Genesis 19:23-26 "The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar. (24) Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; (25) And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. (26) But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt."
God had brought Lot, his wife, and their two daughters out of the city before
raining down destruction. There's much to be said about the reason for the
destruction of those two cities, but we can know that wickedness prevailed in
them. Homosexuality was predominant even to the point that the men of the city
wanted to take the two angels that had been sent to bring Lot out. Apparently
there was some sort of beauty and desire about the cities, themselves, that
drew the attention and admiration of Lot's wife. Some say that she was a
citizen of the city. Whatever the allurement, she could not keep from looking
back. Was she thinking of her home, her friends, or maybe some family members
that were still in the city? Was she thinking of the natural beauty of the city
or the "good times" she had had back there? We really don't know what
she was thinking but we can know that her desire for what lay behind was her
ultimate destruction.
Jesus spoke of Lot's wife on one occasion. It was very brief; yet, His words
were very much to the point. "Remember Lot's wife." He was
speaking of the coming destruction of the city of Jerusalem and used her as an
example to say "Don't look back when you see the signs of coming
destruction." There are times when we think back on old times and
recall memories of how life used to be. Those memories can bring smiles or sometimes
they bring tears, but we cannot allow the past to dominate the present. Nor can
we constantly dream of the future and miss the blessings of the present. The
Word of God teaches us that "This is the day which the LORD hath made; we
will rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24) Enjoy today, this is
God's present to us now.