Genesis 19
God told Abraham that he was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah in chapter 18 and now we see the drama unfold. We see Lot a man who before this seemed to be a man of prominence (sitting in the gates was a sign of this at the time). We see that in spite of this he has no ability to change the minds of the men of the city, nor to convince his future sons-in-law to come with him. In the end, he leaves with nothing. It is a sad tale which ends in his own daughters doing something unthinkable.
There is much to consider in this story, however, I want to look at what God had promised to destroy. He promised to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Yet we see in this story that Lot's wife is also destroyed. Over 30 years ago, I heard a preacher talk about this. His thought was that Lot's wife was destroyed not for looking back at Sodom with relief that they had escaped the city, but in longing for the city she loved. In a sense, she still carried Sodom inside her and because of the Sodom inside her, she was destroyed.
I can't say this theory is correct, but I do believe it carries much merit. You see the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah was not just sexual immorality, though that was prominent, it was also injustice and oppression (Ezekiel 16:49-50). A side note, people on both sides of the issue want to point to one or the other as the cause of Sodom and Gomorrah's destruction but BOTH played a part.
However, the problem with Lot's wife was, she loved Sodom. Loving the wrong things is the problem Jesus said people struggle with. Whether it is money(Matt. 6:24; 1 Timothy 6:10), life, family (Matthew 10:38-39), lust, or the world's system (1 John 2:15-16); love for the wrong things always brings destruction.
How do you know what you love? Look at what you do. Remember our discussion on Noah two days ago? If you love God you are doing what he wants. If you aren't doing what God wants then your love might be weak or misplaced.
So what is the love of your heart?
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