displaced from her home three times! She married Lot while still living in the 'land of Ur of the Chaldeans.' (Genesis 11:33), Ur was an ancient city in what is Iraq today. It was highly advanced beyond any other city of the era, even having indoor clay plumbing systems.

Lot's wife was clearly unhappy to leave such an amazing place to go out on a strange quest based on promises made to her husband's uncle, ('Abram' later called 'Abraham'); promises made by a God unfamiliar to her or her people. They all left and first settled on land outside of Ur known as 'Haran' which was named for Lot's father. He had died and left this land to Lot. I suppose this was acceptable enough to Lot's wife but not preferable to living in a great city. She began to make a new home there only to be told that they would be leaving again to settle in a land called 'Canaan' as instructed by Abram's God. Not only was this land far away, but it was already inhabited by other people who were very displeasing to Abram's God.

Abram's God guided them safely through Egypt and prospered both him and Lot so much even while traveling and living in tents that they had to separate to keep their servants from fighting each other and their animals from competing for resources. Lot eventually spread out his growing estate as far as a city called 'Sodom' which was very prosperous but also very wicked and perverse. 

Scripture tells us that Lot's righteous soul was 'vexed' night and day by the evil deeds of the Sodomites, (2 Peter 2:8). Lot's wife, however, was making her home once again in an impressive city, similar in many ways to the one she secretly wished she had never left back in Ur. 

Then the final straw arrived for Lot's wife. She was told that they were fleeing the city and leaving everything behind because Abram's God was about to destroy it. This is where most people start to misinterpret the narrative, because the secular world has twisted the story to mock it as 'silly magical thinking.'

While it is, of course, entirely possible for God to have transformed Lot's wife into salt, that isn't what the story is describing. Everyone in Sodom and Gomorrah was 'turned into salt' by the super-heated sulfuric brimstone God used to destroy those cities. It is not until recently as mankind has advanced in knowledge that even the 'distant copies' of God, (which is what we are as humans, 'made in God's image'); that we have managed to create weapons distantly similar to God's in ferocious power. We have seen human bodies instantly 'vaporized'; reduced to what we are when all liquid is removed...about five pounds of mineral salts. 

Scripture mentions the 'Salt Sea' as being the general location of this region and we know it better today as the 'Dead Sea.' It is the most mineral laden body of water on earth. What was already very mineral rich water, received the 'pillars of salt' left behind by all the living inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah.

We may not think often of GOD as a military Commander or the 'Lord of Hosts' as scripture calls Him in this role. Nor do we often contemplate His awesome technology and wisdom applied to warfare. We are only tasting a 'distant copy' of a far superior preexisting original version, even with our best human efforts and most advanced secular thinking. 

GOD has given us all of this marvelous technology and allowed unbelievers to demonstrate it, precisely so that He could reveal mankind's true nature and His role as their Creator even while they deny He Exists! 

Lot's wife just refused to leave after starting out with her husband and his 'crazy' uncle Abram. She had had enough and was returning to Sodom when GOD Himself finally had enough.

September 12 2022 • 2 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Leslie Coutinho

Luke 17:32-33: Remember Lot’s wife. Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it, and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.

When Lot departed from Bethel with his herdsmen, herds, flocks, and tents he chose to go to the plains of Jordon, the place called Sodom and Gomorrah, which was well watered like the garden of the Lord; but the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked. (Gen 13:3,5,7,10,13) Lot, knowing the wickedness and living among them (2 Peter 2:8), was then being captured by the kings who took all their goods and their victuals from the land, which was then heard by Abram. He went and smote them and brought back Lot, the woman that was along with him, and the goods and the people who were taken. (Gen. 14:14,16) 

Sodom and Gomorrah continued in their wickedness, for their cries were great and their sins were grievous, and the Lord wanted to go down and witness their cries (Gen. 18:20-21,23), There was none that were righteous in this place. (Eze. 16:49-50) The Lord wanted to destroy this place, but with God’s grace, Lot was allowed to be saved along with his family members that he raised and brought up in this land. (Gen. 19:12,16) As they were being brought out of the city they were told not to look behind nor stay in any plain, but to escape to the mountain. If not, they would be consumed in the iniquity of the city. (Gen 19:15,17)

Lot requested and was given another opportunity to go to a city closer to escape, and was told to go in haste to this city, which was called Zoar. (Gen. 19:20-22) They entered the city, and then the woman that was along with him (Gen. 14:16), that is, his wife who was behind, him turned her back to see the destruction of the land, as she was raised in this land, which was full of wickedness. For she loved the cares of this world (Eze. 16:49). When the Lord rained fire, which is super-heated brimstone, out of heaven on this land, it turned her and all that was in that land into salt. (Gen. 19:23,26) Lot and his daughters, who obeyed, were then taken out of this city of Zoar, for the Lord remembered Abraham, that he asked God, “Will you also destroy the righteous with the wicked?” (Gen. 19:29)

Ezekiel 16:49: Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

September 15 2022 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report