0302 REMEMBER LOT’S WIFE

MARCH 2 = LUKE 17

REMEMBER LOT’S WIFE

It is the second-shortest verse in the New Testament: “Remember Lot’s wife.” The reminder from Jesus is easy to remember, but not so clear to understand and apply. 

What about Lot’s wife are we to remember? About all we know about her is that she turned to look back at Sodom as she and her husband fled the fire and brimstone falling on the city, and she was turned into a pillar of salt. But there must be more back story to it. I mean, the lesson we are to learn can’t be “don’t turn around or you will be turned into salt.” Can it?

There is, indeed, more back story, both in Luke and in Genesis.

First, the context in Luke: Jesus is talking about how the kingdom of God is invisible and not so tangible that its center can be found, for the kingdom of God is “in the midst of you.” Just as God is with us in Emmanuel, so His kingdom is found among us.

And yet, that kingdom comes secretly, through the suffering and death of the Messiah, and no one seems to be ready for it. Remember just a few chapters ago, the foolish man who was building bigger barns for his riches was saying to himself, “Then I can say to myself, ‘eat, drink and be merry.’” Jesus says almost the same words about how it was in the days of Noah and the days of Lot. Before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage. And before the destruction of Sodom, people were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. In other words, life was going on with no hint that it was all about to come crashing down in a single act.

Jesus says that “on the day when the Son of Man is revealed,” it will be a devastating experience for those who are not ready. “On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back.” That’s when Jesus says to remember Lot’s wife. 

So, what happened with Lot’s wife, that we should remember her, in particular? For that we need to go back to Genesis.

We are told that life was going on as usual in Sodom, except in Lot’s household. The morning of the destruction, it says “the angels urged Lot, saying, ‘Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.’ But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, . . .  And as they brought them out, one said, “Escape for your life. . . . lest you be swept away.” 

“Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the LORD out of heaven. And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”

Now, Lot had already hesitated. But his wife disobeyed more deeply when she turned around to look back. Why would she look back? Didn’t God specifically say to them not to do just that? Well, yes, and that’s the point. 

But they had lived there many years by then, making it their home, putting down roots, raising their daughters and having a connection with the city. Lot was even something of a city leader.

So as she fled, I imagine Lot’s wife was broken-hearted to have it be destroyed. And maybe curious. But definitely disobedient. Maybe she thought she heard a voice of someone she knew pleading for help. So she clung to the past and rebelled against a direct order from God. And it was her undoing. She ended up suffering the same fate as all those other people who had been eating and drinking, living their lives as if there were no God in heaven as a just judge over them.

Baseball can be an illustration for everything in life, I think. It is a challenging sport, requiring instant decisions based on ever-changing events as they unfold in real time. Think about the complications of being on first base. “Take a three-step lead” turns into “come back” followed almost instantly with “go!” A player is thinking about stealing second, watching the pitcher’s move, seeing his teammate swing, watching it go through the catcher’s legs and then bounce off the screen right back to the catcher, who throws the ball to second, but the shortstop bobbles the ball and then fires back to first. Where should the runner be going at any moment? There isn’t enough time to describe the moment as it unfolds.

Because of all the layers of information that need to be processed, young players need to listen intently to the voice of the coach and instantly do it, trusting that the coach will make the right decisions. You don’t have to understand or agree with the directive. There simply is no time for hesitation. 

This is the kind of single-mindedness that the Lord needs to happen with us. Whether or not it is an end-of-the-world cataclysmic event, once we hear His voice, we need not stop to try to understand, or to hesitate while I consider whether I agree or disagree. This is what it means for Him to be Lord, you know. We obey. Just obey. We take a step in faith, and let the understanding follow.

I used to keep a handwritten sign in my office that said, “Obey first. Then you’ll understand.”

When the moment comes, I wonder how quickly I will respond? Will I give a backwards glance at what the world has to offer? Or will I remember Lot’s wife?