Luke 17:32 instructs us to “Remember Lot’s wife.” Lot’s wife is not one of the leading ladies of the Bible; her name isn’t even mentioned. But the drama surrounding her and those three ominous words tell us a lot about her and sound a warning for us all.
She was married to a prominent man in Sodom. The Bible tells us that Lot sat at the city’s gates, which means he held a prestigious position. But it also mentions that he was righteous. In a city filled with debauchery and every evil thought and sin, he must have been tormented by the culture around him. We don’t know if Lot’s wife felt the same. Maybe she enjoyed being held in high regard by the most influential people of Sodom. She may have delighted in her possessions and her family’s status.
The day came when God, in His mercy, sent deliverance. Abraham had pleaded with God to withhold His judgment for ten righteous in Sodom, but God could not find these few righteous people. Lot still hesitated, and the angels had to take him, his wife, and his daughters by the hands and pull them out saying, “Don’t stop, don’t look back, flee for your lives!”
The heat burned through the back of her robe as she ran. Her ears were filled with the sounds of shouting and screaming behind her. The acrid smell of burning flesh filled her lungs as the smoke billowed up, blurring her vision. Her comfortable life, possessions, and temporary pleasures were consumed in a moment. It was only through God’s mercy that her life was spared. But she lagged behind, longing for everything she had left—the things she loved. She turned for one final look. Her attachment to the past was greater than her commitment to the future. The extravagant mercy extended to her in that instant was rejected forever. The Bible says that she turned into a pillar of salt.
“Remember Lot’s wife! Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.” (Luke 17:32-33, KJV.)
We have the free will to reject God’s mercy. How heartbreaking to be so close to salvation but, in the end, turn back.
Don’t look back at what’s burning down, what God is finished with. Don’t get stuck in a place you were only supposed to pass through. We can’t live for Jesus while looking back.
Eternity with Jesus in Heaven is what lies before us, which is much more precious than anything we must leave behind.
Devotion by Shelly Stringfellow
