Genesis chapter 19. Genesis chapter 19. We're going
to take up the last section, verses 30 to 38, but I will begin
reading in chapter 19 at verse 1. Remember the first 11 verses
highlight the demonstration of Sodom's wickedness. Verses 12-22,
the deliverance of Lot, the destruction of Sodom as indicated in verses
23-29. And then tonight, the descendants
of Lot in verses 30-38. But beginning in verse 1, Now
the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting
in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to
meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground.
And he said, Here now, my lords, please turn into your servants'
house and spend the night, and wash your feet. Then you may
rise early and go on your way. And they said, No, but we will
spend the night in the open square. But he insisted strongly, so
they turned into him and entered his house. Then he made them
a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. Now before
they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both
old and young, all the people from every quarter surrounded
the house. And they called to Lot and said to him, Where are
the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we
may know them carnally. So Lot went out to them, through
the doorway, shut the door behind them, and said, Please, my brethren,
do not do so wickedly. See now, I have two daughters
who have not known a man. Please, let me bring them out
to you, and you may do to them as you wish. Only do nothing
to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the
shadow of my roof.' And they said, stand back. Then they said,
this one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge.
Now we will deal worse with you than with them. So they pressed
hard against the man lot and came near to break down the door.
But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the
house with them and shut the door. And they struck the men
who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small
and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door.
Then the men said to Lot, have you anyone else here? Son-in-law,
your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city,
take them out of this place. For we will destroy this place,
because the outcry against them has grown great before the face
of the Lord. And the Lord has sent us to destroy
it. So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married
his daughters, and said, get up, get out of this place, for
the Lord will destroy this city. But to his sons-in-law, he seemed
to be joking. When the morning dawned, the
angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, arise, take your wife and your
two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment
of the city. And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand,
his wife's hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord
being merciful to him. And they brought him out and
set him outside the city. So it came to pass, when they
had brought them outside, that he said, escape for your life.
Do not look behind you, nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape
to the mountains, lest you be destroyed. Then Lot said to them,
Please, know, my lords, indeed now your servant has found favor
in your sight, and you have increased your mercy which you have shown
me by saving my life. But I cannot escape to the mountains,
lest some evil overtake me, and I die. See now, this city is
near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Please, let
me escape there. Is it not a little one? And my
soul shall live. And he said to him, see, I have
favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow
this city for which you have spoken. Hurry, escape there,
for I cannot do anything until you arrive there. Therefore,
the name of the city was called Zoar. The sun had risen upon
the earth when Lot entered Zoar. Then the Lord rained brimstone
and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah from the Lord out of the heavens.
So he overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants
of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But his wife looked
back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. And Abraham
went early in the morning to the place where he had stood
before the Lord. Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah and
toward all the land of the plain. And he saw and behold the smoke
of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace. And it
came to pass when God destroyed the cities of the plain that
God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow
when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt. Then
Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountains, and his two
daughters were with him, for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar.
And he and his two daughters dwelt in a cave. Now the firstborn
said to the younger, our father is old, and there is no man on
the earth to come into us as is the custom of all the earth.
Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with
him that we may preserve the lineage or the seed of our father. So they made their father drink
wine that night, and the firstborn went in and lay with her father,
and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. It
happened on the next day that the firstborn said to the younger,
Indeed, I lay with my father last night. Let us make him drink
wine tonight also, and you go in and lie with him that we may
preserve the lineage or seed of our father. Then 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. Thus both the daughters of Lot
were with child by their father. The firstborn bore a son and
called his name Moab. He is the father of the Moabites
to this day. And the younger, she also bore
a son and called his name Ben-Ammi. He is the father of the people
of Ammon to this day. You can turn over to 2 Peter
chapter 2. 2 Peter 2, I have referred to
this passage along the way as we've studied this particular
section. I just want to flesh out or fill out what we know
of Lot concerning this situation. In 2 Peter 2, we'll look at this
passage later on this evening, but specifically in verse 6,
We read, "...and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah
into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example
to those who afterward would live ungodly, and delivered righteous
Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked.
For that righteous man dwelling among them tormented his righteous
soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds."
