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| Fate of Lot's Wife |
| Lot's wife isn't named in the Bible, but she is remembered for the terrible punishment she received by defying God's will. When the Lord decided to destroy the sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, two angels visited the pious Lot and told him to gather his family and flee to the surrounding hills. Lot went to his sons-in-law with the news, but they thought he was joking. The next morning, when it was time to leave, Lot himself began to have second thoughts, and he lingered. The two angels took Lot by the hand and led him and his family outside the city. When the angels left, they warned Lot and his family to flee to the hills without stopping to look back, or they, too, would be consumed by the utter destruction that was about to fall on both cities. Despite this terrible warning, Lot's wife ignored God's command and glanced back as she ran. Why she did so isn't explained, but she paid dearly. The last thing she saw was "the smoke of the land going up like the smoke of a furnace" (Gen 19:28). Then she was instantly transformed into a pillar of salt. Her horrified family had no choice but to continue their flight to safety in the town of Zoar. Even today strange salt formations that resmble standing firgures can be spotted near the southern shore of the Dead Sea, which is probably the general area where Sodom and Gomorrah once stood. Did you know? Lot and his family were allowed to escape destruction because Abraham, Lot's uncle, had pleaded with the Lord to spare him. |