Women of Faith: Lot's Wife

If you are familiar with the story of Lot's Wife you may be asking why I am including this in a series on Women of Faith...I think the lessons we can learn from her story are strong and worthwhile looking into. The book that I am working through is called "Women of the Bible" and they include Lot's Wife. I probably would not have thought twice about her story if I were not working through this book.

So let's dig into her story:

Lot's Wife is only mentioned as such, she is never given a name. Her story is short, only a few paragraphs. And even then it is told in the context of Lot's story. Lot and his wife lived in Sodom, known for its wickedness and corruption. They lived prosperously in this town despite it's wickedness. God learned of Sodom and Gomorrah's wicked ways and sent angel's to verify and report. Lot happened to come upon the angel's upon entering the town gates and invited them into his home. What happens next is hard to imagine unless you understand just how important hospitality was to the ancient Israelites and people of this time period. However, even knowing that I cannot imagine offering my young daughters to a mob of angry men instead of visitors that I knew nothing about and had just met. This is just what Lot did. But the mob would not be swayed and rushed the house. The angel's knowing that nothing could be done for Sodom and Gomorrah pulled Lot back into the house, informed him to gather his family and flee the city. Hesitation mounted, they were being told to leave the city the had lived in for years and leaving all their belongings behind, "Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!" (Gen 19:17).

Now is where we enter the part of the story where Lot's Wife becomes the center. The family flees, Lot, his wife, and his two daughters run to a small town nearby that would be spared from the destruction. Lot and his daughters do not look back. Lot's Wife turns around and is turned into a pillar of salt...

What makes her turn around? We will never know, we can only guess? Was she overcome by curiosity? Destruction draws attention, whenever their is an accident or a fire everyone becomes engrossed with the destruction, curious about what is going on. Was Lot's Wife looking back longing for everything the family had left behind? They were told to flee without packing anything, only the clothes on their back and maybe a few small things they could carry in their hands. All other things were destroyed with the city. We are, perhaps a little too much, attached to our material items. Had Lot's Wife held on to her husband's hand and kept to running she would have had her family, instead she lost everything.

Jesus urges us remember Lot's Wife when speaking of the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven, "It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On the day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot's Wife! Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it" (Luke 17:30-33). When we follow Christ we must be ready to leave everything to follow Him.

On the side of a mountain just up from a huge open expanse of land where many experts believe Sodom and Gomorrah once stood, this rock formation stands apart from the rest. 

The people view this as symbol of Lot's Wife. 

Remember Lot's Wife when you can't seem to let go off material things in this life. While you probably will not turn into a pile of salt on the spot, you will start to poke holes in your faith and relationship with God.