The pillar of salt story in the Bible is very interesting. Sodom and Gomorrah were intensely evil. They were so wicked that they begged to sodomize the angels which had come to warn Lot of it’s imminent destruction.
For some reason Lot was resistant to leave and he hesitated. The angels finally forced him, his wife and two daughters to leave. The angels gave them very specific instructions. “Run for your lives! And don’t look back or stop anywhere in the valley.”
Lot’s wife looked behind her at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, when the warning angels specifically stated. “Don’t look back!”
AND SHE BECAME A PILLAR OF SALT
ARE WE ANY DIFFERENT?
When we decide, for the last time,to stop eating sugar and then grab a candy bar.
Or that boyfriend or girlfriend that keeps texting you when you have broken it off. You certainly don’t want to be alone. Texting isn’t the same as premarital sex is it? If you meet them for a drink, that doesn’t mean you are going to sleep with them, right?
Having one cigarette or a drink when you know you have a problem with addiction can be such a temptation. Does one bad apple spoil the whole bucket though?
The temptations which lure us from the path which God intends are plentiful and dangerous.
To repent is to turn away from sin and not look back. It is a very difficult thing to do.
HOWEVER, THERE IS MORE TO THIS STORY.
There is the human tendency to revel in someone else’s demise. How many times have you slowed down to be a looky loo at a traffic accident?
Lot’s wife was looking back for some reason.
Television and news wouldn’t have an audience if there wasn’t tragedies to report on. I don’t pick up the Enquirer or People magazine to read about how the life of a celebrity is perfect. I pick them up and read them only to feast upon the gossip of those who are much more successful than me. Hoping their lives become a train wreck.
VOYEURISM IS GETTING JOY FROM OTHERS PAIN.
In the following post, the idea that voyeurism is, in itself, an evil bears some reflection. https://reformjudaism.org/learning/torah-study/torah-commentary/pillar-salt-text-study
As I am writing this blog, I at first was patting myself on the back because I rarely gawk at traffic accidents without interceding in prayer. Yet, then I caught myself. For the past month I have been watching television every evening. My choice has been stories of true life murders.
This has bothered me deeply and I am trying to change. I used to read in the evenings, but when I read I became sucked in by psychological thrillers. Again, stories of murder and or suspense.
I clearly have some work to do in my life regarding voyeurism. I can start by not feasting on other’s pain while waiting in the grocery line.
HOSPITALITY IS ANOTHER AVENUE TO EXPLORE
Apparently, the people of Sodom were not known for their hospitality. It may have even been a city code to not open your door to strangers. https://aleteia.org/2019/07/28/why-was-lots-wife-turned-into-a-pillar-of-salt-and-not-lets-say-of-pepper/
Since Lot’s wife was a Sodomite, she didn’t see the need for hospitality. According to other accounts of this story, Lot asked her to provide salt for these two angelic guests. She threw a fit because she had not been raised with hospitality being a norm. She went to her neighbors asking for salt. In the process she notified them that they had guests in her home.
This may have been the reason why the whole town then showed up on her doorstep, wanting to do nasty things with these two angels.
Because of her nasty attitude towards strangers, God turned her into a pillar of salt when she disobeyed his messengers and looked back.
What things are causing you to become a pillar of salt? Do you yearn for former sins which you have repented of? Are you truly heartbroken when someone else is in pain? Are you a looky loo at traffic jams? Do you enjoy sharing your home with others and inviting people over for a meal?
Share your thoughts with me in the comments.
