WHY LOOK BACK?

By Tonya Allen June 10, 2019

What would you have done if you were Lot’s wife?

We have heard the story about Lot’s wife turning into a pillar of salt. This story teaches us about the consequences of being disobedient. I often wonder what I would have done in this situation. We all say that we would have ran and never looked back, but it is so easy to say what you would do in any given situation. But, we never really know what we will do until we are in the middle of the battle.

Why did Lot’s wife look back? I have asked myself that question several times. I was led to Genesis 13:5-7, Lot was so wealthy; he was unable to continue living with Abraham because the land could not sustain feeding his and Abraham’s livestock. This tidbit of information showed me that Lot’s wife was use to fine things. Maybe she looked back because she knew that all of her wealth was about to be destroyed. In Genesis 19:1, Lot was described as being in the “in” crowd. He was hanging out with the elders and the judges. God was asking her to give up the privileges of her high social status and her prominent friends. Did she love the ways of the world more than God? John encourages us not to love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him…but he who does the will of God abides forever. (I John 2:15-17)

Could the answer to this question be this simple? What about her children? Most people assumed that Lot only had the two daughters that fled with him and his wife. In Genesis 19:14, he goes to speak to his son-in-laws, who had married his daughters. In verse 15, the angels tell him to flee with the two daughters who are here. Since Lot and his wife had more than two daughters, they left more than just material possessions in the city. When God rained down fire and brimstone upon Sodom, their married daughters and sons-in-law—and possibly grandchildren—perished with the rest of the city’s populace. What a poignant and tragic test of their faith!

Thus, when Lot’s wife fled for little town of Zoar, her wealth, her house and her social circle were not the only things on her mind. Those concerns were insignificant beside the certain death of her flesh and blood. Perhaps she did not believe that God would follow through on His threat. As a loving mother, her emotions for her doomed family in the city clouded her ability to make proper decisions.

Can you imagine running away from your children, knowing that their very lives were going to end. We criticize Lot’s wife but it goes against a Mother’s human nature to walk away from our children knowing what the outcome is going to be. But, Jesus makes a pertinent comment in this regard. In the 10th chapter of Matthew, in verses 37-39, Jesus clearly states,

He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

God requires us to have more allegiance to Him than to the members of our own families. For His disciples, leaving family members behind to do God’s will may be the most common hardship that they have to face as they come out of this world. Perhaps this is why He reminds us to “remember Lot’s wife.” The day may soon come when we will have to heed God’s warnings without hesitation to flee again.

When God commands His elect to flee to a place of safety, many of us will be required to entrust unconverted family members to God’s mercy. Without doubt, this will be the greatest test of our spiritual lives. We will know that before us lies life and hope and behind us death and destruction, just as Lot and his family experienced in fleeing Sodom.

We often look back at our pasts and regret the decisions that we have made. God has forgiven us and why dwell on something you can’t change anyway. By no means are we to forget where God has brought us from, these very memories keep us humble and appreciative. On the other hand, the best hand, God’s hand, why dwell on it, simply reflect on it, praise God for it and look ahead. If Lot’s wife has not taught us anything else, she has taught us it is always best to follow the plan God has given us. So, my brothers and sisters in Christ, I ask you,

WHY LOOK BACK?

Tonya can be reached at godlovestee@gmail.com. Tonya and her husband Robert were Married Couples Ministry leaders for 16 years at Freewill Missionary Baptist Church, Montgomery, Alabama.