Amen. So we have the divine comment
on Lot as a whole. And certainly, as we look at
this particular passage in Genesis 19, verses 30 to 38, it certainly
seems to challenge that statement concerning Lot and his righteousness. But it is important that we sort
of work our way through this passage to see what it says and
what it doesn't say. So in the first place, I want
to look at the daughters of Lot in verses 30 to 35, or 30 to
36, and then the descendants of Lot in verses 37 to 38. Now, in the first place, the
fact that the daughters are with him is a good sign. Remember,
his wife is not with him. His wife looked back, according
to chapter 19 and verse 26, and she became a pillar of Saul.
So the fact that his two daughters are with him indicates that they
were more aligned with him rather than with his wife. In verse
30, we see that he relocates to the mountains. This is contrasted
with verses 18 to 20. Go back for just a moment in
verse 18. Then Lot said to them, please
know my lords, indeed now your servant has found favor in your
sight and you have increased your mercy, which you have shown
me by saving my life, but I cannot escape to the mountains, lest
some evil overtake me and I die. See now, this city is near enough
to flee to, and it is a little one. Please let me escape there.
Is it not a little one, and my soul shall live? When the deliverance
occurs, and he settled in Zoar, we learn in verse 30, he went
up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountains, and his two daughters
were with him. for he was afraid to dwell in
Zoar. Maybe Zoar was much more like
Sodom than he had anticipated, and perhaps he thought divine
judgment would in fact fall upon that particular city. It doesn't
tell us why, but just simply suggests or tells us that he
did in fact relocate. Now notice the plan of the firstborn
daughter. She is the one that orchestrates
the whole situation here. She is responsible not only for
her lying with Lot, but also has provoked or instigated the
younger daughter to lie with Lot as well. In the first place,
she highlights the old age of Lot. Verse 31, now the firstborn
said to the younger, our father is old and there is no man on
the earth to come into us as is the custom of all the earth.
Now that's an intriguing statement as to why she says that he's
old. Some suggest that he's old or
he's getting to the point where he will no longer be able to
engage in sexual congress, so we have to engage in this plan
right away. Others take it, I think, more
correctly as to suggest that in his old age he would not have
the ability to find them husbands, to find men for them that would
satisfy the requirement to marry them and then to procreate with
them. when she says there is no man
on the earth to come into us as is the custom of all the earth.
I do not think she believes there's no human being left on the earth. Zohar obviously was a city spared
by God because righteous Lot had maintained occupancy there. So there were certainly persons
in Zoar. I don't think it's a total statement
that there's no more human beings on the face of the earth, but
men that are uniquely fit and qualified for what we are looking
for at this particular juncture of our lives. Our father is old. He is unable with the spirit
or the strength that is left within him to go out and find
us men so that we can indeed procreate. Now notice what her
intention is in verse 32. She says, come, let us make our
father drink wine, and we will lie with him that we may preserve
the seed of our father. Now, this is an absolutely wicked
practice on her part. To try to get her father drunk
so that he would lose all inhibition and all sensibility and all responsibility
so that she could lie with him was an affront to all things
godly and upright. Now, I'm going to mention a few
things tonight that are probably not going to make you very comfortable,
but just follow the line of argumentation. I want to suggest, first of all,
that the laws prohibiting incest were not given at this particular
point. Remember that initially, when
the earth was young, they did engage in brothers and sisters
marrying and having children with one another. The fact that
she knows that she should get him drunk indicates that nevertheless,
though the law had not been given, it was still taboo. You didn't
lay with your father. You didn't have relations with
your father in order to procreate and produce a seed. So though
the law hasn't been given yet, restricting or prohibiting incestuous
relationships, That will come later, Leviticus 18, Deuteronomy
chapter 22, and then Deuteronomy chapter 27. Incest is strictly
prohibited by God's law at this particular juncture. It had not
been, but nevertheless the fact that she wants to get drunk indicates
that he's not going to go for this while he's responsible while
he is in possession of his faculties and while he is in his right
mind. So she knows she has to apply him with a drink so that
he will engage in this activity. So verse 32, Come, let us make
our father drink wine, and we will lie with him that we may
preserve the seed of our father. Now, the decision to lie with
him, again, it's wicked and it's vile. The specific purpose, however,
is not wicked and it's not vile. The fact that she wants seed,
that's not a bad thing. Now Gill mentions that there
was a strain of thought that indicated that these girls thought
perhaps in terms of the seed of the woman, Genesis 3.15. So
perhaps they had a messianic expectation in terms of having
children. Gill explains, Wherefore, this
might rather arise, as Bishop Patrick and others have thought,
from an eager desire after the Messiah they might hope would
spring from them, their father being a descendant of Shem, a
son of Abraham's elder brother, and now remarkably saved from
Sodom, which they might conclude was for this purpose. And they
knew of no way in which it could be brought about, but in this
they proposed." Now, before we balk, at this messianic expectation,
