Think about Lots Wife
Have you ever thought about how drastic an event it had been when Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt? But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:26 ESV). If our usual interpretation is correct, she lost her life for only a single very brief moment of disobedience to the instructions she had been given.
Why do we always call her Lot’s wife? She seems to have had no name of her own. Shouldn’t she be entitled to a name? I think I’ll call her Lottie! Lottie was not the only one to be reluctant to leave Sodom (the world) behind.
As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.” But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. (Genesis 19:15,16 ESV)
The entire family seems to have been reluctant to leave. They had gone there by choice and were happy living in Sodom. They had chosen the way of the world and lingered not wanting to leave even though the city was about to be destroyed. Having been seized by the angels, they had been made to leave. They were still rigorously attempting to hang on to their old lives and it actually goes downhill from there.
And Lot said to them, “Oh, no, my lords. Behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life. But I can notescape to the hills, lest the disaster overtake me and I die. Behold, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. (Genesis19:19, 20b ESV)
Whatever made him think that disaster awaited him in the hills? The angels had specifically told him that it was the cities (the low ground) that were about to be punished. For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it (Genesis 19:13).
In direct opposition to where he had been told the destruction would be, he attempted to place the danger itself in the hills rather than the cities. Lot still insisted in taking refuge in Zoar, another city. What was he thinking? His desire shows how strongly he wanted to cling to the ways of the world. The coming destruction provided him with no incentive to leave.
Even though, by then, Lot clearly knew that it had been the Lord who had rescued them from the coming destruction, he was still holding back. Even though Zoar was a small city, it still represented the world and its ways and Lot did not want to leave it behind. His request to stay was granted. Lot had made his choice, probably his final choice, and he choose the world over God. We often think that Lottie was the only one who looked back. While her look back was momentary, Lot’s was permanent. He refused to leave (the world).
Lot understood that judgement was about to fall on the cities. The angels had told him specifically: Escape to the hills lest you be swept away. Even after that, Lot still felt that a city (the world) was the place of safety (the place he wanted to be). He was openly resisting the provision of the Lord. Remember, Abraham had given Lot the option of where he would put down his roots and he had not only chosen the world, the well watered low ground, but he clung tightly to it. Lottie was not the only one who preferred their old life. At that early point, Lottie was of the same mind that her husband was.
I wonder? Our opening verse says: But Lots wife, behind him, … That would be the customary way a family traveled, the husband led the way. She was dutifully following behind and there was really no need to mention that she followed. Perhaps since it was mentioned when it wasn’t necessary there may be an additional meaning. Was she following along with some hesitation? Was she lagging behind? Did she think that Zoar was not the place they should have been headed? Did God have something better for them? Was a change in her brewing, a change that she may not have understood?
We are not told why she looked back or what her reaction had been. Did she want her old life back or did she only want to see the destruction that was in progress? We are not told. We cannot really say that it had been her desire to hang on to her old life. We are only told that she had looked back and that she quickly became a pillar of salt, apparently ending her life.
We normally assume that the instantaneous death we think took place was God’s judgement on her for disobedience. Had she immediately lost her life for a momentary hesitation? She may have had a brief relapse and did look back at her old life, which was being utterly destroyed. However, I see no grace on display looking at it that way.
I recently heard that the actual pillar of salt does exist. It is a pillar, but not really recognizable as a human frozen in time. It seems to be irregular in shape and an actual replication of a human likeness is not really present. Even though the area where it was found is dry, it’s not completely without rain.
It seems unlikely that an actual pillar of salt would remain standing after 4,000 years. After that long, the wind alone would seem to have weathered it away even without rain. Salt gradually dissolves when subjected to the elements. It is a pillar; but, if it represents anything, we don’t know.
We do know that God does indeed require us to be obedient to his word and most of the Bible is teaching us about the struggle to overcome our own tendencies to go our own way and learn to walk in His. It’s difficult for us and it was difficult for every biblical character that have become our examples, as well. We have all experienced many failures along the way and I know that I am not fully there, yet.
