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“Remember Lot’s wife.” Luke 17:32
This is one of the shortest warnings in the Bible. It has only three words. But it carries deep meaning. These three words are a loud alarm. They call us to stop. They call us to think. They call us to check our hearts.
Jesus spoke these words. He spoke about the last days. He spoke about judgment. He spoke about readiness. In the middle of that teaching, He said, “Remember Lot’s wife.” Luke 17:32.
Why should we remember her? What did she do? What lesson does her life teach us today?
To understand this, we must go back to the book of Genesis.
The Story of Lot and His Wife
We read the story in Genesis 19.
Lot lived in the city of Sodom. Sodom was a rich city. It was also a wicked city. The sin of Sodom was great before God.
“The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and their sin is very grave.” Genesis 18:20
God decided to destroy the city. But God is full of mercy. He sent angels to warn Lot and his family.
The angels said to Lot:
“Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.” Genesis 19:15
Lot delayed. He did not move fast. The angels had to take him by the hand.
“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 of the city.” Genesis 19:16
Then the angels gave a clear command.
“Escape for your life. Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.” Genesis 19:17
This command was simple.
• Run.
• Do not stop.
• Do not look back.
Fire came down from heaven.
“Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah.” Genesis 19:24
Lot and his family were running. But something happened.
“But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.” Genesis 19:26
That is the whole story. She looked back. She became a pillar of salt. She died in judgment.
Why Did She Look Back?
The Bible does not tell us her name. But it tells us her heart.
She did not only look with her eyes. She looked with her heart.
Her body was leaving Sodom. But her heart was still there.
She left her house.
She left her goods.
She left her friends.
She left her old life.
But she did not want to leave them.
Her look was not a simple glance. It was a look of desire. It was a look of regret. It was a look of love for the old life.
She did not trust the warning.
She did not fear the judgment.
She did not fully obey the command.
She looked back. And that one look destroyed her.
The Danger of Looking Back
Lot’s wife teaches us a serious lesson. When God calls you out, you must not look back.
There are things you must leave behind.
• Old sins.
• Old habits.
• Old ways of life.
• Old loves that displease God.
The Bible says:
“No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62
You cannot move forward if you keep looking backward.
You cannot follow God with a divided heart.
Lot’s wife wanted safety. But she also wanted Sodom.
She wanted life. But she also wanted her old world.
That is a dangerous place to stand.
A Divided Heart Is a Weak Heart
The Bible warns us about a divided heart.
“A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.” James 1:8
Lot’s wife was double-minded.
Her feet were going forward.
Her heart was going backward.
She was saved from the city. But she was not saved from the city inside her heart.
Many people are like that today.
They come to church.
They read the Bible.
They pray sometimes.
But their heart is still in Sodom.
They love God. But they also love the world.
The Bible gives a clear warning.
“Do not love the world or the things in the world.” 1 John 2:15
You must choose.
You cannot hold heaven in one hand and Sodom in the other.
The Cost of Delayed Obedience
Lot himself delayed.
“But he lingered.” Genesis 19:16
Delay is dangerous.
If the angels did not pull him out, he would have died in the city.
Delay shows a weak decision.
Lot’s wife did more than delay. She disobeyed.
God said, “Do not look back.”
She looked back.
One act of disobedience was enough.
The Bible says:
“To obey is better than sacrifice.” 1 Samuel 15:22
Partial obedience is not obedience.
Delayed obedience is not obedience.
God’s commands are not suggestions. They are life-saving instructions.
When God says, “Leave,” you leave.
When God says, “Do not look back,” you do not look back.
The Judgment Was Real
Some people think God does not judge.
But Sodom proves that judgment is real.
Jesus Himself spoke about Sodom.
“Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.” Luke 17:28–29
Life was normal in Sodom.
People were busy.
People were making money.
People were enjoying life.
Then judgment came in one day.
That is how it will be again.
Jesus said:
“Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.” Luke 17:30
Then He said:
“Remember Lot’s wife.” Luke 17:32
This means her story is a warning for us.
What Does It Mean to Remember Lot’s Wife?
It means:
• Remember the danger of loving the world.
• Remember the danger of a divided heart.
• Remember the danger of disobedience.
