What Is Written 21-Mar-99: Remember Lot's Wife

In the Old Testament book of Genesis we are able to read several very interesting narratives about people and places. Genesis contains the account of the worldwide flood and the ark of Noah. It tells us about the tower of Babel as well as the life of Joseph. Near the middle of the book we are told about the destruction of the twin cities of the plain, called Sodom and Gomorrah. Gen. 19:24-25 reports, “Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens. So he overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.” Two things make this event especially provocative. One is the reason for the destruction. God destroyed the cities because of open and impenitent homosexuality. The city of Sodom especially advocated and tolerated homosexuality. The New Testament book of Jude, in verse 7, says this about the times in which God rained judgment down upon the cities: “As Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” The sexual perversion of going after strange flesh is chronicled in Gen. 19 when in verse 5 the homosexual community tried to rape the divine guests of Lot: “They shouted to Lot, where are the men who came to spend the night with you? Bring them out so we can have sex with them.” God punished this abhorrent behavior. God told Abraham in Gen. 18:20, “Their sin is very grave.” So, one interesting facet of the event is this. The cities were destroyed because of the sin of homosexuality.

Something else about this event is captivating, and that is what happened to the wife of Lot. The Bible says in Gen. 19:26 that in defying God, “she became a pillar of salt.” When Lot and his family were told to leave the city in order to avoid destruction, they were instructed not to look behind them. Lot’s wife disobeyed God and looked behind her and was turned into a pillar of salt. I’m sure that most of you in this audience are at least somewhat familiar with these events. But are they real? Is the biblical story of Lot and his wife and the destruction of the twin cities of the plain true? Did it actually happen just this way or is it a myth? Most liberal or moderate theologians or clergy will tell you that this story is a fable, and that it did not really happen the way it is reported in the book of Genesis. I urge you to reject the blasphemous caterwauling coming from those who seek to remove the Bible from the consciousness of men and women. I know without a doubt that the events recorded in Genesis about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah are true. I know they occurred exactly like they are said to have happened. I know this because of what Jesus Christ would say centuries after God destroyed those cities. When Jesus was issuing a warning about the impending destruction of Jerusalem, he admonished his listeners in Lk. 17:32 to simply “remember Lot’s wife.” These three little words of Jesus — remember Lot’s wife — makes everything said about the events of Gen. 19 true. If what happened to Sodom and to Lot’s wife were untrue, then Jesus was a deceiver and all that he said is to be disbelieved. Furthermore, if Jesus said that disciples should remember Lot’s wife, then there is something noteworthy about what happened to her. She has not gone down in the annals of history as a woman of greatness. She has not been portrayed as a woman of faith. To the contrary, she was a woman of rebellion. She disobeyed God, and yet Jesus calls for her to be remembered. I am reminded of a quotation by Francis Bacon who said “He that gives good advice builds with one hand; he that gives good counsel and example builds with both hands; but he that gives good admonition and bad example builds with one hand and pulls down with the other.” There are two basic ways that we can learn from the examples of others. One, we can follow their successes, or two avoid their mistakes. When Jesus calls out for us to remember Lot’s wife, he cautions us to avoid her negative example. You may think that all we can learn from this nameless woman is that she became a pillar of salt as she and her family were leaving the city of Sodom. However, our study will draw a few more lessons from the event. What, then, can we learn from this woman known as Lot’s wife?

First we can learn that Lot’s wife perished even though she was the wife of a righteous man. Now, before you discount anything I might say about this, I believe it is necessary for me to first prove to you that Lot was a righteous man. If all we had to go on were Old Testament records we might not be able to reach that conclusion. After all, it was Lot who influenced his family to move to Sodom and to stay there as long as they did. Furthermore, it was Lot who offered to let the wicked Sodomites ravage his daughters in Gen. 19:8. This is something that we can scarcely comprehend. This was something that was common under total patriarchal rule. The father was king, priest and lawgiver. He could make these rulings with total impunity. Regardless of how we might judge them under the gospel of Christ, such decisions as the one Lot made was permitted. Lot decided to move to the city because “it was well watered everywhere . . . like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar [a tiny village in the valley of Siddim]” (Gen. 13:10). Everything recorded in the Old Testament about Lot fails to depict him as righteous. However, in addition to the Old Testament records we have the New Testament. It was the apostle Peter who reminded the world that Lot was indeed a righteous man. 2 Pet. 2:7-8 says, “God delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds).” There you have it Lot was a righteous man. So we can remember this about Lot’s wife — she perished even though her husband was righteous.

