Don't Look Back
24 By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. 24 Then the LORD rained down burning sulphur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens. 25 Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land. 26 But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
Genesis 19:24-26
Well, if the whole Sodom & Gomorrah wasn’t bizarre enough, now we have a woman turning into a pillar of salt! What in the world is going on here?
God has just miraculously rescued Lot and his family from the destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah. They are fleeing to a town outside of these cities called Zoar when Lot’s wife looks back at the destruction. Earlier in the passage (verse 17), the God’s Angels had told the family to flee and not look back.
So on the most basic of reading. Lot’s wife disobeyed God and here is the consequence. But I think we can go a bit further than that - because of something Jesus says. Listen to Luke 17,
“It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulphur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
30 “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. 32 Remember Lot’s wife! 33 Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.”
Jesus helps us understand what’s going on in Genesis. Lot’s wife looks back because she has some longing for what she left behind. But Jesus says this is a warning to us. Now, the next bit is tricky. Some people think Jesus is referring to when He is on the cross, others to His return.
But I think the same point is this. Trust in Christ, live for Him, turn from the ways of the world and don’t look back with longing. As John will say in 1 John 2:15, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.”
And I reckon that’s something we need to wrestle with. If I’m honest. I do look back with some longing. I think about life without Christ and I think to myself, it would be easier, more fun, even more satisfying in some ways. Usually, it’s when I’m tired, or fearful. But Lot’s wife reminds me not to look back because back there is only destruction and judgement.
For Today:
Pray:
Praise the Father for blessing us with a greater hope than anything in this world. Give thanks for Jesus who offers us a way out of judgement. Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others keep trusting and looking to Jesus.
Genesis 19:24-26
Well, if the whole Sodom & Gomorrah wasn’t bizarre enough, now we have a woman turning into a pillar of salt! What in the world is going on here?
God has just miraculously rescued Lot and his family from the destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah. They are fleeing to a town outside of these cities called Zoar when Lot’s wife looks back at the destruction. Earlier in the passage (verse 17), the God’s Angels had told the family to flee and not look back.
So on the most basic of reading. Lot’s wife disobeyed God and here is the consequence. But I think we can go a bit further than that - because of something Jesus says. Listen to Luke 17,
“It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulphur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
30 “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. 32 Remember Lot’s wife! 33 Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.”
Jesus helps us understand what’s going on in Genesis. Lot’s wife looks back because she has some longing for what she left behind. But Jesus says this is a warning to us. Now, the next bit is tricky. Some people think Jesus is referring to when He is on the cross, others to His return.
But I think the same point is this. Trust in Christ, live for Him, turn from the ways of the world and don’t look back with longing. As John will say in 1 John 2:15, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.”
And I reckon that’s something we need to wrestle with. If I’m honest. I do look back with some longing. I think about life without Christ and I think to myself, it would be easier, more fun, even more satisfying in some ways. Usually, it’s when I’m tired, or fearful. But Lot’s wife reminds me not to look back because back there is only destruction and judgement.
For Today:
- Are you tempted to love the things of this world? To look back?
- Do you know someone who did look back and has now turned away from God?
- What’s one thing you could do today to keep your eyes looking at God rather than the world?
Pray:
Praise the Father for blessing us with a greater hope than anything in this world. Give thanks for Jesus who offers us a way out of judgement. Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others keep trusting and looking to Jesus.
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