you have to understand that there is a messianic emphasis in this
particular passage. Ruth, the Moabitess, is in the
lineage of Jesus Christ our Lord. So whether we like it or not,
the Moabites that result from this ungodly union nevertheless
is the line from whence the Messiah Christ springs. The book of Ruth
indicates this, as does Matthew chapter 1, with reference to
Ruth in verse 5, and with reference to a couple of other fellows
we're going to look at later on in Genesis, in Matthew 1,
3. And so, with reference to this
messianic sort of expectation, whether they had it consciously
or not, it's certainly there. It is certainly something that
connects with the Savior. The Lord Jesus is connected to
Genesis 19 verse 37 in a way that perhaps you and I might
not always be comfortable with. There are some odd things in
the genealogy of our Lord Jesus Christ. There's a harlot in that
genealogy. We need to remember that when
God deals with humanity, it's not like a surgeon who's dealing
with sterilized instruments. There's no sterilized instruments
in the world. It's a messy, sinful world. And even men who are called righteous
and who are righteous nevertheless have their faults. Every single
one of us who are righteous in Jesus Christ in terms of the
imputed righteousness, and every single one of us who have the
Holy Spirit in us, working in us both to will and to do that
which is pleasing to God, nevertheless fall short in a whole host of
ways. It's just the way it is. So God
doesn't reach down like a surgeon into this bowl of already sanitized
instruments and sort of do things in a way that is consistent with
His holiness and beauty. Rather, He takes jaded things,
He takes spotted things, He takes messed up things, and He nevertheless
accomplishes His purpose through those particular things. Now,
in terms of the actual incest itself, Matthew Poole explains
it this way. He says, this, though an incestuous
and abominable action, yet they thought was made lawful by the
supposed necessity. As in the beginning of the world,
the marriage of brethren and sisters was lawful because necessary. And when it ceased to be necessary,
because of the increase of mankind, it became incestuous. So he recognizes
that again. There was a time and a season
where it wasn't necessarily condemned or wrong for brothers and sisters
to cohabit with one another. Now, at this particular juncture,
she recognizes this is taboo, so she gets her father drunk
so that he will, in fact, lay with her. Notice in verse 33,
so they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn
went in and lay with her father. Now notice it says, he did not
know when she lay down or when she arose. This does not exonerate
Lot, but it certainly mitigates the circumstances. And you need
to appreciate that that is a biblical concept. You know, oftentimes,
I don't mean the incestuous thing, I mean mitigating circumstances. Everything isn't always black
and white. There's second degree murder.
There's degrees of vileness. connected to certain crimes and
sins. And again, he is plastered, as
far as we can tell, such that he doesn't even know what is
happening or occurring. So again, it doesn't exonerate
Lot, but it certainly mitigates the circumstances in terms of
his responsibility or culpability with this particular situation.
It mitigates the gravity on his part, certainly not on her part. Now, notice with reference to
the younger daughter-in-law. Again, it's the firstborn that
instigates this. It's the firstborn that is driving
this. And in verse 34, it happened
on the next day that the firstborn said to the younger, Indeed,
I lay with my father last night. Let us make him drink wine tonight
also, and you go in and lie with him that we may preserve the
seed of our father. in that you're reading such things
in the Bible. It's very unsavory. It's very
ungodly. It's very unholy. It's very wicked.
But nevertheless, it is the way it is in a sinful, cursed, and
fallen world. And the beauty and the glory
is to see how God takes these things that are crooked and makes
straight things out of them. And then in verse 35, it says,
then 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. Again, doesn't exonerate, but
it does mitigate the gravity of the crime on his part. Now,
in verse 36, it tells us that their plan was successful. Now,
we shouldn't depend or decide a matter in terms of its ethical
rightness or wrongness as to whether or not it worked. That's
not the way you do biblical ethics. What they did is wrong. What
they did was unrighteous. What they did in getting their
father drunk, taking control out of his hands, irrigating
that control to themselves, and then, you know, manipulating
the situation and circumstances so that they could get what they
want. But nevertheless, according to verse 36, we read, Thus both
the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. Now, that
brings us to consider the descendants of Lot in verses 37 and 38. Now, the later history will indicate
that the Moabites and the Ammonites were enemies with reference to
Israel. But as we move through the sacred
history, we never see they were enemies because they were conceived
in incest. In other words, this is not what
made them bad. What made them bad is that they
were bad and treated Israel bad. But it's not their birth or their
conception that was ultimately held against them. You hear that
a lot today in the abortion debate. We should have the right to kill
babies conceived in rape or in incest. whatever. Talk about
holding something against the innocent party. I mean, that's
absolutely reprehensible and wretched. You don't murder a
baby because that baby is the product of rape. It's not the
baby's fault. And you're certainly doing no
one any favors by compounding with murder the sin of rape. So when we look at the sacred
record, the issue with Moab and Ammon isn't that they were conceived
in incest. It's that they were wretched.
