Gen 19:30-38
Book of Genesis • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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The last several chapters have been God dealing with Abraham and we have seen God take a pagan and transform him in faith. Chapter 19 takes a break from Abraham to focus on Lots story. After today, we will not see or hear much about Lot. but his descendents do play quite a big role from here till the start of the new testament. Lot and his daughters are the only survivors from Sodom and Gomorrah. They ran to the small town of Zoar in hopes of survival. Now we will see the sad direction his life takes.
30 And 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.
This to me is devastating. God just showed Lot tremendous grace in removing them from the path of destruction. Now Lot is to scared to live in Zoar or anywhere else where people are. This is beyond sad. God did not spare Lot so he could go live and die in a cave.
Now to be fair to Lot, he did just watch fire fall from heaven and destroy entire cities, but now Lot turns to live in fear instead of living in the freedom and truth that God preserved him. I’m not gonna lie, ever since Lot chose where he would settle, taking the best land and now hiding in a cave trying to keep himself safe, we see his heart. Lot was consumed with himself.
Lot could have lived in freedom, taking this time to tell the people of Zoar what God had done. Lot could have been used by God in such a huge way. he was spared by God in a way few people could testify about.
Every one of you have seen Gods grace in a way that most of the world has not, and yet I see many people in churches all around the world acting very similar to Lot. Keeping the focus on self preservation.
We don’t need to focus on our own self preservation, God has already preserved us. God is the only one that can preserve His people! We are people that have been set free and must use our freedom to tell others of the grace God has shown us!
Corrie Ten Boom said this “If you look at the world, you will be distressed. If you look within, you will be depressed. If you look at God, you will be at rest.”
Isaiah 43:7 (KJV 1900)
7 Even every one that is called by my name: For I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.
God created Abraham, Lot and each one of us to bring God glory, The word Glory means so much! this word is packed with meaning.
1. Praise - Lift ones heart and head towards God in grateful worship, both in public and in the privacy of my home.
2. Admire - look up to as an example of who I desire to be like.
3. Boast - brag about the accomplishment and power.
We are going to come back to these three things after we finish this chapter to see the rest of the story.
31 And the firstborn said unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the earth:
Obviously the girls are not thinking Lot is the only man left on earth. They escaped to the city of Zoar which was still inhabited. The concern was Lots wife was dead and Lot did not have a son that would cary on his name. When his daughters married, they would be named after their husbands, not after Lot. Today I don’t know anyone who is really concerned about this but in ancient cultures this was a bad thing to not have a son to cary your name into the future.
32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father.
At this time God had not given the law against incest yet, but it was still not seen as acceptable. Even many pagan cultures did not accept it. Lot was obviously not for it seeing that the daughters knew they would have to get him drunk for this to take place.
33 And they made their father drink wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. 34 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. 35 And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. 36 Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father. 37 And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. 38 And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Ben-ammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.
The girls complete the act and both become pregnant. Out of these sinful actions came two people groups, the Moabites and the Ammonites. The two as we read the rest of Israel's history, become quite a thorn in the side of Isreal. Now we have multiple nations not just from these two but also from Ishmael that become very bothersome to the Jews even to this day.
These problems came because of people not focusing on their created purpose of bringing glory to God!
Remember we were created to bring God glory, if we are not doing that, we will never be at peace!
7 Even every one that is called by my name: For I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.
I want to go back to what it means to bring glory to God. This is not a complete list, we could go on and on. This is just what I came up with while studying.
1. Praise - Lift ones heart and head towards God in grateful worship, both in public and in the privacy of my home.
2. Admire - Look up to as an example of who I desire to be like.
3. Boast - Brag about the accomplishment and power.
1. An attitude of praise is more than just singing some songs while driving or at church. True praise of God keeps the mind focused on God and who He is!
3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on thee: Because he trusteth in thee.
Isaiah tells us that God will keep us in peace when our mind is stayed on or Consumed on the thoughts of God. This is proper praise and the only way to make sure we are fulfilling our created purpose of bringing glory to God!
2. Admiring God is all about thinking about the greatness of the God you serve. When you remember how great the things He has done, you will have no problem being confident in what He can and will do in the future.
1 I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. 2 The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
Read this full psalm on your own today, it’s a great encouragement. God is our rock, my deliverer, my strength, I will trust in Him! This is not an empty thought, this is a truth that should bring us to a state of admiration for the great and mighty God that is watching over us!
3. boasting or bragging on God goes beyond reminding yourself of what God has done for you. Bragging on God is telling the people around you what you have seen God do! This is public praise with a desire to bring Gods fame to the world so they can join you in praising God!
8 In God we boast all the day long, And praise thy name for ever. Selah.
We should be bragging about our awesome God all day long. Our design of glorifying God is not designed for Sundays only. It’s an all day, every day thing.
You know what I have found to be the best solution for depression, anxiety, hatred, or any other emotion that tends to plague you? Glorifying God!
1. Praising Him for who He is! Keeping your mind focused on Him!
2. Admiring Him for the Rock that He is!
3. Boasting to others of the greatness of our God and what we have seen him do! when all our attention is on God and we spend our days praising God there is not time left for selfish fear, and depression, there is only time for Praise!