Daughters of Lot
There is much we can take away from the daughters of Lot. They are excellent example of what we should not do. The dysfunction of the whole family provides us with better choices that we can make for our own life. The desire of the daughters of Lot to have children is understandable it does not justify incest. The daughters of Lot placed too high a priority of having children. It was their desire, their priority and their sin that ruined the family of Lot. Genesis 19:30–38
Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters. The two daughters are unnamed except to be identifies as the first born and the younger. Genesis 19:8 tells us that the two daughters of Lot had not known man, they were virgins.
The two daughters had a conversation stating their father is old, and there is not a man in the earth that they could have sex with like all manner of all the earth. They formulated a plan; they would make their father drink wine, and then they would lie with him. They even provided a justification as to why their devised plan should be accomplished. It would be to preserve the seed of their father.
The two daughters of lot made their father drink wine that night; and the first born went in, and lay with her father. Lot was so under the influence of the wine he did not perceive when she laid down with him or when she arose. The same happened the following night; they made their father drink wine and the younger lay with her father. This was all to preserve the seed of their father. One more time Lot was so under the influence of the wine he did not perceive when she laid down with him or when she arose.
Both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. The firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. The younger daughter, also bares a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.
The land of Moab was on the east of Jordan by Jericho and the Dead Sea, and south of the Ar and Arnon. (Numbers 22:1). They had been a troubled people because of the incestuous beginning of their nation. When Balak, the son of Zippor, was king of the Moabites during the time of Moses when the children of Israel had come out of Egypt, he was afraid of them. King Balak sent for Balaam and told him to curse the children of Israel because they were becoming too strong. Balaam had been rebuked by the voice of a dumb ass for his sin. He prophetically gave blessings to Israel four times which the LORD told him to do. Balaam told them he would curse whom God had cursed and bless whom the LORD had blessed. Then Balaam eventually told Balak that they could not defeat the children of Israel but they could deduce them. (Numbers 22-24). So, the Moabite girls entered the camp of Israel and seduced the men committing whoredom, and they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. Israel joined unto Baalpeor (the deity worshipped at Peor with probable licentious rites): and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. The LORD God sent a plague that took off 24,000 men (Numbers 25:1-9). Zephaniah 2:8-9 gives us the final account of Moab; “I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revilings of the children of Ammon, whereby they have reproached my people, and magnified themselves against their border. Therefore as I live, saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them.”
The younger daughter and Lot produced the people of Ammon or Ben-ammi. They became the Ammonites who occupied an area of land east of the Dead Sea in the land of Gilead. They were related to the Moabites and are often associated together in Scripture. They were given a tract of land to occupy the land just east of the land given to the Moabites. It stretched to the north as far as the Jabbok River and on the south to the hills of Edom. This was because the LORD God had given it unto the children of Lot for a possession. (Deuteronomy 2:19).When the children of Israel were given land to possess the Reubenites and unto the Gadites the LORD gave from Gilead even unto the river Arnon half the valley, and the border even unto the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon. (Deuteronomy 3:6). The children of Ammon made war against Israel in order to extend their borders but never could because Israel was protected by the LORD God. (Judges 11:4-27). They were fierce in nature, rebellious, idolatrous in their religious practice; they thrust out the right eye of all in Jabesh Gilead. (1 Samuel 11:2). They were considered idolatrous people their chief idol was molech, to whom they were guilty of offering human sacrifices. (1 Kings 11:7).
The prophet Ezekiel was instructed by the LORD God to set his face against the Ammonites, and prophesy against them. Because they had said “Aha, against my sanctuary, when it was profaned; and against the land of Israel, when it was desolate; and against the house of Judah, when they went into captivity; Behold, therefore I will deliver thee to the men of the east for a possession, and they shall set their palaces in thee, and make their dwellings in thee: they shall eat thy fruit, and they shall drink thy milk. And I will make Rabbah a stable for camels, and the Ammonites a couchingplace (a dwelling place for wild animals) for flocks: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. Behold, therefore I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and will deliver thee for a spoil to the heathen; and I will cut thee off from the people, and I will cause thee to perish out of the countries: I will destroy thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.” (Ezekiel 25:1-7).
