Lent meditation: Lot's Wife and the Pillar of Salt

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Genesis 19:29 ~ "So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived."

The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

It was God's judgment upon an irreconcilable, sinful land that resulted in its transformation - a tragic one - from a well-watered haven (c.f. Gen 13:10-13) into a massive cake of dust, ash and smoking remains (c.f. Gen 19:28). A wasteland. Lot's family was spared... of course, sans a wife whose end was rather extraordinary, for she did not return directly to dust - but became a cold pillar of salt. Most of us know the story - she did not do as she was told. She looked back when she wasn't supposed to. A costly choice.

She became part of an inorganic, barren and lifeless monument. A landmark, which must have intrigued passers-by for many years to come. As long as the pillar survived, that is.

Perhaps, the pillar also served as a treat for passing oxen and goats - after all, there is nothing like a salt-lick (if it had been composed of the relevant kind of salt, of course).

"Remember Lot's wife," Jesus said (Luke 17:32). Whether or not He was referring to those with unrepentant affections for the things of the world rather than the things of God and His Kingdom (depending on which school of interpretation you subscribe to), it sounds like a warning. The pillar of salt probably lived on in the minds and hearts of the Jewish people long after it vanished. And now, Jesus had it on His lips, just in case they had forgotten. Remember. Don't forget. Never ever forget.

So what if we forget?

I think we focus too much on why and how she died. Why did she look back - out of fear, fascination, curiosity or reluctance? Why did God allow her to turn into a pillar of salt, when she had taken the first step to flee with Lot - couldn't God have been more merciful? Wasn't she human like the rest of us? Was this a punishment of some sort? Was it Lot's fault - could he have led her better as a husband? Did she transform into a pillar of salt the same way that the frog transformed into a prince upon receiving a true love's kiss - or was she covered with salt from the collapse of something (roof of a cave, etc.) while she watched the destruction behind them and buried beneath/within? Was the phenomenon literal or metaphorical?

We could argue about these things till Jesus returns. Valid arguments, but do they matter so much?

The much bigger picture encompasses God's mercy, grace and faithfulness: "...God remembered..." (Gen 19:29). In contrast, Lot's wife forgot momentarily. That split second. She forgot the angels' warning (Gen 19:17). She forgot why they were running. Perhaps, she thought that there were better things to do than to just keep running. She neglected the urgency of the cause.

Whatever she forgot, the consequence was grave.

Remember Lot's wife indeed. But there is also an indirect implication: remember God's mercy and grace... and the hope we live for.

The culmination of God's Kingdom (c.f. Luke 17:30) and the long-awaited glorification of God's children (c.f. Rom 8) is about God's mercy and grace, as much as it is about His judgment upon an unbelieving world. God remembers His covenant with us through Jesus Christ. We've got to remember to respond to His mercy and grace.

And this is what the season of Lent is about. Let us remember.