Based on Luke 17:32 and the sermon of Jonathan Edwards
“Remember Lot’s wife.” — Luke 17:32
These three words may seem simple, yet they contain a solemn warning from Christ Himself. When Jesus spoke of His return and the coming judgment, He pointed His hearers back to one woman whose tragic example has stood as a warning for all generations:
“But Lot’s wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.” (Genesis 19:26)
Christ calls us to remember her because many people are in danger of making the same fatal mistake.
God determined to destroy the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because of their great sin (Genesis 18:20–21). Before judgment fell, God mercifully sent angels to rescue Lot and his family.
The angels urgently warned them:
“Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.” (Genesis 19:17)
Lot, his wife, and their daughters began fleeing. But as they escaped, Lot’s wife turned and looked back toward Sodom. Instantly, God judged her, and she became a pillar of salt.
Her body was moving away from Sodom, but her heart was still attached to it.
The sin of Lot’s wife was not merely turning her head. The problem was what her backward glance revealed about her heart.
Her look showed:
Regret at leaving the world behind.
Unwillingness to part with her former life.
Love for what God was condemning.
Distrust of God's warning.
A divided heart.
She was escaping physically, but spiritually she was still clinging to Sodom.
Many people do the same today. They begin moving toward God, but their hearts remain attached to the world.
Jesus teaches that no one can serve two masters (Matthew 6:24).
A person may attend church, read the Bible, and profess faith, yet still secretly love the pleasures of sin more than God.
Lot's wife wanted both safety and Sodom.
She wanted deliverance from judgment without fully giving up the world.
But God will not accept divided allegiance.
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37)
The Christian life requires wholehearted commitment.
Lot's wife left Sodom.
She traveled some distance away from danger.
She accompanied God's people.
She heard God's warnings.
She experienced God's mercy.
Yet she perished.
Many people come close to salvation without ever truly embracing it.
Some are convicted of sin but return to their old ways.
Some make a profession of faith but later abandon Christ.
Some start the Christian race but never finish it.
Jesus spoke of those who receive the Word with joy but later fall away because they have no root (Luke 8:13).
Beginning well is not enough. We must persevere to the end.
“The one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:13)
The backward glance of Lot's wife exposed what she treasured.
Her possessions were in Sodom.
Her memories were in Sodom.
Her comforts were in Sodom.
Her friends were in Sodom.
Her heart was in Sodom.
Jesus taught:
“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21)
A person's true character is revealed by what they love most.
Many claim to desire heaven, yet their greatest affection remains fixed on earthly things.
They want Christ, but only if they do not have to surrender their idols.
They want eternal life, but they are unwilling to let go of cherished sins.
Lot's wife shows us that such divided affections are deadly.
When God calls sinners to flee from coming judgment, He commands them to leave their old life behind.
The believer must not continually look back with longing toward the world.
Jesus said:
“No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62)
The Christian life is a forward-looking life.
We look to Christ.
We look to His promises.
We look to the heavenly city.
We look for His return.
The Apostle Paul the Apostle expressed this spirit:
“Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal.” (Philippians 3:13–14)
Christ's warning remains urgently relevant.
Remember her when you are tempted to cling to the world.
Remember her when you are hesitant to obey God completely.
Remember her when old sins call you back.
Remember her when discipleship becomes costly.
Remember her when you are tempted to value earthly comforts above eternal salvation.
Lot's wife stands as a monument to the danger of a heart that tries to hold on to both God and the world.
Ask yourself:
Is there a "Sodom" that I secretly love?
Am I following Christ with my whole heart?
Do I regret leaving sinful pleasures behind?
Am I pressing forward toward God's kingdom?
Is my treasure in heaven or on earth?
Christ's command is clear:
"Remember Lot's wife."
Do not merely start the journey. Finish it.
Do not merely leave Sodom with your feet. Leave it with your heart.
Do not look back with longing toward the world that is passing away.
Instead, fix your eyes on Christ, flee from the coming judgment, and press forward toward the eternal kingdom that can never be shaken (Hebrews 12:28).