Lot Mourns

By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the Lord out of the heavens. Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land. But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. – Genesis 19:23-26

Lot was Abraham’s nephew. Both Lot and his wife had lived in a tent with Abraham and spent much time in his company. However, they chose to leave that life of alignment with God and moved to Sodom for a life of “ease”, aligning themselves with the world. When God destroyed Sodom, Lot’s wife could not bear the thought of losing her worldly life, so she looked back, rebelling against God once again. In doing so, she was turned to a pillar of salt and lost her life. This image depicts Lot’s sorrow at the death of this wife, for, if they never left the company of Abraham, she would not have given herself over to the world.
May this stark image be a reminder that we are called out, set apart by God to be different from the world. Revelation 18:4 reminds us, “Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “‘Come out of her, my people,’ so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues;” Alignment with the world leads to destruction and death, but alignment with God leads to eternal life.