adapted from the study: She, Delighting in the examples of the women of the Bible, pp39-40
Before we meet Lot’s Wife, let’s familiarize ourselves with Lot. He is the nephew of Abraham. When Abraham and Sarah obeyed the Lord’s call to leave Haran and go to Canaan, Lot went with them. Eventually, their families parted ways, and Lot settled his family near the land of Sodom, a very sinful city.1
As for Lot’s wife, Scripture does not tell us her name, nor when they met and married. Though some have suggested that “Lot met and married her within the cesspool of Sodom.” Which is exactly where we find them living in our story today.
Her Story
1 That evening the two angels came to the entrance of the city of Sodom. Lot was sitting there, and when he saw them, he stood up to meet them. Then he welcomed them and bowed with his face to the ground.
2 My lords,’ he said, ‘come to my home to wash your feet, and be my guests for the night. You may then get up early in the morning and be on your way again.’ ‘Oh no,’ they replied. ‘We’ll just spend the night out here in the city square.’
3 But Lot insisted, so at last they went home with him. Lot prepared a feast for them, complete with fresh bread made without yeast, and they ate. 4 But before they retired for the night, all the men of Sodom, young and old, came from all over the city and surrounded the house. 5 They shouted to Lot, ‘Where are the men who came to spend the night with you? Bring them out to us so we can have sex with them!’
6 So Lot stepped outside to talk to them, shutting the door behind him. 7 Please, my brothers,’ he begged, ‘don’t do such a wicked thing. 8 Look, I have two virgin daughters. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do with them as you wish. But please, leave these men alone, for they are my guests and are under my protection.
‘9 Stand back!’ they shouted. ‘This fellow came to town as an outsider, and now he’s acting like our judge! We’ll treat you far worse than those other men!’ And they lunged toward Lot to break down the door.
10 But the two angels reached out, pulled Lot into the house, and bolted the door. 11 Then they blinded all the men, young and old, who were at the door of the house, so they gave up trying to get inside.
12 Meanwhile, the angels questioned Lot. ‘Do you have any other relatives here in the city?’ they asked. ‘Get them out of this place — your sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone else. 13 For we are about to destroy this city completely. The outcry against this place is so great it has reached the Lord, and he has sent us to destroy it.’
14 So Lot rushed out to tell his daughters’ fiancés, ‘Quick, get out of the city! The Lord is about to destroy it.’ But the young men thought he was only joking.
15 At dawn the next morning the angels became insistent. ‘Hurry,’ they said to Lot. ‘Take your wife and your two daughters who are here. Get out right now, or you will be swept away in the destruction of the city!’
16 When Lot still hesitated, the angels seized his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters and rushed them to safety outside the city, for the Lord was merciful. Genesis 19:1-16 NLT
It is a horrid story and not easy to read, yet to truly understand the story of “Lot’s wife,” it is helpful, if not necessary, to understand the place and people she has been living among, perhaps her entire life, as some commentators think that this may be where she lived when Lot met and married her. Verses four and five paint a vividly depraved picture of just how steeped in sin the people of Sodom were. Notably, Lot went to great, shocking, even questionable lengths to protect the angels from the riotous mob at his door (6-9). Yet, we must not miss the difficulty Lot and his family had in leaving the city, to the point that the angels had to physically grab hold of their hands and pull them to safety outside of the city. They had been warned that the city would be destroyed and that if they stayed, they would be swept away with it, yet somehow they still struggled to leave.
BUT GOD, in his mercy, had heard the request of Abraham to spare Lot and his family, and the angels delivered them safely outside of the destruction. Before they left them, the angels instructed the family to run for their lives, without looking back or stopping anywhere in the valley. They were to escape to the mountains in order not to be swept away. (vv 18–22).
‘Run for your lives! And don’t look back or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away!’ Genesis 19:17
A Pillar of Salt
Sadly, as Lot led his daughters from the city, his wife “looked back.” As one commentator writes, “She turned her focus to what she was losing instead of looking forward to God’s offer of salvation” (Genesis 19:1–26).
Gotquestions.org points out that “Lot’s wife lagged behind.” While Scripture does not indicate that this was purposeful, it does say that she was following behind Lot (Genesis 19:26). Whatever the reason, she disobeyed God’s instructions through the angels and “looked back.” Because of this, she was “turned into a pillar of salt.” As Bibleref.com explains, “Whether this is a literal, supernatural transformation, or a poetic way of indicating that she was caught up in the destruction due to her delay, the text gives no further details. In either case, God does not let her sin stand.”2
LOT’S WIFE SERVES AS AN EXAMPLE THAT SIN HAS CONSEQUENCES.