Somewhere we got the idea that being close to an important person made us important. This is why young women flock to athletes and entertainers and toss aside their morality for a moment of being near a perceived important person. But hanging out with greatness does not make one great. Several years ago I had lunch with the man who now coaches the Boston Celtics basketball team. And I assure you none of his skills as a coach rubbed off onto me. This is also true spiritually. Just being associated with a man or woman of faith will not mean that I will become a person of faith. Oh sure, association with a righteous man (or woman) might sometimes make us better, but it will not forgive one sin. The Bible never mentions that Lot’s wife shared his consternation for the wickedness in Sodom. Did Lot continue to sacrifice to God as he had when he was traveling with his uncle Abraham? Perhaps! But if he did it had no lasting effect upon his wife. She perished while her husband and daughters made it to safety. None of Lot’s faith, none of his loathing of sin and none of his willingness to obey God made any difference in the decision his wife made to disobey God and look behind her as she was leaving the city. Perhaps you have a godly wife or mother. Perhaps your father or grandfather dedicated his life to serving God. Perhaps you have been around church and religion all your life. Remember Lot’s wife. Remember she was destroyed even though she was married to a righteous man. I can’t begin to count the number of people I know or have known throughout the years who serve to illustrate that Lot’s wife is not being remembered. Whether it is an alcoholic son of a preacher or the immoral wife of a devoted Christian, we can see that just being around righteousness does not insure salvation. Sadly, the influence of Sodom was greater than the influence of righteousness upon Lot’s wife. And it is alarming when we pause to consider the number of young people who were raised by mothers and fathers of faith who have denied the Lord. Something is wrong when churches have classes full of preschool and elementary children, but only a few in high school classes. Parents are relying upon the fact that they bring their children to church and Bible study as the means by which their faith is secured. Parents, remember Lot’s wife. Your children might be raised attending Bible study and worship. They might have been raised in a home where they could observe your faith and still this does not guarantee their faithfulness. I am afraid that we fail to consider the powerful influence of present day Sodom upon us. Many people who are dressing now for a trip to church services are not what they should be in the sight of God. Just because I sit in a building with those who are devoted to God does not insure that their commitment will become mine. Gospel preachers used to remind their listeners that sitting in a church building with Christians will not make one a Christian any more than sitting in a hen house with chickens will make one a chicken. Lot’s wife shared a home with a righteous man and yet she perished. Neither you nor I can ride piggyback to heaven. We can’t be elected to that heavenly kingdom on someone else’s coattails. Therefore, it becomes imperative that we remember Lot’s wife.

Also Lot’s wife must be remembered because she perished even though God warned her. Anyone who reads the account in Gen. 19 comes away impressed with the clarity and simplicity of the warnings given by God. As a matter of fact, God even had the angels he sent to take Lot, his wife and their daughters by the hands to lead them from the city. Let’s pick up our reading in Gen. 19:15–17:

When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city. And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.”

Now, I ask you, what part of this was hard to understand? First this family was told if they didn’t leave the city they would “be consumed in the punishment of the city.” When they failed to respond immediately, the family was led from the city because the Lord was merciful to them. Next we see precisely what the instructions were that Lot, his wife, and their daughters were to follow. Each one was told to do four things:

The instructions given to them were as clear as day. They were as easy as A-B-C or 1-2-3. There is no reason to conclude that Lot’s wife did not hear or did not understand the instructions. She obviously knew and understood what was expected of her. She had the same knowledge as Lot and their two daughters, and yet she failed to comply with God’s demands — which, by the way, did not negate God’s mercy. Have you ever noticed that most preachers try to tell you that if God has requirements to be obeyed before one can be saved then salvation is not by grace, but instead it is by works? They want us to believe that salvation cannot result from grace and obedience at the same time. It would do well for these preachers to follow the advice of Jesus and remember Lot’s wife. There were four things demanded of her and yet none of the four removed the mercy of God from the equation. Verse 16 says that the Lord was merciful, but he also made four definite demands upon them. If this can be understood as it applies to Lot’s wife, why can’t it be understood as it applies to salvation under the gospel of Christ? For example, the Lord said in Mk. 16:16, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” Those words are as clear and concise (perhaps more so) as the words spoken to Lot and his wife. If we do just what God said to do, does that obedience negate the mercy of God? If you think it does, then you need to remember Lot’s wife. Today, God has provided mankind with the means of salvation. Instead of sending angels to tell us to flee the city, God has sent us his son telling us to believe on him and submit to him. And to do what Jesus said to do does not mean we are earning salvation any more than Lot and his family merited being saved from destruction. There were certain things they had to do in order to be spared; yet their salvation was one of mercy. There are certain things required of us before we can be saved. We must believe in and be baptized into Christ before we can be saved. Yet, our salvation is still one of mercy and grace. Peter told those in Acts 2:40, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” May we avoid the mistake of Lot’s wife? She had to leave. She had to separate herself from the sin prevalent in the city. Perhaps she failed to recognize just how bad things were. After all, the economy of Sodom was good; everybody had a job. The nightlife was flourishing, and people were having fun and living it up. Polls would have shown that Lot was a right-wing religious fanatic and that the majority of people believed that sexual preference was a matter of choice. I don’t know how many people were living in Sodom at the time, but I do know that God was unable to identify ten righteous people there. This meant that the opinion polls would have shown Lot and his virtues to be out of touch. The citizens probably wanted to move beyond the matter of sex and get on with the important matters of education and jobs. It is difficult to go against the current of public opinion. Maybe Lot’s wife had been influenced by such a liberal and careless attitude about matters relating to God. Therefore when God said that these four things were necessary she failed to see the relevance of them. She had been told what was expected and yet she still died.

