1. Genesis chapter 19 tells the story of God's destruction of the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
2. We will pay particular attention to Genesis 19:15-26 (NKJV) When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, "Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city." 16 And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife's hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. 17 So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, "Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed." 18 Then Lot said to them, "Please, no, my lords! 19 "Indeed now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest some evil overtake me and I die. 20 "See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live." 21 And he said to him, "See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken. 22 "Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there." Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. 23 The sun had risen upon the earth when Lot entered Zoar. 24 Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens. 25 So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. 26 But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
3. The Old Testament was written for our learning [Romans 15:4 (NKJV) For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.] Jesus expected us to learn something from this story because He said in Luke 17:32 (NKJV) "Remember Lot's wife."
4. Let's see what we can learn from Lot's wife. In my studies recently, I've been trying to gain a better understanding of the nature of God. I see in this text an opportunity for --
I. LEARNING ABOUT GOD'S LOVE AND GOD'S WRATH
A. It's easy to think of Sodom and Gomorrah as illustrations of God's wrath [Genesis 19:24-25 (NKJV) Then the LORD rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens. 25 So He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.]
1. The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah was great and their sin was very grave [Genesis 18:20].
2. Abraham understood that the holiness of God was grievously offended by the wickedness existing in Sodom and Gomorrah. He knew that the wicked must be destroyed [Genesis 18:23].
B. We must be able to see the love of God demonstrated in His dealings with humanity.
1. God's mercy is demonstrated as He listened to Abraham's repeated pleas to spare the city.
2. Understand that Abraham was conversing with our omniscient God. The outcome of Sodom was already determined because God knew there were not even ten righteous people living in the city.
3. God's love for Lot's family was shown when He sent two angels to warn Lot of the coming destruction [Genesis 19:1]. Lot's righteous character was demonstrated by his attempts to protect his visitors from the wicked homosexuals of the city who wanted to "know them carnally" [Genesis 19:5, NKJV]. The angels told Lot that Sodom was going to be destroyed and warned him to get his family out of the place [Genesis 19:12]. When Lot hesitated, the angels actually led him and his wife and daughters by the hand out of the city. Notice Genesis 19:15-16 (NKJV) When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, "Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city." 16 And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife's hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.
4. Once outside the city, Lot and his family were given one last warning: Genesis 19:17 (NKJV) So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, "Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed." .
C. Lot and his daughters escaped to safety. Mrs. Lot did not.
1. She looked back. One of the angel's instructions was "Do not look behind you."
2. She disobeyed.
3. She became a pillar of salt. Was God unfair in turning this poor lady into a pillar of salt? No . . .
a. God did not have to give them a means of escape. Lot had made his choice to live in Sodom years before. If he had gotten what he deserved, he would have perished with the rest of the Sodomites.
b. God had mercifully provided them warning of what was going to happen.
c. God had dealt patiently with them. When they delayed getting out of Sodom, the angels led them by the hand.
d. God gave them specific instructions about what to do and what not to do. Part of those instructions was the command "Don't look back!" Mrs. Lot chose to disobey God's command and she suffered the consequences.
II. LEARN THAT WE DO NOT KNOW EVERYTHING GOD KNOWS.
A. We forget that God is smarter than we are [Psalms 147:5 (NKJV) Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.] God knows everything. He understands everything.
B. No matter how smart we may be (or think we are), we do not know all that God knows [Isaiah 55:8-9 (NKJV) "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. 9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.]
C. Some of God's instructions may not make sense to us. We may not understand the reason behind them. That does not mean we will be safe to disregard God's instructions.
1. "Don't look back" may have seemed to Mrs. Lot to be an unnecessary and arbitrary restriction. .
2. There are numerous other examples in the Bible.
a. Fall of Jericho
b. The serpent in the wilderness -- Numbers 21:8 (NKJV) Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live."
c. Naaman -- 2 Kings 5 -- How did dipping seven times in the Jordan River cure Naaman's leprosy?
d. Baptism [Mark 16:16 (NKJV) "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.]
III. LEARN THAT GOD MEANS WHAT HE SAYS.
A. Mrs. Lot did part of what God commanded. The trouble was she disobeyed part of it, too. She paid with her life.
B. Two other Old Testament examples:
1. Nadab and Abihu [Leviticus 10:1-2 (NKJV) Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. 2 So fire went out from the LORD and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.] Human reasoning says fire is fire -- where the priests got the fire is such a small thing. It wouldn't matter. It did matter and these sons of Aaron paid with their lives.
2. Uzzah and the ark [2 Samuel 6]. Israel had recaptured the ark of the covenant from the Philistines. The ark was supposed to be carried by poles through the rings on its sides [Exodus 25:14-15 (NKJV) "You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, that the ark may be carried by them. 15 "The poles shall be in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it."] Instead of following instructions, David and the Israelites put the ark on a new cart. Ahio went before the ark. They had quite a parade. David and played all kinds of musical instruments -- harps, stringed instruments, tambourines, sistrums, and cymbals. As they passed the threshing floor of Nachon, the oxen pulling the cart stumbled. Uzzah innocently reached out his hand to steady the ark to keep it from falling from the cart. 2 Samuel 6:7 (NKJV) says, "Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God." After all, Numbers 4:15 said, "They shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die." We might say "What does it matter?" but God means what He says!
3. Today
a. Plan of salvation. We must do what God says, not what we think is acceptable.
b. Worship of God. We must follow Biblical instructions carefully.
CONCLUSION
1. Lot's wife learned the hard way that we must listen to God.
2. Let's not make the same mistake she did.
a. God loves us and He wants us to enjoy all His wonderful blessings [2 Peter 3:9-10 (NKJV) The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.]
b. Those who don't listen to God will face His wrath.
3. Invitation