"Pillar of Salt"...God's warning (memorial) to His people that He will not tolerate wickedness among His people. Edith (Lot's wife) lingered physically and spiritually in Sodom because she couldn't stand the thought of leaving the depravity of the city behind her. Her lingering made her a victim of God's wrath as the judgement rained down fire, brimstone and sulfur from heaven. No doubt, when she was stricken by the molten lava, it calcified upon her body and the salt-rich area of the Dead Sea where they lived manifested the mineral covering over her disobedient body for what we know today as the "pillar of salt."
There is always a certain calamity associated with "looking back." Most often, when you look back you can't see what's ahead of you, your feet stop moving forward and, in many cases, you're distracted. The simple message is: DON"T LOOK BACK!
The danger of losing focus in the Kingdom of God (KOG) can result in utter separation from God because the angel of the Lord is dragging you "kicking and screaming" into your destiny. Although they had been warned that the city would be destroyed, they didn't want to leave. They even debated with the angels on where God wanted them to go. Furthermore, after all that, they still needed to be led by the hand out of the city!
In this instance, it wasn't enough for God to send two angels to warn them of His plans to destroy a certain paradigm their your lives(in Lot's and Edith's [Lot's wife's name] case, it was the destruction of Sodom) or for Him to save them for themselves. The angels had been under siege by all of the men of Sodom who wanted to rape them (Genesis 19:5). The angels then struck all the men with blindness from the youngest to the oldest as punishment for their wickedness.
Once Lot was safe in Zoar, the entire valley was destroyed along with all of its inhabitants. What do we learn from the actions of Edith? She is not alone in longing for and living in the past. The past is a comfortable place for many people. It is comfortable because it is known, sure and, even if it was rocky, we know how it all turned out. Not so with the future. The unknown scares people. But it only scares people who don't have faith in God.
Faith in God (trust in God) and fellowship with His Holy Spirit is a guarantee that your future is safe, secure and eternal. Amen...
