The daughters of Lot: Dangers of living in a community where sin is normalized

We live in strange times and some of the things that we see each day are just unpredictable. Sin has become so normalized that any attempt to condemn evil leads one to be tagged with names. Growing up in a small community in Ghana, we learnt the importance of living right before you become a laughing stock for your wrongful acts. I am very sure that the same community has adjusted to accommodate some of the things we were told to run away from. My stay in the West has been quite different. From Europe to North America, the average teenager has to navigate through a barricade of sinful acts that have been normalized. The list goes on and on and parents have to consciously unteach some of the things the children are taught from school. Our generation is very learned but highly exposed to all sorts of normalized evils. We need intentionality to sail through. Most of these sinful acts are not new under the sun. However, the same sins that received punishment from God and society, are currently celebrated and patronized even by some churches. God have mercy! The truth is God’s standards have not changed and at the end of the age, every sin committed will be punished unless the offenders come to repentance and change their ways.

Let’s get our father to drink wine and then sleep with him and preserve our family line through our father.” (Genesis 19:32)

The daughters of Lot lived in a city where sin was patronized on communal levels. In fact, they witnessed a mob trying to break into their homes to sleep with the two guests in their house. As if that was not enough, even their own father had wanted to give them (the daughters) out to be molested by the whole mob: “Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof” (Genesis 19:8). But, the daughters of Lot also witnessed how God deals with evil and disobedience. They saw Sodom, Gomorrah and surrounding cities destroyed by fire and brimstone from heaven for their sinful acts. Finally, they witnessed their mum turn into a pillar of salt for disobedience. These daughters had seen it all and yet when they finally settled on the mountains, they had an outrageous plan. “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.” (Genesis 19:31‭-‬32).

Like seriously? Lot’s own daughters connived and “raped him” on different nights in order to raise offspring? Their actions is the result of a bigger process; they had lived in a community where sin is normalized and patronized on communal levels. The daughters jointly agreed to this incestuous acts. They were successful in the evil deeds and “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.” (Genesis 19:36‭-‬38). Aside the spiritual and moral implications of incestuous relationships, health wise, it not preferred as it can led to children with genetic disorders. God has made it clear throughout scripture that one should not have sexual relations with close relations. Galatians 5:19-21 makes it clear; “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

We can only change society if we are intentional about making our homes reflect the pattern of God. There is no doubt that the greatest threat to Christianity in the West is the distortion of God’s plan for the family and the home. Our intentionality is therefore important to save our children from conforming to the patterns of this generation. Lot’s daughters saw, encountered, experienced and possibly became accustomed to living in sin. They crafted their own enterprise and made their own father a victim of what they had been baptized into. The final destination of Lot’s generation is destruction. God hates sin! 
“Therefore, as surely as I live,” declares the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, “surely Moab will become like Sodom, the Ammonites like Gomorrah— a place of weeds and salt pits, a wasteland forever. The remnant of my people will plunder them; the survivors of my nation will inherit their land.” (Zephaniah 2:9)

Live wisely: Building our homes on God’s wisdom

Wisdom is very important for all our endeavours. In fact, according to the Bible, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding” (Proverbs 4:7). A home built on godly wisdom thrives and propers. But, a home built on folly is heading to ruins. Without wisdom, we are heading towards a risky path. It is important that as believers, we seek wisdom and understanding. There are people who are wise in academic and corporate affairs but lack the wisdom in home management. You can excel so much in your career and fail in your role as a parent, a wife, a husband or a child if you do not apply wisdom in your life. Wisdom is not inherited, we must seek it. No wonder Solomon in all his wisdom was succeeded by Rehoboam who lacked wisdom in managing state affairs. The result was detrimental. 

In the Bible, wisdom is personalized as a woman. Proverbs 4:5-9 admonishes us to “Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Cherish her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. She will give you a garland to grace your head and present you with a glorious crown.” In Proverbs 1:7, we are reminded that, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” We can leave properties to children, but we cannot leave wisdom as an inherited property. We must seek, desire,  acquire and teach it to our children. Why is wisdom principal in our homes?

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5:15‭-‬16)

We are living in evil days. Paul admonished the Ephesian church to “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15‭-‬16). We are not living in ordinary times. If we fail to build our homes on godly wisdom,  we make room for worldliness and ungodly information to penetrate into our family. Paul admonishes the church this way: “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is” (Ephesians 5:17). Parents, spouses, children etc. all need the wisdom of God to make godly decisions. For example, decisions on where the family will stay, raising godly children, the children’s education, financial arrangements for the future, managing money etc. must be carefully made in wisdom. For instance, If we understand the implication of saving towards retirement, we make important decisions on specific retirement plans while we are still in active work. 

The failure to take certain decisions in our active years can cause us a future of uncertainty. Let us make a conscious effort to make most of every opportunity. May we invest in seeking godly wisdom. The Bible is our foundational manual for wisdom. We should also listen to people who have used godly principles in building their homes. We can invest in books and other resources that provide godly principles of wisdom. We are too endowed to lose opportunities God brings our way. In all our ways, we should seek wisdom and understanding in order to stand out from among the crowd.