And we need to appreciate that. So turn with me to Deuteronomy
chapter 2 for just a moment. Deuteronomy chapter 2. This is a rehearsal of how they
got to the plains of Moab. Moses, on the plains of Moab,
with the children of Israel, prior to entering into the promised
land, is giving them a series of exhortations. He's giving
them a historical backdrop, how they got to where they got. Notice
in 2.9 it says, Then the Lord said to me, Do not harass Moab,
nor contend with them in battle. For I will not give you any of
their land as a possession. Notice, because I have given
Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession. So the territory
that they possessed was a divine gift. Just like Canaan was to
the children of Israel, so was this territory a gift from God
given to Moab. And the same is true of Ammon
in verse 19. And when you come near the people
of Ammon, do not harass them or meddle with them, for I will
not give you any of the land of the people of Ammon as a possession,
because I have given it to the descendants of Lot as a possession. Again, you don't see any sort
of a hint that, well, they're accursed. They were conceived
in incest. They're wretched. They're reprobate.
They're terrible. All bad things should always
come upon them. No, their territory, their land that they possess
is divine gift. It is bequeathed upon them by
the living and true God, recognized as the lawful and legitimate
descendants of Lot. Now, the problem with Moab and
the problem with Ammon is found in Deuteronomy 23. Deuteronomy
23 indicates what their issue was, and the issue was not that
they were conceived in incest. Deuteronomy 23, verse 1, he who
is emasculated by crushing or mutilation shall not enter the
assembly of the Lord. One of illegitimate birth shall
not enter the assembly of the Lord. Even to the tenth generation,
none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the Lord.
Now, with reference to Ammonite and Moabite, some connect it
to the illegitimate birth of verse 2. I don't think that's
the connection that's supposed to be made. He gives the specific
reason as to why Ammonites and Moabites are disallowed from
entering into the assembly of the Lord. It has nothing to do
with their illegitimacy, but rather it has to do with their
wretchedness. Notice in verse 3, an Ammonite or Moabite shall
not enter the assembly of the Lord, even to the tenth generation,
None of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the Lord
forever, because they did not meet you with bread and water
on the road when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired
against you Balaam the son of Baalar from Pthor of Mesopotamia
to curse you. It's not because they were conceived
in incest. It's not because of what you
see there in Genesis 19, 30 to 38. It's not because of the instigation,
the provocation, the wickedness of these daughters who got their
father drunk. Their problem is that they were
not courteous and hospitable to the children of Israel when
they were wandering through the wilderness. As well, they hired
that prophet for profit. Balaam to curse Israel. That's why they're sort of the
perennial enemies of Israel. It has nothing to do with their
conception in incest. It has everything to do with
the fact that they rebelled against God by treating Israel with disrespect. Verse 5, nevertheless, the Lord
your God would not listen to Balaam, but the Lord your God
turned the curse into a blessing for you because the Lord your
God loves you. You shall not seek their peace
nor their prosperity all your days forever. So there is this
favorable reference in Deuteronomy 2 with reference to Moab and
Ammon. There's the specific reason given
why Moab and Ammon are prohibited from the assembly of the Lord
in Deuteronomy 23. Again, it has nothing to do with
the conduct of their mothers, but rather it has everything
to do with their conduct toward Israel at the time of the wilderness
wanderings. But another observation is the
reality, we've already made this observation with reference to
the Moabites and the Messiah. Turn to the book of Ruth. I'm not justifying incest, I'm
not justifying what these girls did, I'm not suggesting for a
moment that it's okay to get people drunk and do whatever
it is you want to do with them while they're passed out. That
is simply reprehensible and abominable, but as we trace from that point
onward, we need to appreciate what Scripture says concerning
both the Moabites and the Ammonites, And we need to appreciate what
scripture says concerning the overall trajectory of the life
of Lot. Lot didn't get himself drunk.
