Concerning the misinterpretation of the behavior of the daughters of Lot towards their father. The Sad History of Lot - Commentary on the Daily History of Lot and His Daughters

The Bible is a book in which spiritual Knowledge is concentrated .... for those who want to achieve it ..
If a person reads it only as a collection of Bible stories, without the love of God... without the "fear of God",
without understanding his limitations and depravity, THEN he will perceive a lot of things biased, according to his narrow understanding of everything he comes into contact with ...

People are used to judging everything “by themselves”… and by the way it is “accepted” in society….
For example, someone watching another talk show with a famous seventy-year-old actress, who appeared in a short dress and bare breasts, flaunting her young lover and talking about how many of them she had ..., someone will sincerely rejoice for her, rewarding glory to her, the glory of her naked body and "unfading" sex appeal ... daring to take an example from her in referring to plastic surgeons and all kinds of fashionable and socially accepted drive for body and soul ...

People perceive today's depraved behavior of their idols as the norm... as a principle of life... as something taken for granted....
It gets to the point that the wives of idols tell the multimillion-dollar TV audience how and with whom their husband cheats on them, and with whom they .... and even on the program there are lovers, supposedly former ones, who crumble in love for their girlfriends and boyfriends ...
But if the same person, who just applauded his rampant idols, reads in the Bible the story about Lot and his daughters ...., there will be no end to the limit of indignation and contempt! ........
And what will particularly anger this critic is that Lot was a righteous man…………

Lot is the nephew of Abraham, who followed his uncle away from the pagans to new lands, to where the Voice of God led Abraham…… Lot believed in the One God just like Abraham and therefore stood on the righteous path……..
It is extremely difficult for us to imagine the then life of these people ... these were completely different conditions and customs of life ... other difficulties and problems ....

It was hardest of all for those who knew and believed in the One God, lived in worship and obedience only to Him, and not to idols and gods .... Abraham and his family were surrounded by tribes and peoples pagan, barbaric, cruel and militant .... But they were not with anyone did not fight, lived peacefully, grazed their flocks….
One day, Abraham suggested to Lot that they secede due to the growth of the economy ... there was not enough pasture land for livestock ... times of famine were approaching ... Abraham suggested that Lot choose the land for himself:
Genesis ch 13:
“10 Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the region around the Jordan, that before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, it was watered all the way to Segor, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt;
11 And Lot chose for himself all the region around the Jordan; and Lot moved towards the east. And they separated from each other.
12 Abram began to live in the land of Canaan; and Lot began to dwell in the cities of the region and pitched his tents as far as Sodom.

Yes, it must be said that Lot chose a better land ... probably believing that he is younger than Abraham and he still has to increase his family ... and Abraham had “no children planned” ....
Often people also try to choose something better for themselves, hoping that it will bring them happiness.
For example, someone chooses the best educational institution in another country….but then gets into some kind of unkind alteration…company…and loses everything……..
Someone chooses the best clinic for the operation, hoping that they will definitely help, but as a result, they do an unsuccessful operation (for example, plastic), and they suffer damage ...
But a man bought the best car model ... and .. crashed on it ....
The girl put on her best dress to be the most charming ... and tore it, unsuccessfully falling right in front of everyone ...
The family went to the best and most prestigious resort ... and crashed on a plane ...

Behind all this there is a spiritual reason - the desire to be the first ... "worldly pride" ...
By the example of Lot, God wanted to show people that NOT “all that glitters is gold”…….
Behind the beautiful bait that kindles the eyes of pride and complacency is something pernicious ... Why? “There are spiritual laws….
(Bible. Proverbs 16:18): “Pride goes before destruction, and arrogance before a fall”

(Gospel of Matthew 16:26): “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

“Having food and clothing, we will be satisfied with that. And those who want to get rich fall into temptation and into a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts, which plunge people into disaster and destruction; For the love of money is the root of all evil, which, having given way, some have erred from the faith, and subjected themselves to many tribulations” (1 Tim. 6:8-10).

Proverbs 28:20 "A faithful man is rich in blessings, but whoever is in a hurry to get rich will not go unpunished."

Proverbs 11:28 “He who trusts in his riches will fall; but the righteous will turn green like a leaf.”

Psalm 36:16-17 "The little of a righteous man is better than the riches of many wicked ones, for the arms of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord strengthens the righteous."

