Genesis 19:30-38

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell putting them in chains of darkness o be held for judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment. (2 Peter 2:4-9)

I just had to turn to this passage from 2 Peter as we finish out this chapter on the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the rescue of Lot and his family, because it puts it all into perspective. Note what Peter tells us about Lot: he was a righteous man who was distressed and tormented by all of the sin around him. Really? Are you wondering about this like I am? If Lot was so distressed by it, why didn’t he move his family out? Why did he expose his daughters to such behaviors? As we’ll see, their acceptance of abnormal behavior indicates that their environment made its impact on them.

Well, I’ve got to go back to what constitutes our righteousness. Is it based on what we do or who we are? No! It’s based on faith in Christ and who HE is, for we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. We have no righteousness on our own - it is imputed to us, blanketed over us, by what Christ accomplished for us on the cross. For this reason, Peter can call Lot righteous. And we know that God spared him as a righteous man, because that was the promise He made to Abraham. Therefore, in God’s eyes, Lot is called a righteous man. Therefore, He calls me righteous! PHEW!! Now this gives me HOPE!

However, our final look at his family is something belonging to a soap opera or Sister Wives!

Lot and his two daughters left Zoar and settled in the mountains, for he was afraid to stay in Zoar. He and his two daughters lived in a cave. One day the older daughter said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man around here to give us children—as is the custom all over the earth. Let’s get our father to drink wine and then sleep with him and preserve our family line through our father.” That night they got their father to drink wine, and the older daughter went in and slept with him. He was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up. (Gen 19:30-33)

Ye gads!!! Okay, let’s think about their situation. These girls are stuck in a cave (why didn’t Lot go to his Uncle Abraham for help??), they have lost everything, including their mother, and they can’t believe there will be a future for them. So they take matters into their own hands (when will we learn??), and do something so appalling, yet apparently something that doesn’t give them pause. This is the result of Lot’s decision to raise his daughters in Sodom! Please note that we are told that Lot “was not aware of it” when the girls lay with him. So this pretty much lets him off the hook for this specific act. However, there is certainly plenty of blame to go around here! Sin begets sin! So what is the result of the girls’ actions?

...both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. The older daughter had a son, and she named him Moab; he is the father of the Moabites of today. The younger daughter also had a son, and she named him Ben-Ammi he is the father of the Ammonites of today. (vs. 36-38)

If you remember, the Moabites and the Ammonites are nothing but trouble for the Israelites. However, one ray of hope (because there is always hope in God’s Word), is that Ruth, the great-grandmother of King David, was a Moabite - and she was in the lineage of Christ! Don’t you love how God is constantly redeeming our mistakes? Romans 8:28!!! And this is the glorious part of God’s Word. No matter how bad our sin, God can redeem us from the pit! Our God remembers that we are but dust, He came and lived among us to experience the trials and temptations we face - and yet, did not sin! So He is fully qualified to save us. That’s what this Holy Week is all about!

We’re leaving this family - and I have to say I’m glad to be out of Sodom. But we are not free of the reality stories of God’s people! Abraham blows it again in the next chapter! Oh, our God is so gracious and long-suffering with us, isn’t He? How can we not extend that same grace to others in our lives?
Love to you all!