Now, some would arguably say, on the second night, it was even
worse. I mean, he should have seen it coming. Yeah, he should
have seen it coming. I agree. I don't know why that
second night happened. I can't sort of Monday morning
quarterback. But again, being controlled by
what we find in 2 Peter 2, we need to appreciate the connection
between the Moabites and the Messiah. The confession of Ruth,
the Moabite. Notice in Ruth 1.16. Ruth said,
and treat me not to leave you, or turn back from following after
you. For wherever you go, I will go,
and wherever you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my
people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die, and
there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me, and more
also, if anything but death parts you and me. She gives her allegiance
to Yahweh. This Ruth the Moabitess is a
woman who is converted to the God of heaven and earth. When
you look at the end of Ruth, Ruth chapter 4 at verse 17, Also
the neighbor women gave him a name, saying, There is a son born to
Naomi. And they called his name Obed.
He is the father of Jesse, the father of David. Now, this is
the genealogy of Perez. Perez begot Hezron, Hezron begot
Ram, and Ram begot Amenadab. Amenadab begot Nashon, and Nashon
begot Salmon, Salmon begot Boaz, Boaz begot Obed, Obed begot Jesse,
and Jesse begot David. That's the point of the book
of Ruth. Ruth is a wonderful book. It's a glorious book wherein
the sovereignty of God is overarching. It is on display. It is most
wonderful and most excellent. The story of godly Ruth confessing
allegiance to Yahweh, saddling up alongside of her mother-in-law,
being there to support, being there to labor, being there to
feed her, being there to be her comforter, and all that sort
of stuff. It's all great, but it all leads to verses 18 to
22. This is the line of Messiah.
In fact, John Gill describes the book of Ruth this way, The
principal design of it is to give the genealogy of David,
whom Samuel had anointed to be king of Israel, and from whom
the Messiah was to come, and who therefore may be said to
be the aim and scope of it, as he is all of Scripture, and whereby
it appears that he sprung from both Jews and Gentiles, and is
the Savior of both, and there is a good foundation for both
to hope in him. and the call and conversion of
Ruth the Moabitess may be considered as a shadow, emblem, and pledge
of the conversion of the Gentiles." So going back to Genesis chapter
19, this is my point. the wretchedness that we see
on display with reference to the firstborn and the younger,
plying their father with drink to the point where he is so drunk,
he is not even cognizant of the reality that he is having relations
with his daughters. All of that mayhem, all of that
wretchedness, nevertheless brings us to verses 36 and 37. Both
the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. The firstborn
bore a son and called his name Moab. He is the father of the
Moabites to this day." You have to see this in connection with
the Messiah. You have to see this in connection
with Ruth the Moabitess, with Jesse, with David, with Jesus
Christ our Lord. And then there's one other sort
of parallel passage in the book of Genesis. Parallel conceptually
in Genesis chapter 38. Good. I am not suggesting that
it's okay to commit incest. I'm not suggesting that it's
okay to get people drunk and have your way with them. But
what I am suggesting is that even in the most wicked and crass
and abominable situations, the Lord God Most High is overruling
those things for His glory and ultimately for the good of His
people. This is a demonstration of Romans 8, 28. All things work
together for good, even incest between Lot and his daughters.
All things work together for good, even incest between Judah
and Tamar. And that is precisely what Genesis
38 records for us. Again, an unsavory passage of
scripture, which it's so unsavory, I think I'll give it to you twice.
We'll do it now, and then we'll do it when we actually get to
chapter 38. You hopefully know the story. Again, it's a story
that's a bit difficult, but you have this girl Tamar married
to Judah's sons, and Judah's sons were wicked, so God killed
them. So the death of Tamar's husbands,
Ur in chapter 38, verses 6 and 7, and then Onan in chapter 38,
verses 8 to 10. You've probably heard of the
name Onanism. referring to masturbation. I
do not think that's the issue. Again, I'm not validating or
substantiating or suggesting that that's somehow a good practice,
but I think the crime of Onan prefigures or foreshadows the
law of the Leveret. He was to provide for his sister-in-law. He was to provide money, he was
to provide seed, he was to provide for her in all things that the
Leveret law would indeed dictate later on in the giving of the
law. So these two young men die, and then Judah promises Tamar
that she can remarry his other son, Shala, when Shala grows
up. Well, Shala grows up, and she
doesn't get to marry him. So she disguises herself and
lays with Judah. Judah thinks it's a harlot, and
then Judah is incensed against her. When it comes time for her
to disclose what has happened, and for her to disclose that
it was in fact her, notice what Judah says in verse 26. Judah acknowledged them and said,
She has been more righteous than I, because I did not give her
to Sheolah my son, and he never knew her again. Again, I'm not
advocating, I'm not suggesting, and I'm going to qualify this
a thousand times so nobody thinks otherwise. These are bad things. These are abominable things.
