The record of Lot's wife becoming a pillar of salt is found in the section on living in fellowship with God. Although this section in Genesis covering chapters eighteen through twenty-four is the record of a life that was in fellowship with God, it includes the black record of a defeated saved man, his wife, and his two daughters. Lot had more than these two daughters, but when the angels came to Sodom, they could not find the others. Genesis 19:15 says, "When the morning arose, the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are found; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city" (Heb.). The angels seemed to be saying, "Lot, we can only find two of your children. We were sent here by God to rescue you and all your family, but only these have been found. Our commission is to destroy the city. Now you, your wife, and your daughters must escape." The next verse says that Lot lingered. According to the original, Lot not only lingered; he hesitated, being unwilling to leave the city. Since he was hesitating, the angels "laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the Lord being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city." When the angels had brought the four of them outside the city, they said, "Escape for thy soul; look not behind thee" (v. 17, Heb.). But verse 26 says that Lot's wife "looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt." Lot's wife was saved, for she was pulled out of the city and saved from its destruction. But although she was saved, she nevertheless became a pillar of salt. It is certain that becoming a pillar of salt is not a good thing; it is a shame.
As I have said many times, the book of Genesis contains the seeds of nearly all the divine truths. The pillar of salt in 19:26 may also be considered as a seed. The growth of this seed is in Luke 17:32, where the Lord tells us to remember Lot's wife, and in 1 John 2:28, where we are told that we might be put to shame at the Lord's appearing. The harvest is in Revelation 16:15, where the Lord says, "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he who watches and keeps his garments, that he may not walk naked and they see his shame." The Lord will come as a thief, not giving any prior notification. If at that time our nakedness is exposed, we shall be put to shame. Thus, the seed of being put to shame was sown in Genesis 19, grows in Luke 17 and 1 John 2, and is reaped in Revelation 16. My burden in this message is to impress you that the book of Genesis not only has the seed of Abraham, but also the seed of Lot and of his wife, who became a pillar of salt, a sign of shame.
The basic concept of this message is that a genuine saved person faces the definite possibility of being put to shame. Do not listen to the befuddling teachings of this age. Many teachings in Christianity today drug people, and those who absorb such teachings are neither sober in their mind nor living in their spirit. In this message we need to hear a sobering word from the Lord, a word that will sober our mind and quicken our spirit.