16 .#Guiding Lot to Avoid Disaster

Genesis 19 : 15, 24, 26
Size: 38×47cm
Material: silk thread

At dawn, angels urged Lot, saying, “Get up! Take your wife and your two daughters and leave this place so that you won’t be destroyed along with this city because of its sins.” At the time, God was about to rain down fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah.
The terrible sins of Sodom and Gomorrah had reached heaven and God was prepared to totally destroy these cities. However, because of Abraham’s supplication, angels were sent ahead to save Lot and his family. The angels urged them to leave town before daybreak and also warned them not to look back.
With heads bowed down, Lot, Lot’s wife, and his two daughters hurried along. They were to go to an unknown city. Although fleeing to a strange city is never pleasant, they would at least be safe there since it was spared from God’s wrath. Unfortunately, Lot’s wife forgot the angels’ warning and looked back. She was turned into a pillar of salt in an instant.
Why did she look back? Was it mere curiosity? Or did she look back because she was regretting the world she was leaving behind?
The angels’ warnings were commands - they were no less than laws. Laws make people aware of sins. Their original intent is neither to condemn nor to punish people. God gave us laws and commandments in order to preserve our lives.