But under a sovereign God, He orchestrates this and brings
good out of it. This is, again, the line of the
Messiah. Notice in verse 27, Now it came
to pass at the time for giving birth that behold, twins were
in her womb. And so it was when she was giving birth that the
one put out his hand, and the midwife took a scarlet thread
and bound it on his hand, saying, This one came out first. Then
it happened as he drew back his hand that his brother came out
unexpectedly. And she said, How did you break
through? This breach be upon you. Therefore, his name was
called Perez. Afterward, his brother came out
who had the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called
Zerah. The line of the Messiah included
some very unsavory people. Turn to Matthew chapter one for
just a moment. So on the one hand, we need to
appreciate and understand and embrace, delightfully so, the
absolute sovereignty of God in taking unsterilized instruments,
very filthy, very dirty, very abominable instruments, and nevertheless
bringing good from it. But as well, we need to guard
against this idea that we're somehow a whole lot better than
everybody that we find in our Bible, and somehow better than
God. Oh, we would never use this Rahab
the harlot, or we would never use this particular situation
involving Judah and Tamar, or we would never use the incestuous
relationship of Lot with the older daughter and see that Messiah
would come from the Moabites. Well, we're not better than God,
brethren. And we ought not to irrigate that idea that this
is somehow beneath God. God chose to do it this way,
and God demonstrates His glory and His power and His majesty
in doing so. Matthew 1.1, the book of the
genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah
and his brothers. Notice, Judah begot Perez and
Zerah by who? By Tamar. Perez begot Hezron,
and Hezron begot Ram. Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab
begot Nashon, and Nashon begot Salmon. Salmon begot Boaz by
Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot
David the king. David the king begot Solomon
by her who had been the wife of Uriah. He didn't even mention
Bathsheba. By her who had been the wife
of Uriah. Uriah's mention in the genealogy
of the Savior. Solomon begot Rehoboam. Rehoboam
begot Abijah. And Abijah begot Esau. Esau begot
Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat begot Joram. And
Joram begot Uzziah. Uzziah begot Jotham. Jotham begot
Ahaz. And Ahaz begot Hezekiah. Hezekiah
begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Ammon, and Ammon begot Josiah.
Josiah begot Jeconiah, and his brothers, about the time they
were carried away to Babylon. And after they were brought to
Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel.
Zerubbabel begot Abiad, Abiad begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot
Azor. Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot
Hakim, and Hakim begot Eliad. Eliad begot Eleazar, Eleazar
begot Mathan, and Mathan begot Jacob. And Jacob begot Joseph,
the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called
Christ. You see, when you move through
these genealogies, it's filled with unsavory characters, or
unsavory incidents, or issues and problems along the way. And
the same obtains with reference to Genesis chapter 19, verses
30 to 38. What the daughters did was wicked.
What the daughters did was abominable. But what ultimately ensues from
that is part and parcel of the line of Messiah himself. As we
move through redemptive history, it's not the incest that is held
against Ammon and Moab. It's their wickedness that's
held against Ammon and Moab. The Lord God works in and through
and with very unsterile beings in order to bring out His holy
will and purpose. Now, let's look finally at this
righteousness of Lot in 2 Peter 2, because I think he has something
to teach you and I. 2 Peter 2. Perhaps Sodom would
blush if they saw how people in Canada actually lived. I mean,
the sorts of things that go on unabated and unchecked in our
own generation. Again, we look at these things,
oh, those wicked homosexuals, and they were engaged in gang
rape. That stuff happens all the time here, too. It's not
like we're this bastion of godliness and holiness and righteousness.
What we see with reference to Lot, I think, is indicative of
the way we ought to respond in like circumstances. Now, just
to give you a bit of the context, it's a denunciation, ultimately,
of false teachers. That's what's happening. False
teachers are being condemned in this particular situation.
