Genesis 19:30 - Meaning and Application

Here is the great trouble and distress Lot faced after his rescue (Genesis 19:30). First, he was frightened out of Zoar and did not dare stay there. This may have been because he knew it was a place he had chosen for himself, instead of following God’s direction, and so he could not trust his safety there. Or he may have seen that Zoar was just as wicked as Sodom and realized it could not last long. It may also be that he noticed the waters rising after the destruction, perhaps from Jordan, and feared that Zoar, standing on the same flat land, would be swallowed up too. Settlements and places of shelter we choose for ourselves, when we are not following God, often end up bringing us no peace.

Second, Lot had to go up to the mountain and live in a cave. It is surprising that he did not return to Abraham and place himself under Abraham’s care, since Abraham had already been the means of saving him more than once. But some good people are not wise enough to know what is best for them. He was finally glad to go to the mountain, the place God had appointed for his safety. When disappointment in our own plans drives us into God’s way, that is a mercy. Lot had once thought the whole land was too small for him and his flocks, so he pushed away from Abraham. Now he was shut up in a cave, with hardly room to turn around, lonely and afraid. It is right for God to bring low those who have misused their freedom and abundance. Those who leave the fellowship of God’s people for worldly gain often end up struck by their own choices.

Then comes the sad account of Lot and his daughters in that lonely place. His daughters devised a wicked plan to make their father drunk and lie with him, which made their guilt especially heavy (Genesis 19:31-32). Some have tried to soften their intent by saying they wanted to preserve their father’s name, because he had no sons and they had no husbands. Others have suggested they hoped for the promised Messiah to come through their father’s line. But whatever excuse they may have imagined, their scheme was vile and openly against the light and law of nature. Great judgments on sinners do not, by themselves, stop an evil heart from evil acts. It is astonishing that the fire of lust could burn in people who had just seen Sodom’s flames. Solitude has its own dangers too, especially for uncleanness. When Joseph was alone with his mistress, he was in danger (Genesis 39:11). Families that live together, especially in lonely places, need to watch carefully against even the smallest wrong desire.

Lot himself, through his own foolishness and lack of caution, was miserably overcome. He let his daughters persuade him, and on two nights he got drunk and committed incest (Genesis 19:33 and following). What is man, even the best of men, when God leaves him to himself! Lot had stayed sober and pure in Sodom, and he had often grieved over its wickedness. Yet in the mountain, where he thought he was safe from temptation, he fell shamefully. Anyone who thinks he stands firm should take care, lest he fall. No mountain on earth, apart from God’s holy mountain above, can keep us beyond Satan’s reach. Drunkenness is not only a great sin in itself, it also opens the door to many others. It can lead to the worst and most unnatural sins, leaving a lasting wound and shame. A person may do in drunkenness what he would never even imagine while sober. Lot was also trapped by temptation from those closest to him, from people he loved and trusted. He stood firm against outside pressure, but his own daughters brought him to disgrace. We must be on guard wherever we are.

At the end, we are told of the birth of Moab and Ammon, the two sons, or grandsons, of Lot, depending on how one counts them. They became the fathers of two nations near Israel, often mentioned in the Old Testament, and both are called the children of Lot (Psalm 83:8). Prosperous births may follow incestuous acts, but that does not excuse the sin. Instead, it leaves a lasting stain and passes shame to later generations. Even so, Judah, the tribe from which our Lord came, descended from such a birth, and Ruth the Moabitess has a place in Christ’s family line (Matthew 1:3, Matthew 1:5).

Finally, after this, Scripture says nothing more about Lot or what became of him. No doubt he repented and was forgiven. Yet this silence may teach us that drunkenness not only makes people forgetful, it also makes them forgotten. Many a name that might otherwise have been held in honor is buried by it in shame and obscurity.