Genesis
Genesis 19:30-38
Lot & His Daughters
In Genesis 19:30-38, we meet Lot after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and after he has decided to move himself and his daughters to the hills as advised by the angels of the Lord. At this point, he has realized that his plan to live in Zoar was not as good as God’s plan for him to escape to the hillside.
30 Now Lot went up out of Zoar and lived in the hills with his two daughters, for he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave with his two daughters.
If you’ve been following along in this series, have you noticed a pattern yet? As human beings, we struggle with the idea that someone else’s plans for our lives are better than ours – particularly God’s plans. In keeping with the pattern in Genesis, Lot did not trust God initially and wanted to live in a city (Zoar) instead of the hills, yet he ends up going where God said to anyway. Then, his daughters follow suit, and take matters into their own hands when they fear there won’t be another way to preserve their family lineage.
31 And the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come in to us after the manner of all the earth. 32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve offspring from our father.” 33 So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father. He did not know when she lay down or when she arose.34 The next day, the firstborn said to the younger, “Behold, I lay last night with my father. Let us make him drink wine tonight also. Then you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve offspring from our father.” 35 So they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose.
Lot’s daughters, no doubt filled with uncertainty and fear took it upon themselves to ensure their lineage continued. If you’re like me, you read this and are tempted to judge Lot and his daughters for committing such a contemptible and disgraceful act, but the truth is – we do this all the time. It’s built into us ever since we first questioned God’s word in the Garden of Eden – deep down, we doubt God’s plans for us. We want to do it our way, and the scary thing about our plans is that they produce results.
36 Thus both the daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father. 37 The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab. He is the father of the Moabites to this day. 38 The younger also bore a son and called his name Ben-ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites to this day.
Although our plans produce results, they also produce consequences. The resulting Moabite and Ammonite tribes were at constant enmity with God’s people resulting in wars and battles and strife. Yet, even in the mess that Lot’s daughters made, God’s plan was not and could not be derailed. Ruth, a Moabite, would later emerge as a descendant of Lot and find herself in the lineage of Christ[1]. Yes, later on, in Lot’s family tree, God would send The Redeemer, The Rescuer, His Son to prove to us once again that we can not only trust his plans, but that his plans are better. Yes, even though Lot and his daughters forgot the faithful God who rescued them out of Sodom, acted in their own strength and sin to preserve their family line – yes, even despite all of that, God would use their legacy to restore mankind, because this is the Bible. Every word on every page whispers the name, Jesus!
By Mallory Dumond
—————————————————————————