So there's a summary statement concerning these teachers in
verses 1 to 3. There is then the judgment of
God directed toward these false teachers in verses 4 to 11. But in the midst of this judgment
of God upon the false teachers, the Lord nevertheless watches
over and preserves his godly ones in the midst of these destructive
judgments. Notice verse 4, for if God did
not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and
delivered them into chains of darkness to be reserved for judgment,
and did not spare the ancient world, but, here it is, saved
Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in
the flood on the world of the ungodly. And then turning the
cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to
destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would
live ungodly. and delivered righteous lots."
You see, God sends his judgment to bear upon these false teachers,
these wretched people, these reprobate. But in the midst of
these judgments, God spares his elect who find themselves in
the midst of these sorts of tumultuous times. In fact, that's the emphasis
there in verse 9. Notice, then the Lord knows how
to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under
punishment for the day of judgment. So if God has shown himself faithful
in the past, in the midst of his severe judgments poured out
upon the world, but he was able to spare Noah in the midst of
it. or His judgment poured out upon Sodom and Gomorrah and the
cities and the plain, and yet He was able to spare a lot, then
you Christians living in a situation that's messed up and is targeted
by the wrath and fury of God, then the Lord knows how to deliver
you. He knows how to protect you. He knows how to sustain
you, just the way He does with Noah. just the way he does with
God. Maybe not just the way in terms
of the obliteration of the entire world or the cities on the plain,
but the point obtains that if God, who faithfully preserved
his people in the midst of tumultuous times, was able to do it then,
he's certainly able to do it now. Now, in terms of Lot, we
see his deliverance by God in the overthrow of Sodom. Notice
in verse 7, and delivered righteous Lot. We see that in Genesis 19.16,
the Lord being merciful to him. Now, the identification of Lot
as righteous. Again, I think that is the imputed
righteousness of Jesus Christ, but whenever one receives the
imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ, that means what Christ
has done for us, but then we receive the power of the Holy
Spirit working in us and working in our hearts and lives so that
we will follow God in a righteous way. Now that's expressed more
fully as we move on. Notice what it says, delivered
righteous lot who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the
wicked, or he was sore distressed. One commentator, D. Edmund Hebert,
a good Arminian actually, I think he's with the Lord now. an Arminian
that was a good exegete. If you ever pick up Ebert's commentary,
it's probably the only Arminian I think I'll ever recommend.
In terms of outlines and in terms of getting the sense of the text,
in terms of just exegetical responsibility, I mean, you could do a whole
lot worse than Heber when it comes to the general epistles.
But he says, sore distressed, pictures Lot as being worn down
and exhausted with toil, hence deeply distressed and oppressed
by the life of his fellow citizens. The present passive implies that
their evil lives continued to be a burdensome weight upon him
personally. He had not allowed his conscience
to become so dulled that he was no longer pained by what he witnessed.
And I think that's the lesson that we ought to glean from Lot. As many foibles as we may see
in the life of Lot, he never gave in to the heartbeat of Sodom. He didn't become a homosexual.
He didn't become a sexual deviant. He didn't become a pervert. He
didn't become one that was engaged in the sorts of lawless deeds
that typified and characterized these men in Sodom. Notice what
it goes on to say in verse eight, for that righteous man dwelling
among them tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing
and hearing their lawless deeds. See, the fear that I have for
my own heart and a fear that I think might obtain in the lives
of others is that we almost become dull to how wicked it really
is. We almost become desensitized
with how vile it really is. It almost becomes commonplace. Things that are absolutely disgusting
and vile and wretched and reprehensible are sort of becoming the norm,
and it's sort of simmering around us, and we're not as incensed
as we once were about these sorts of things. Well, you can't say
that about lot. Under the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit, Peter tells us that righteous man dwelling among
them tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing
and hearing their lawless deeds. He never made peace with it.
He never embraced it. He never normalized it. He never
said, well, you know, that's just the way they do things here
in Sodom. That's just the way they roll here. No, he didn't
do that. It was oppressive to him, and
it seized upon his soul. Another man, Bauckham, makes
the observation, it, Lot's experience in Sodom, goes beyond the common
apocalyptic theme of the suffering of the righteous at the hands
of the wicked and their deliverance from this suffering. He says,
Lot suffers not because he is a victim of the wicked, but because
he is a genuinely righteous man. Excuse me. I guess I don't notice
the cold when I'm not talking at a Bible study or preaching.