Lot was righteous in his faith, yet, like many of the believers, he was insufficiently “circumcised” in his heart… God worked on his character, admonishing and instructing through mistakes, like many of those who are learning to walk before God…
Lot is also called righteous because he did NOT participate in the abominations of Sodom, which he soon had to learn about ... because this people from idleness, satiety and wealth became corrupted to the extreme .... drinking wine to insensibility, doing indecent deeds, doing all kinds of sexual perversions and pleasures….

The Lord, seeing how irreversibly and low this pagan people fell, mocking at everything holy and pure, not believing in God and the Creator, but satisfying their lusts before their idols ... repaid them according to their abominations in order to rid the earth of the center of demonic corruption and set an example other wicked that the judgment is coming!...

The Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone!
But before that, the Angels came to Lot in order to lead him and his family out of this den ...
(Bible. 2 Peter 2: 7-8): “and the righteous Lot, weary of the treatment between violently depraved people, he delivered (for this righteous man, living among them, daily tormented in a righteous soul, seeing and hearing lawless deeds)” ....
Lot was tormented among the lawless, but continued to live there ... he was held by attachment to the material ...
His righteousness was not like the righteousness of Moses, who “would rather suffer with the people of God than have temporary sinful pleasure, and considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth for himself than Egyptian treasures; for he looked to the reward.” (Hebrews 11:25-26

Lot is not called in the Bible a hero of faith, or an excellent righteous man... His example is given to us for the edification of God, as an example of the fact that attachment to material wealth always has a detrimental effect on life and faith, creating indecision, languor, doubt and lack of freedom in the character....

It can be said that Lot was a righteous man on the verge of falling… If he had hesitated… if God had not helped him get out of Sodom… he would have perished along with everyone….
His example is an example for those who, having come to God, try to serve two masters: God and Maomon…..But Christ said: “No one can serve two masters: for either he will hate one and love the other; or he will be zealous for one, and neglect the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." (Matthew 6:24-25) --- Sooner or later, those who continue to be friends with the world without giving their lives to the Lord will suffer damage and become corrupted…fall down…perish….

And to make sure that Lot was approaching the fall, it is enough to know that his wife was already tightly tied in soul to Sodom, for she did not want to leave this evil, wicked place ... --- and although the angels warned that “leaving, go away…and don’t look back…”, she looked back…and turned into a pillar of salt…Lot lost her forever….
Lot's daughters also, apparently, "acquired" the "wisdom" of Sodom .... because they decided to commit a sin and sleep with their father for the sake of procreation .... There is such a version - they were NOT Lot's native daughters, because Lot's wife "walked" and gave birth from others… Lot knew this, but hid it… and suffered…
I cannot confirm or deny this version, because it may be true, since Lot's wife did not want to leave Sodom ... ..

Nevertheless, let's see what happened to Lot and his daughters ... in what state of mind was he ... well-being? ... --- It is clear that all recent events shocked him .... he lost a lot of "acquired", leaving Sodom right on the eve of the volcanic eruption...
Then his wife died .... He was left "with nothing" ....

I conclude my story with a long excerpt from an article by Alexander Dmukh: - “Standing up for the righteous. Lot"

Gen. 19: At first, Lot was afraid to flee to the mountains (verse 19), and went instead to Segor (verse 22).
“Then he “went out of Segor and began to live in a mountain, and with him his two daughters, for he was afraid to live in Segor. And he dwelt in a cave, and with him his two daughters. (verse 30)
So, what... Lot left the city of Sigor, believing that "Hiroshima" would be followed by "Nagasaki". He fears that the wrath of God may soon fall upon this city as well. His fears were not unfounded.
His two daughters also knew about it. Here are the reasonings of his daughters: “And the older one said to the younger one: Our father is old, and there is no man on earth who would come in to us according to the custom of all the earth.” (Gen. 19:31)
The adult daughters of Lot sincerely thought that there were no men left on earth except their father. They care about the continuation of the human race. You say: "But God did not burn the whole earth, but only a few cities." And how could they know that! Add here the scale of the catastrophe... They are frightened... They had a memory of the flood in the days of Noah, when Noah and his family remained... And here the situation is similar.... Only the flood is fiery.

