Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Lot's Wife

For the List of the "Women of the Bible", click Blog Archive, 2008 December

11 Questions & Answers
Scripture Reference: Gen 18:16-19; 29; Lk 17:28-33
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#1. Who was Lot?

#1. Lot was the son of Abraham's brother Haran, both of whom were sons of Terah. Therefore, Lot is the nephew of Abraham or Abraham is the uncle of Lot. On the death of Lot's father, he was left in charge of his grandfather Terah. After the death of Terah Lot accompanied his uncle Abraham and finally he separated from Abraham and settled in Sodom(Gen 13:5-13).
Lot made many mistakes in life, yet the divine record still calls him a "righteous" man(2 Peter 2:4-8). While living in Sodom, the wicked men of the city said, "He keeps acting as a judge"(Gen 19:9)
When the judgment of God descended on the guilty cities of the plain(Gen 19:1-20), Lot was miraculously delivered.Lot's deliverance was the main concern of Abraham's prayer

The angels found Lot in the gateway to Sodom—a fact loaded with significance. Traditionally, city fathers gathered in the gateway to make important decisions. Lot’s presence suggests that he had become “one of them” during his time in Sodom, which may explain why he struggled against leaving.
Lot apparently had lost his power of moral persuasion even among his family members-
his sons-in-law thought he was joking when asked to leave.
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#2. Who was Lot's wife and what was her name?

#2. The Old Testament only refers to "Lot's wife" in Genesis 19. In the new Testament
Jesus' words of warning is in Luke 17:32. In the Scripture these two are all that is said of this person. The Bible does not give us the name of "Lot's wife". She was married to Lot, a righteous man.
Genesis simply tells us that Lot and the women of the home did not want to leave the city of Sodom. As a result,the angelic visitors in their effort to hasten the slow departure, "seized" them by the hand and took them out of the city. The angels had commanded them to flee and warned them to not look back at the destruction, but Lot's wife did and she became a pillar of salt(a stiffened corpse). This was an act of God's judgment.
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#3. "Remember Lot's wife", who warned this, and what for? Lk. 17:32

#3. In the New Testament Jesus tells us why she looked back. We discover that she did not become a pillar of salt because she simply looked back. What was her sin? She was longing for the pleasures of Sodom - the pleasures of this world - more than she was longing to be faithful to God.

She was willing to live with the great wickedness that God hated in order to enjoy its pleasures. She did not really love God. She loved the things of this world more. She was not really willing to obey. So God punished her by turning her into a pillar of salt. (Did she really become a pillar of salt? Flavius Josephus, the Roman historian of 1st century A.D., recorded that he had seen her pillar of salt).

The end of Lot's wife is probably one of the difficulties of the Bible. But the value and the significance of the story to us are contained in the allusion of Christ given in LK 17:32.

Luke 17:28-29, 32-33
28"It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
32Remember Lot's wife! 33Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.
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#4. What did Abraham do for Sodom?

#4. Abraham interceded with the Lord for Sodom(Gen 19:27-28)
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#5. While running for life, did Lot's family go to the mountains as instructed?

#5. Disobediently protests against going to the mountains, and choose Zoar caves (Gen 19:17-22)
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#6. From the incestuous intercourse between Lot and his two daughters what two nations were produced?

#6. Moab and Ammon.
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#7. Gen. 19:26 says Don’t Look Back. Who disobeyed this warning of God?

#7. Lot's wife. For this she became a symbol of indecision. Lot and his family found it hard to leave their adopted home of Sodom, despite its immorality. Angel messengers warned them to hurry, not even stopping to look back. When Lot’s wife disobeyed, she turned into a pillar of salt—perhaps caught in volcanic explosions that engulfed Sodom. Jesus warned his followers to remember her example when their time of trouble came (Luke 17:32).
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#8. Why did God send his angels to Sodom?

#8. To rescue Lot and his family(Gen 18) from the upcoming destruction. Earlier, God had promised Abraham he would spare the city if he could find at least 10 righteous people in it, but not even 10 could be found.
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#9. Was God's mercy extended to Lot for love of Lot or for love of Abraham?

#9. Bible don't say any answer on this. But we do know God's mercy was available for Lot and his family and in the hardest of circumstances God stretched his hand to lead them to safety.
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#10. Did Lot consult his wife to invite the unexpected visitors of the city to spend the night under his roof?

#10. Certainly not. Lot's wife must have welcomed the strangers warmly too, for hospitality was a sacred trust in the ancient world. To avoid surrendering guests for the people's pleasure, Lot even attempted an appalling bargain with the offer of his 2 daughters for their will and pleasure. Lot did his own decisions on both of these situations.
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#11. What are the lessons we can learn from Lot's wife?

#11. A) She was married to a righteous man.

The power of good association. Paul warned us on this.
1 Cor 15:33 Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character."

None of us is righteous enough.
Isa 59:1-2 Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. 2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.

1 Peter 4:17-18 For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18And, "If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?"

B) She was warned of the danger- a message from God himself to Lot and his wife.
Gen 19:17 As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, "Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!"

Christ also warns us of the danger before us--
(1)Matt 7:21-23 He spoke more about hell than all the apostles.
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
(2)Matt 25:46 Jesus tells us of the judgement day--"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

(3)2Thes 1:7-8 Paul foretold-- This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

(4)Acts 24:25 When Paul preached before Felix, the thought of a judgement day made him fearful-- As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, "That's enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you."

(5)Acts 2:40 On the day of Pentecost, when the Lord's church was established and the terms of Divine pardon made known unto men, Peter preached the very first sermon ever given in the name of our risen Lord. He told those who believed that they need to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins--
With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation."

C) She made an effort to be saved. She was convinced but not converted and looked unto God(Jesus). She was seeking safety with divided desires and interests. The immediate cause of her fear has faded away and she became lukewarm.

D) In a society like ours, it is rare to find someone who is not attached to creature comforts. It may be worth to test our own level of attachments or rigidity that may have developed so that we can become free and flexible enough to respond quickly to God's direction.

E) We can look into some promises in the Scripture.

(1)Gen 19:16 When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them.

(2)Deut 13:17 he will show you mercy, have compassion on you,

(3)Psalm 25:6 Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.

(4)Jerem 3:12 'I will frown on you no longer, for I am merciful,' declares the LORD,
'I will not be angry forever.
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Glossary:

Dead Sea: Salt lake on the border between Israel and Jordan, in southwestern Asia. Its surface, at 400 m (1,312 ft) below sea level, marks the lowest point on Earth. Area: 1,020 sq km (394 sq mi).
The utter absence of the slightest trace of animal and vegetable life in its waters are a striking testimony to the catastrophe.

Sod·om:
a) city of depravity: In the Bible, a city full of moral corruption and evil that was destroyed along with Gomorrah by God

b) The historical records of the Canaanites tell us that the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah now lie under the southwest end of the Dead Sea.

c) corrupt place: a place that is regarded as corrupt.

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