So back to the quote. It goes beyond the common apocalyptic
theme of the suffering of the righteous at the hands of the
wicked and their deliverance from this suffering. So what
he's saying is there's this common theme in apocalyptic. You're
going to suffer. when God's judgment comes, but
the Lord is going to spare you. He goes on to say, though, that
Lot suffers not because he is a victim of the wicked, but because
he is a genuinely righteous man, a man who loves righteousness,
who longs to see righteousness done in the world, and is afflicted
by its absence. So the suffering that Lot undergoes
in the city of Sodom is not that he himself is getting gang raped.
It's not that he himself is being abused by these persons. It's
not that he himself is suffering under their vile criminal activity. What causes him to suffer is
the existence of vile criminal activity, the absence of righteousness,
the absence of godliness, the absence of holiness. That's what
torments his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing
their lawless deeds, their antinomianism. That's what affected Lot. And
if it isn't the case with us, then we ought to pray to God
to give us that sensitive conscience and that sensitive spirit. Now,
it can be overdone to the point where you say, well, I'm going
to go live on top of Mount Sham and not have anything to do with
those guilty, vile, disgusting sinners that populate Chilliwack.
Please don't do that unless you have great survival skills and
can actually function on the top of Mount Sham. Most of us
can't. So for us to do that would be
a fool's errand. But the idea is that we're in
the world, but we're not of it. We're in the world and we enjoy
the things of the world that God has given lawfully to be
enjoyed. You know, like we see in 1 Timothy
4, it's wicked to forbid steak. It's wicked to forbid marriage.
God's good. He loads us daily with benefits.
We're given the prerogatives to enjoy that. In fact, one of
the reasons why Israel suffered the judgment and chastisement
of God when they went into the land If I were to ask you, what
were the top five reasons? Well, you'd say, they were sexually
immoral. Yes. They engaged in idolatry. Yes.
They engaged in all manner of lawlessness. Yes. You know what
other thing they weren't? Was full of thankfulness to the
living God. They were not thankful. God says,
when you've eaten and are satisfied, then thank the Lord. They went
into the land, they were eating and satisfied, but they were
never thankful. God gives us good things to enjoy,
according to 1 Timothy 4, and to thank Him. So not everything
that's in the world is necessarily wicked. Good stakes in marriage
are not wicked. We get to enjoy that. Praise
God Almighty. But the perversion, and the iniquity,
and the lawlessness, and the murder, and the mayhem, hopefully
that sort of stuff works in our own hearts to the point where
it torments our righteous soul from day to day by seeing and
hearing their lawless deeds. I mean, watch the news for about
five minutes and you should be full of this and ready to go.
Because the sorts of things that are happening today are vile
and wretched and wicked. And I wouldn't doubt if men from
Sodom got transported in a time machine to Canada today, they'd
say, what do you mean you let people kill babies? up until
they're born. What do you mean you kill old
people because they're old or sick people because they're sick?
What do you mean you have gay pride parades? Even we felt a
sense of shame and indignity doing those sorts of things.
I mean, there is a lot lessness that we see in our own day and
age that ought to promote this lot-like response in the hearts
of God's people in our own generation. Well, I don't know that I've
answered everything. I hope that we at least get a
sense of what's happened in Genesis 19. Horrible on the part of the
girls, but God used it for good. God used it with reference to
the Messiah himself, and in this we can rejoice. Well, let's close
in a word of prayer. Father, thank you for your word
and thank you for your absolute and comprehensive sovereignty.
It does amaze us. It does cause us to marvel when
we see wicked acts overruled by a gracious God and good things
brought out as a result. We thank you for the Messiah.
We thank you for our Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you for his
line in the Old Testament, for all those men and women that
were involved in that. God, how we praise you that you
brought it all to fruition in the fullness of the time when
you sent forth your son, born of a woman and born under the
law, that son of Abraham, that son of David, that covenant mediator
that brought salvation to his people. We give praise to you
for scripture. We give praise to you that Christ
is the scope of the whole and that, Father, you have blessed
us with a saving interest in him. We ask that you would go
with us now, watch over us in this week, help us to glorify
you as we live, as we work, as we move, as we have our being.
And God, may we reflect upon Lot and may we likewise respond
to our godless age. May we be vexed and may we be
distressed as we see the sorts of things that are going on.
But may these things promote in us prayerfulness and intercession
at the throne of grace. And we pray these things through
Christ our Lord. Amen.
