Sunday, January 1, 2012

1 Jan. 2012 - Genesis 19:30-38

Genesis 19:30-38
"The Origin of Moab and Ammon"

Here we have two counts of incest which begin two races against whom Israel spent many battles waging war - Moab and Ammon.

Lot was living with his two daughters (all that remained of his family) in a cave outside of Zoar (the town to which he previously asked to be able to flee). The Bible says that Lot was afraid to live in Zoar. I'm going out on a limb, but that could be partly due to the recent fracas with Sodom and Gomorrah.

Lot's daughters, however, were less than pleased with this affair, especially since their husbands-to-be were dead and there were no menfolk in the area. They then hatch a plan to get Lot smoordronk [an Afrikaans infinitive form for drunk; it was the most appropriate word on hand] and sleep with him while he was passed out. Both daughters, on consecutive nights, did this and succeeded.

Like the contrast of Lot with Abraham, in the previous passage, we can compare Lot's daughters with the descriptions of Abraham's son that had not yet come, Isaac. This comparison truly falls down to what they [Lot's daughters and Isaac] learned from their respective parents.
From Lot and Lot's lifestyle, his daughters grew up unashamed to commit depravities like incest as a response to personal fears, particularly ones related to security, in this case of the family lineage.
From Abraham, Isaac learned to rely on God's wisdom, strength and provision when faced with similar issues (though I would say being tied up on an altar is more stressful and grave than being unable to progress the family line).

Here we see, yet again, a contrast between Lot and Abraham. Where Abraham taught his son to honor and fear the Lord, Lot taught nothing, well, not directly. Indirectly, Lot taught his daughters to seek after worldly possessions and perceptions.

This brings to mind Proverbs 22:6, which says:
"Train up a child in the way he should grow
and when he is old he will not depart from it." 

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