“If we choose to reject the salvation that the Lord has given us, we too will become a pillar of regret.”3
Lot’s wife chose the old over the new, the world over God and His ways, sinful pleasures over the will of God…the way of death over the way of new life. Friends, when we are tempted to ‘look back’(clinging to ways, or people, or things that displease God) we would be wise to “remember Lot’s wife,” just as Jesus said to do (Luke 17:32). May she be a reminder for us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the perfecter of our faith…” so that we do not ‘look back’ and become stuck in our longings for sinful pleasures or regrets of our past. Consider the Israelites,
- who looked back and longed for the food of Egypt, or as one commentator puts it, “When the Israelites wandered in the wilderness, they often romanticized their past. Despite enduring brutal slavery, they longed for the predictability and familiar foods of Egypt (like fish, cucumbers, and garlic) when faced with the harsh realities and uncertainties of desert life.” [1, 2, 3]
Or this example from my own life,
- The enemy sometimes assaults me with reminders of the sins of my past, causing my mind to be filled with shame and regret. If I do not quickly turn the thought into a praise of gratitude for God’s mercy and grace, I can get stuck in the muck and mire of regret and lose sight of the blessing of joy in His love and forgiveness. Praise God, the Spirit reminds me that God’s children are not meant to live in shame and regret but in the fullness of joy found in the salvation that is ours through Christ Jesus.
REMEMBER LOT’S WIFE
Jesus’ instruction to “remember Lot’s Wife was meant to serve as a reminder for those who will be among the remnant in the last days. “It is a warning not to seek rescue through things of the world, or to prioritize one’s life over obedience. Even as we trust Jesus’ promises, we must be willing to lose our physical lives, knowing Jesus gives us eternal life” (Luke 17:33). “many will be caught off guard, living normal lives like those in the days of Noah and Lot; Jesus’ followers need to watch the signs and be ready.” As Lot led his daughters from the city, his wife “looked back.” She turned her focus to what she was losing instead of looking forward to God’s offer of salvation (Genesis 19:1–26).
“The language used here might suggest Lot’s wife gazed intently; the point is not that she merely allowed her eyes to take in the catastrophe. The implication of the passage is that in looking back, Lot’s wife was expressing her continuing affection for the sinful culture of Sodom (Luke 17:31–32).4” Jesus’ reminder is meant to help the remnant in that day not make the same mistake.
The More We Know
quotes and added details from gotquestions.org and bibleref.com
Abraham’s plea for the righteous within Sodom … After God indicates His intent to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah for their sins, Abraham tries to convince God to consider the righteous people who might live there. In truth, God already knows that Sodom is doomed, and has no need to justify Himself to Abraham. However, using human language, He has allowed Abraham to discuss sparing the city if a small number of people there are not involved in the city’s pervasive sins (Genesis 13:13; Ezekiel 16:49–50).
Abraham concludes his negotiation with the Lord here, with another request that the Lord not be angry with him, and a promise not to push any further after this. If the Lord finds 10 righteous people in Sodom, will He spare the city for the sake of those 10 people? This particular number was probably Abraham’s goal all along, with the intent of sparing his nephew, Lot, from death in the judgment against Sodom.
Once more, the Lord agrees to Abraham’s request. He will not destroy the city if 10 righteous people are found. Of course, the Lord already knows how many righteous people He will find in Sodom and Gomorrah. He knows what’s coming. Still, He has been gracious and kind to endure Abraham’s pointed questions and requests. In the end, Abraham will know that the Lord is both just in His judgment and merciful in His approach.
We’re fortunate to receive similar warnings. Ephesians 4:22-24 tells us to take off the old self that is ruled by sin and be renewed, putting on the new self that is in the likeness of God. Similarly, 1 John 5:16 says that willful, deliberate sin can lead to death. Lot’s wife wasn’t able to accept that. What she chose to value in her heart led her to sin, which led to her “death”.
The Bible isn’t clear whether Lot’s wife was covered in the salt that rained down with the brimstone or if her remains were dusted with a coating of salt later. But it is interesting that she is described as a “pillar.” The Hebrew for “pillar” refers to a garrison or a deputy, that is, something set to watch over something else. The image of Lot’s wife standing watch over the Dead Sea area—where to this day no life can exist—is a poignant reminder to us not to look back or turn back from the profession of faith we have made, but to follow Christ without hesitation and abide in His love (Luke 17:32).
Me From the Inside Out 