Lot's Daughters & the Cave: A Biblical Warning About Drunkenness & Isolation

“Now Lot went up out of Zoar and lived in the hills with his two daughters, for he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave with his two daughters.” Genesis 19:30

If you have been using our Bible reading schedule this year, you have come across a curious story in the book of Genesis. After the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot lived with his two daughters in the mountains of southern Canaan. God destroyed the cities for their wickedness but saved Lot and his family. Sadly, Lot’s wife looked back as they fled and was turned into a pillar of salt. Though God allowed Lot to flee to a nearby city, he was afraid to stay there. He fled into the mountains where he lived in a cave with his daughters. Lot’s daughters did not see any prospects for marriage and made a disturbing decision. They got their father drunk and both became pregnant by him.

Theologians have drawn a number of lessons from this strange story in the book of Genesis. One is the perils of drunkenness. It opens us to many other sins that bring us dishonor and sometimes lasting shame. When drunk, people might do things they would be horrified to do when sober. A second lesson is the dangers of isolation. Lot and his daughters lived away from ordinary human society. They did not have healthy relations with others and fell into sin because of it. We are made to live in relationship with others and always suffer when we isolate ourselves. A third and important lesson in the story is that temptation comes from many places, even those closest to us. Even those we love and esteem may become a snare to us. For that reason, we should be on our guard and hold fast to our faith.

The children that were born from the daughters of Lot would become two nations, Moab and Ammon. They would live to the east of the nation of Israel in the region that is now Jordan. They would often come into conflict with the Israelites, and God would condemn them for their idolatry and wicked pagan practices. They would eventually be conquered and absorbed by the Babylonian and Persian empires. Their descendants are part of the Arab world today. We would suspect that some of them still live in the nation of Jordan.

There is one redeeming note in this story. It comes from the book of Ruth. There is a young Moabite woman who turns to faith in the God of Israel. It is Ruth herself. Though she is a Moabite, she travels with Naomi back to the city of Bethlehem. She will say to Naomi: “Where you go I will go, where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God shall be my God” (Ruth 1:16). Her vow is a commitment not only to Naomi, but also Naomi’s God. God will honor Ruth’s faith, giving her an honorable husband, Boaz, with whom she will have a family. God also gives her an unexpected honor. She will be the great-grandmother of David, who will become king of Israel. An even greater honor is that she will also be in the Davidic line from which Jesus will come.

Ruth’s story reminds us of God’s redeeming mercy. He raises up faith in surprising places. He uses unexpected people. Our past does not need to control our future. With God, we have hope. With God, there is a future that can be alive with his blessing.