Sodom and Gomorrah were very wicked cities. And because of their great evil, the Lord set out to destroy them and stop their evil from spreading (Genesis 18). God was willing to save the cities if he found ten righteous people there (Genesis 18:32). But, sadly, He could not find except lot and his family. So, He sent two angels to warn Lot and his family to flee out of the cities before their destruction.
The Escape
The scriptures say that the angels took hold of Lot, his wife, and two daughters to hurry them out of the doomed city. And the angels instructed them saying, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed” (Genesis 19:17). “Do not look behind you,” was the clear command of the angels. Sadly, Lot’s wife did not reach the safety of the mountains because she “looked back.” And she immediately was turned into a pillar of salt.
The Consequence of Disobedience
Lot’s wife disobeyed the clear commandment of the Lord. And the reason for her disobedience was her love for the world. The scriptures teach, “Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4). Loving the world means loving the god of this world-Satan.
Lot’s wife believed the angel’s message and even wanted to be saved. But she hesitated because of her divided heart. Her heart and life had been so enchanted by worldly things and material riches that she could not pull away from what she cherished most. With death at her heels, she hesitated to leave. Jesus said, “If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15).
Jesus said, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). It is well to remember the solemn warning of Christ, “Remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17:32).
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In His service,
BibleAsk Team