The message that would resonate with us if our usual interpretation about this incident is correct, would be a huge warning. “If you disobey, even once, and even if it is for only a brief moment, you will be killed on the spot!” Were that to be the message, without a doubt, we would live in constant fear for our entire lives. We would be extremely hesitant to make any sort of move at all, lest we make some mistake and instantly lose our life because of it. That would take away any thought of doing anything at all that might be the least bit new or unknown. All sense of creativity would be taken from us. It would stop us cold.
If we all were dealt with the way we think Lottie had been, I think the worldwide population would also be quickly diminishing since we all make mistakes. Instead of learning to love our God, we would live in constant fear of Him. That is nothing close to the way He wants us to look to Him. Never-the-less, there has to be a lesson somewhere in this story for us. If it’s not a threat, then what might it be?
For Lottie to look back would not have been a single incident. Up to that point, she seems to have been totally complicit with living in the world. The risk of looking back would have been immense and she had been warned of the risk involved. It could open the door for a return to her old life. It was not possible for her to physically return to Sodom, but she could easily have concurred with Lot that Zoar was the place to go. In effect, by asking to go to Zoar, Lot, himself, was looking back, big time.
He was allowed to go there permanently, and was not turned into a pillar of salt while Lottie only looked back momentarily. Scripture says nothing further about what became of Lot. My thinking is that going to Zoar was the last straw for Lot. I suspect that he lived out the balance of his life in the world and probably never found God for himself. He had been left to his own devices and we hear nothing about how he ended up. The bibles focus is on Gods people.
Along with man’s ongoing failures, God’s forgiveness abounds throughout scripture. Virtually every person in the Bible who God had used had been an imperfect person. In fact, God has no option other than to use imperfect people. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). There are no perfect people from whom He can choose. Therefore, He consistently uses people who have fallen short. The emphasis is always on the forgiveness of God that is available to us. While I am not proud of my own failures, He has always forgiven me when I have failed. I am forever thankful that He has not treated me the way we think He had treated Lottie.
Why was Lottie the only person who was apparently killed for her disobedience? Her failure was very brief and there was really not even an option for her to return to Sodom, her old life. It was gone forever. Both Sodom and its people were in the process of being completely destroyed. Only her immediate family had been rescued and she would have realized that.
Maybe, just maybe, at that moment, Lottie may have also realized what a great salvation she had been granted. Understanding very clearly what God had done in sparing her was crucial. She had been blessed and would have instantly realized that she was undeserving of being rescued as she does not appear to have been living close to the Lord up to that point. Her family had been singled out to be rescued only because of Abraham’s plea to the Lord. A great gift had been granted that was not extended to the rest of Sodom.
While no other person mentioned ever instantly lost his life for his infractions, we do know that Lot, himself, was not walking with God the way God would have wanted him to. He had chosen the low ground (the world) and now he was asking to go to Zoar (another place in the world). Lot was clearly hanging on tenaciously to his old life. Nothing is ever said about where Lottie had been with the Lord. However, we also know that their daughters were far from where they should have been. They made a case that there were no men for them to marry.
And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth: Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve the seed of our father. (Genesis 19:31,32)
Could Lot, particularly since he was old, be completely unaware of what was happening while drunk and still perform? I suspect not. Meanwhile, the sisters’ strategy was completely unnecessary. They could easily have found husbands among the people of Abraham. They had thought up the most ungodly of plans imaginable. They were clearly still living in the ways of the world.
It seems that Lots’ entire family had been out of step with the Lord from before the time Abraham and Lot parted ways. Lot had openly chosen the world. That they had been rescued at all was entirely due to the plea of Abraham. It seems a bit strange that God would honor the request of Abraham for mercy, but then bring judgement at His first opportunity even before they were safely away from the city. While a day of reconning always comes, God’s pattern has always been to extend grace well beyond what He had obligated Himself to do.