We can see that the tribe of the Moab, from the first born daughter and Lot, and the tribe of Ammon from the younger daughter and Lot, continues the practices of lawlessness they had left when they fled from Sodom. They had been the protection of the LORD God. Lot was under the protection of the LORD God to leave Sodom with his daughters and his wife to avoid being destroyed. Lot was informed that the LORD was going destroy Sodom and he was instructed to go to the mountain. Lot was afraid to go to the mountain so he went to Zoar. Wouldn’t you think if the LORD God told us to do something because destruction was coming we wound listen. Or would we?
The two daughters of Lot had no trust in the LORD God who had protected them from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. We might say it was a lack of faith but it was probably equally because of unbelief and trust. They wanted what they wanted and they wanted it now.
That is a characteristic that plague’s us all from time to time. It is the mistrust and the unbelief in the message of the LORD that generates fear. It is faith, trust and belief in the Word of the LORD that brings peace. The two daughters of Lot, the wife of Lot, and Lot himself, walked by their own sigh especially in the decisions that they made. This only caused hardship, death, the lack of integrity, and produced two children out of incest.
“And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. (Genesis 13:10-11).
We, as Women of Christ, must always remember that walking in faith in the Word of the LORD is the best way to have peace and comfort. We must not stick our head in the sands of the unreality of life. It is by looking at our circumstances in reference to the Word of the LORD that helps us to make those hard decisions in life. It is our guiding force to lead us on the right path. Sometimes it is hard to know which decision is right and which is wrong. Only knowing the direction from the LORD will insure us will be find that path that is made for us.
There is much we can take away from the family of Lot. They are excellent example of what we should not do. They were disobedient; the wife of Lot looked back when she was told not to. She became a pillar of salt. (Genesis 19:26). The two daughters went against moral obedience and practiced incest with their father. This all began when Lot himself separated with Abraham and choose the perversion of Sodom to live in instead of looking for a moral town. Because of these disobediences and not listening to the will of the LORD they paid a high cost.
When you live a life of obedience you will promote obedience. Compromise promotes compromise. When we have the faith, trust and obedience to follow the will of the LORD promptly we attain the blessings of doing His Will.
It was not the will of the LORD for the daughters of Lot to commit incest to perpetuate the line of their father, Lot, seed. Waiting for the timing can be hard, but it is better to wait than to sin against the LORD. The desire of the daughters of Lot to have children was great, probably greater than it is in our society today. There was a reproach upon a woman who did not have children. This can be seen in the case of Sarah who conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. (Genesis 21:2). Take a look at Rachel who when she finally conceived and bore Joseph for Jacob she said “God hath taken away my reproach” (Genesis 30:23). The New Testament even speaks of the reproach with the mother, Elizabeth, of John the Baptist “And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.” (Luke 1:24-25).The desire of the daughters of Lot to have children is understandable it does not justify incest. The daughters of Lot placed too high a priority of having children. It was their desire, their priority and their sin that ruined the family of Lot.
If we look at the solution of priorities in our own life, we may find we are placing too high a price for the priorities we have set for ourselves. The priorities of having enough money in the bank, having the best car, going to the best places, getting the best grades, and even going to the best churches. It is these priorities that can be accomplished by man’s desire not by the will of the LORD. We must be cautious always vigilantly watchful of our priorities. We must not jeopardize our integrity because of our priorities. Our main priorities should be on living our lives the way the LORD wants us to live.
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MLA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne “Daughters of Lot:.” Becker Bible Studies Library Oct 2014.< https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=1678,>.
APA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2014, October) “Daughters of Lot:.” Becker Bible Studies Library. Retrieved from https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=1678,.
Chicago Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2014) “Daughters of Lot:.” Becker Bible Studies Library (October), https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=1678, (accessed).
