“But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”
Wow. That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?
As a child, I certainly did. That image stuck in my head: righteous family fleeing from a condemned city, scrambling frantically for the shelter of the little town of Zoar, as instructed by angels. Then sulfur and fire begin falling from heaven.
And … poof! The wife takes one fleeting glance over her shoulder and gets incinerated.
Was God looking to make a point or something? As a believing youngster, I found it more than a little scary. And it raised very practical and personal questions, like “Is this sort of instant, inescapable judgment the type of thing I can expect from God if I slip up?”
Maybe, but a few of my assumptions as a child appear to have been a little off.