In rescuing the family, God was following His pattern (for His people) throughout scripture. His grace abounds. That is what He is always teaching us. There is forgiveness in the Lord. He wants us to be confident that when we mess up, we can be forgiven. If Lottie had not yet become one of God’s people, she might have well gone on to Zoar with her family as her end would have been the way of the world anyway. If she had managed to find the Lord, and yet lost her life, the way we interpret His dealing with her runs completely counter to His normal practice.
In going to Zoar, Lot was insisting that he remain unchanged. Even after experiencing the destruction of Sodom for its wicked ways, Lot still asked to be allowed to remain in the world. Lot was firmly entrenched in the world. Which is worse, to take up permanent residence in another place that represented the world, or to take a brief look at the past?
Did Lottie remain with the family and arrive with them to Zoar? Lot’s two daughters conspired to sleep with their father and continue the family line through him. That would make it seem that Lot’s wife was no longer a part of the family. It was clearly an ungodly idea under any circumstance, but would have been even more unimaginable with their own mother still with them.
Could it be possible that looking back had brought about a complete change in Lottie? Did she finally realize what God had done for them? Had she finally come to her senses? Nothing further is said about her but she does not seem to be with the family when the daughters conspired to sleep with their father. While she had looked back momentarily, Lot had asked to take up permanent residence in another city, still his chosen place in the world.
Perhaps when Lottie looked back she may have suddenly understood the grace of God in saving them. I am wondering if being turned into a pillar of salt really means what we are told it means. Salt is usually associated with strength or preservation, always something of a positive nature. I can’t think of a case where it represents judgement, destruction or any other negative. The incident doesn’t seem to fit well with other scripture.
There is always a danger in looking back; but perhaps it had the opposite effect on her. Could looking back have actually prompted a major change in her? Perhaps seeing the destruction taking place had caused her to realize what had been done for her? She may have been changed for the better. I am wondering if she had actually been turned into a pillar of strength? Could the expression “a pillar of salt” actually have been an idiom in vogue at the time? While we don’t know for sure; it’s something to think about.
However, look what Abraham, himself, had done. He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace. (Genesis 19:28)
Abraham had not been instructed to not look back at the destruction; however, he had actually done the very same thing that Lottie had done and suffered no repercussions.
We know the very great patience God has with us. He forgives us seventy times seven. His forgiveness has no limits. However, He does recognize, immediately, when we have made our lasting and final decision. When we have made it, He allows us to go our own way. When we are lost for eternity, it is not because He has abandoned us; it’s because we have made our own final choice.
Since he has given us the option of making our own decision, He can attempt to move us in the right direction, but He cannot override our decision. If He reserved for Himself the option to override our decision, we would not truly have the right to make it ourselves. He allows the decision we have made to stand. If we choose to continue in the way of the world, we are lost for eternity.
Lot had made his lasting decision. On the other hand, my suspicion is that Lottie had found the Lord at the last minute, when she looked back she may have suddenly realized that the world is not the answer. For Lottie to have left her family and not continued with them to Zoar, especially with daughters remaining at home seems impossible. However, she does not seem to be present when her daughters slept with their father. If she had truly found the Lord, it would also have been nearly impossible for her to go on to Zoar (to continue in the ways of the world).
Much of what we read in scripture requires us to think. God goes to great lengths to make us willing to comply and live according to His word. Doing so blindly without stopping to think things through can really only be done after we have already reached a place where we have unwavering and complete confidence in Him. For most of us reaching that place has taken time, even after accepting Him as our savior. God has no problem with our questions, so long as we are actually seeking Him.
This event seems to have many questions that probably require considerable thought. Some answers come easily while others can be more difficult. This one seems like a catch twenty two situation. It’s time for you to think about this. How do you think this ends. We are likely to differ about this. That’s okay. What’s your opinion? How can it be understood in the light of other scripture?