Our Longing: Genesis 19:23-29
What matters is the condition of our heart once the fruit of our mistakes becomes known. Our heart is full of desire for good and desire for evil. God has seen evidence of this since the fall. What God waits to see is how we respond when our evil desires are exposed.
Once Lot steps foot into Zoar, God unleashed destruction upon Sodom and Gomorrah (and the surrounding areas). God kept His word. He told Lot He couldn’t do anything until Lot reached Zoar, and He didn’t.
Lot’s wife doesn’t make it. She looks back toward Sodom and is immediately turned into a pillar of salt. I’ve heard people try to explain Lot’s wife’s behavior as understandable – and thus place a greater accusation of judgment upon God. If God was raining fire down from the heavens, wouldn’t it be natural to turn and look out of curiosity? Did Lot’s wife do such a horrible thing as she looked back?
There are two indicators in the story to illustrate this isn’t proper thought. God promised to not begin to harm Sodom until Lot reached Zoar. Therefore, if she looked back during the journey, she wasn’t looking back because of her curiosity about the destruction. She looked back because she longed for what she was leaving behind. She was looking so her eyes could follow her heart, not her curiosity.
Furthermore, after the destruction Abraham goes up and looks upon what the Lord has done. God doesn’t mind people observing His hand at work, even if that act is an act of destruction! Abraham doesn’t turn into a pillar of salt! When Abraham looks, he is looking out of curiosity. He wants to see the hand of the Lord. He wants to witness His power and His judgment. He wants to know the status of the land as possible places for his herds. Abraham looks out of righteousness and survives; Lot’s wife looks out of longing and becomes a pillar of salt.
The ending verse to the destruction of Sodom also give a clue to the respective hearts. God remembered Abraham; He visited with Abraham and even bargained with Abraham. Abraham is God’s friend. God sent Lot out of Sodom; Lot resisted God’s messengers so much God resorted to forcibly removing Lot to spare him. Lot resisted God’s action in his life and begged for something other than God’s desire.
The stark difference between how the Bible speaks of Abraham and Lot in verse 29 speaks volumes about the choices they made in life. Abraham made mistakes, but he ultimately desired to walk with God. He came back to God, worshipped Him, and repented of his sinfulness. Lot made mistakes, and his heart ultimately fell in love with the fruit of those mistakes. Once more we learn our mistakes are not the primary issue. What matters is the condition of our heart once the fruit of our mistakes becomes known.
