Is God's Punishment Just?
There is one sentence in the Bible that changed my understanding of disobedience and illustrates the heart- Gen 19:26.
It reads, "But Lot’s wife looked back as she was following behind him, and she turned into a pillar of salt."
It reminds instantly of the story of King Saul and Prophet Samuel. Instead of Saul waiting on the prophet to arrive to complete the sacrifice to God before going to war, Saul took it upon himself to perform the sacrifice with his unrighteous hands and was immediately rebuked by Samuel when he arrived on the scene. From that point forward the generational royalty promised to Saul was removed and he was destined to be replaced because obedience is more important than sacrifice. This is a lesson he had to learn the hard way and so did Lot's wife.
"But Lot’s wife looked back as she was following behind him, and she turned into a pillar of salt."
Sometimes after reading scripture, we get lingering questions that we feel compelled to find the answer to. They help us to understand the biblical account and make sense of the text. After Bible Study, I had a lingering question. Why was Lot's wife turned into a pillar of salt of all things? We can all see the obvious disobedience in that story. The angels themselves had to drag Lot and his family out of the city because they hesitated when they were told to run before it was destroyed. That was grace given.
They were warned not to look back, so the aftermath of Lot's wife was the exact consequence he warned them about- get destroyed with this city or flee to safety. She made a choice and we can all learn from being led with our heart. There was disobedience in our heart, but it helps to better understand it if we explore significant parts of the scripture in the Hebrew language.
Meaning of 'looked back' (nabat in Hebrew): to show regard to, pay attention to, consider, look upon. Lot's wife did not just glance back at the city of Sodom, she longed for the city that was being destroyed. She knew the evil that oozed out of it on every side and still wanted to go back. She regarded it, respected it.
Meaning of pillar (nesib in Hebrew): set over, something placed, prefect, garrison, post. This word is very interesting because it is describing Lot's wife as a stationary post that has been set over an area. Could it be that Lot's wife's statue represented the very symbolic warning against longing for evil? A pillar is a significant form. She didn't just turn into a pile of salt, she was solidified as salt. It was designed to be a warning for others to maintain their righteousness and worthiness.
Symbolism of salt (melah in Hebrew): refers to normal sea salt we are accustomed to, the kind that carries most of the nutrients our bodies need. This is what Lot's wife was solidified as. Do you remember what Jesus said about salt in Matthew 5:13?
It reads, "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot."
Lots family was being preserved because they contained vital nutrients that God was willing and able to use in a mighty way outside the city of Sodom. Lot's wife chose to become the "salt that lost its taste" thus making her no longer good for anything because her heart was rotten in the way that she was not able to let go of the evil that corrupted her. Therefore. the only thing she could be good for was to be thrown out to the ground that someone else could use for traction to walk on. Therefore, she became a pillar of warning to those in the region. What a mighty, mighty God we serve!
This YouTube video explains additional significance of the story.
As you reread the account of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19, consider the significance of obedience in your own heart.