Also, we need to remember that Lot’s wife perished even though she made an effort to save herself. That’s right! She did leave the city after a little persuasion. Gen. 19:16 says that the angels took his wife’s hand to get her out of the city. Perhaps she considered herself to be deliberate and reasonable. Maybe she was the kind of person who never liked to make hasty decisions. That might be an admirable trait in business or in making a purchase. But in matters relative to God it becomes an abomination. Whenever God gives a warning, he does not expect people to spend the rest of their lives mulling over whether to comply with his command. Whether it is God saying to Lot and his wife they must escape for their lives, or John the Baptist saying “flee the wrath to come,” God expects immediate compliance. The apostle Paul wrote in 2 Cor. 6:2, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” A slow, deliberate, brooding attitude toward conforming to the commands of God will lead to partial obedience, and partial obedience is disobedience; remember Lot’s wife. When God made four demands upon Lot, his wife and their daughters, which ones could they disregard? Well, we know the answer is none. Now think about this. Here was Lot’s wife who did not wish to leave the city in the first place. She had to be dragged by the hand. Therefore, when she finally was forced to leave, she did the only thing that was totally within her power — she looked back. She obeyed three out of the four requirements of God, but her disobedience to the fourth condemned her. Jesus made it clear that salvation is reserved for those who are in categorical compliance with the will of God. He said in Matt. 7:21, “Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven.” The will of God says that it is necessary that I believe in Christ according to Jn. 8:24, that I repent of sins according to Acts 17:30, and that I confess Christ with my mouth per Rom. 10:10. The will of God also tells me to be baptized for the remission of my sins according to Acts 2:38. Which of these am I at liberty to disregard? Lot’s wife obeyed three of the four commands she was given and she perished. God had commanded that we believe in Jesus, repent of sins, confess Christ, and be baptized in water in order to be saved. Three out of four did not save Lot’s wife and it won’t save anyone today.

Partial obedience never completed any job that God has given. Suppose that Jesus was willing to live sinlessly, that he was willing to be betrayed and condemned. Suppose that he was willing to be scourged, beaten and spit upon. Suppose also that he was willing to wear the crown of thorns and be led through the city but he stopped short of being crucified. Would forgiveness of sins still be available today if Jesus had failed to die on the cross according to the will of God? We both know the answer to that. Heb. 5:8-9 says this: “Though he was a son, yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered. And having been perfected, he became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey him.” Jesus was not perfected until he perfectly obeyed the will of God. And the point being made is this. No one will be saved unless he or she obeys completely all that God has required. It was expected of our Lord, and it is expected of us. And long before either, it was expected of Lot’s wife.

In the fourth place we must remember that Lot’s wife perished even though she was separated from the city. I know this sounds like a contradiction, but it isn’t. As we have already noted this morning, more was required of her than just leaving the city. She left the city but the city had not left her — she looked back. I’m sure she had friends and perhaps relatives there and she was struggling with leaving them. Try to picture this She is walking with her husband and two daughters out of the city. When they reach a safe distance, God begins raining destruction upon the city. Maybe she can hear the screams of those being burned. Perhaps she can smell the sulfur and feel the heat. Maybe she is still close enough to feel the ground vibrate under the onslaught of fire and brimstone that is consuming the city. Nothing is said about her reaching a point where she stops and says, “I’m not going another step.” Instead, all we read about is that she looked behind her. It seems as though she only wanted to catch a glimpse of what was happening; besides, one little peek wouldn’t hurt. But it did! She became a pillar of salt as a testimony to the world that God means what he says. Heed the words of Jesus to remember Lot’s wife. On another occasion, Jesus said in Lk. 9:62, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Once you have come to know the Lord, resist the temptation to look back longingly at the world. This is why it is so important that you not dabble in or experiment with the world and its delights. It becomes difficult to get them out of your system. Lot’s wife left Sodom but Sodom did not leave her. I often hear it expressed that the young need to go ahead and rebel to “get it out of their system.” Sin isn’t something you get out of your system — it’s something you put into your system. Remember Lot’s wife.

No happy ever after ending here. Perhaps if we remember this woman, we can avoid the pitfalls that cost her her life.