• Remember the danger of looking back after God has called you out.
Her story says one clear thing.
Do not turn back.
The Call to Leave the Old Life
When God calls a person, He calls that person to a new life.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
The old life must stay behind.
• Old sins must stay behind.
• Old ways must stay behind.
• Old chains must stay behind.
The people of Israel were saved from Egypt. But many of them still loved Egypt in their hearts.
They said:
“We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt.” Numbers 11:5
They forgot the slavery.
They forgot the chains.
They only remembered the food.
That is how the heart can lie to us.
Sodom was not a good place. It was a place of sin. It was a place of danger. It was a place under judgment.
But Lot’s wife still wanted it.
Be Careful What Your Heart Loves
Your feet go where your heart sends them.
Your eyes look where your heart is tied.
Jesus said:
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21
What is your heart tied to?
• Is it tied to God?
• Or is it tied to the world?
• Is it tied to heaven?
• Or is it tied to Sodom?
Lot’s wife shows us that you can be close to salvation and still be lost.
She walked with Lot.
She heard the warning.
She left the city.
But her heart stayed behind.
Closeness to believers does not save you.
Hearing the truth does not save you.
Starting the journey does not save you.
You must finish the journey.
The Danger of One Look
Some people say, “It was only one look.”
Yes. It was only one look. But it was enough.
One look showed where her heart was.
One look showed what she loved.
One look ended her life.
Sin often starts with a look.
• Eve looked at the fruit. Genesis 3:6
• Achan looked at the gold. Joshua 7:21
• David looked at Bathsheba. 2 Samuel 11:2
A look can become a desire.
A desire can become an action.
An action can become destruction.
The Bible says:
“Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us.” Hebrews 12:1
Do Not Stop Halfway
Lot’s wife did not stop at the start. She did not stop in the middle. She stopped near the end.
That is very sad.
She was almost safe.
Almost is not enough.
You must go all the way.
Jesus said:
“He who endures to the end shall be saved.” Matthew 24:13
The journey with God is not a short walk. It is a life walk.
Do not stop.
Do not turn back.
Do not slow down.
Do not look behind.
Keep going forward.
What Are You Looking Back To?
This is a personal question.
• Are you looking back to an old sin?
• Are you looking back to an old relationship?
• Are you looking back to an old lifestyle?
• Are you looking back to a life God saved you from?
The Bible says:
“Forget the former things. Do not dwell on the past.” Isaiah 43:18
You cannot move forward while living in the past.
Sodom is behind you for a reason.
It is behind you because it is dangerous.
It is behind you because it brings death.
It is behind you because God called you out of it.
Grace Is Not a License to Look Back
God was merciful to Lot’s family. He gave them time. He gave them warning. He even pulled them out.
But grace did not cancel the command.
“Do not look back.”
Grace saves. But obedience proves.
If you truly believe God, you will follow His word.
Jesus said:
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.” John 14:15
Looking back shows a heart that has not fully let go.
Looking Forward to What Is Ahead
The Bible tells us what our attitude should be.
“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.” Philippians 3:13
This is the right direction.
• Forget what is behind.
• Reach for what is ahead.
• Walk toward what God has prepared.
Heaven is ahead.
Life is ahead.
Reward is ahead.
Sodom is behind.
Sin is behind.
Death is behind.
Choose your direction.
A Final Warning
Jesus did not say, “Remember Noah’s ark.”
He did not say, “Remember Abraham’s faith.”
He said, “Remember Lot’s wife.”
This shows how serious this lesson is.
Her life is a warning sign on the road.
It says:
• Do not turn back.
• Do not love the old life.
• Do not play with disobedience.
• Do not delay.
Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart. Hebrews 3:15
A Call to Decision
You cannot stay in two places.
You cannot walk in two directions.
You must choose.
• Choose obedience.
• Choose faithfulness.
• Choose to move forward.
Let your prayer be simple.
“Lord, remove Sodom from my heart.”
Ask Him to break every tie to the old life.
Ask Him to give you a clean heart.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10
Conclusion in One Sentence
Do not only leave Sodom with your feet. Leave it with your heart.
And never forget these words:
“Remember Lot’s wife.” Luke 17:32