Daughters are in a hurry: "Our father is old." They have the idea of ​​procreation. From whom? ..... Of all the men, in their opinion, only their father remained .... Therefore, they decide on a well-known act, having previously given their father a good drink of wine. For what? Because when sober, Lot obviously would not have done this ... You ask: “why did he drink wine?” --- you can guess - his dejected state of mind at that time .. the loss of his wife, a rich house ... the usual way of life, etc. ... led him to a loss of soundness of judgment and sobriety of spirit ... he was depressed ... not relatives) tried to “comfort” him with wine so that he would “forget” ....

But this sin had far-reaching consequences --- From the daughters of Lot, Moab and Ben-Ammi were born, from whom came the Moabites and Ammonites - the constant enemies of Israel. The name Moab is consonant (in Hebrew) with the phrase: "from the father", and Ben-Ammi means "son of a blood relative." This etymology kept Israel from forgetting the shameful origins of their enemies.

Four main motives sound in the 19th chapter of Genesis: the speedy judgment of God over the wicked Canaanites; Lot's attachment to material things; God's merciful deliverance from perdition, and the "rebirth of Sodom" in the cave……
This concludes the story of Lot in Genesis. And then his name reminds us and not only us of Jesus Christ Himself. When Jesus was asked: “What is the sign of Your coming and the end of the age?” He, among other things, recalls two events from ancient times. Jesus recalls events that everyone knew about. These events are the flood in the days of Noah and the burning of Sodom in the days of Lot.

“And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the Son of Man:
they ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
Just as it was in the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built;
but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all; so it will be on the day when the Son of Man appears” (Luke 17:26-31).
As in the first and in the second case, the same picture is observed. On the one hand, the death of sinners, on the other, the salvation of the righteous. For some, anger, for others, mercy. One is death, the other is life. The only difference is that in the first case, God uses water for punishment, and in the second, fire.

Jesus, in the examples he gives, equates the status of Noah and Lot. Lot finds himself on the same saving side next to the righteous Noah. These two pious men are teachers to the whole world. Just as God gave life to Noah and Lot, so God will give salvation and eternal life to all who believe in Jesus. Just as God punished sinners in water and fire, so all those who do not believe in the Gospel will reap death.
In conclusion, I will give one piece of advice to those who have decided to criticize the sins of biblical heroes...-- If you decide to expose someone's sin, and you need a living example from the Bible. In this case, there are enough characters from the “black list” in Scripture. Criticize Cain, rebuke Eli and his sons, wash Saul's bones. There are enough defendants in Scripture who have shown with their lives that it is impossible to live like this.

Do not touch the people whom Scripture calls the righteous. Can't you see the difference between them. She is colossal!
And if the righteous committed a sin, for example, like David, then Scripture directly and frankly evaluates such an act as a crime. God has no partiality. Holy Scripture is an honest book. If some act of the saint does not seem plausible to you, then do not rush to conclusions.
If Scripture doesn't directly and unequivocally condemn, don't condemn either. Don't be drunk with emotion.
Read serious books about the culture and customs of the time. …Learn from God. See how the Judge of all the earth reasons, giving us a lesson: “I will go down and see if they do exactly as the cry against them ascends to Me, or not; I will know” (Gen. 18:21)
In jurisprudence, there is such a thing as the “presumption of innocence”. ("Presumed" - that is, assumed.) Everyone accused of committing a crime is considered innocent until his guilt is proven in court. Irremovable doubts about the guilt of a person are interpreted in favor of the accused.

Do not rush to blame the righteous if their actions are not yet clear to you. If Scripture (God) does not clearly and unequivocally condemn any act that at first glance seems not good to you, then do not condemn either. God is the judge or you?!
Otherwise, we become smarter than God…”

One choice, two completely different stories. The uncle shows humility towards his nephew - an unheard-of behavior for the harsh Old Testament times. Abraham, in order to avoid disagreements, cedes the best lands to Lot. The name of one of the cities where Lot pitched his tents is Sodom. It became a household name. Sodom was a flourishing and rich city. Its inhabitants did not need anything. Abraham went in the opposite direction from Sodom. And became great through the ages. How does this story repeat itself over and over again today? What does a carefree life, spiritual deafness and the desire to get everything from life lead to? Archpriest Oleg Stenyaev discusses the relevance and topicality of the Old Testament episode from the Book of Genesis.

“And Lot, who walked with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. And the land was not large enough for them to live together, for their property was so great that they could not live together. And there was a dispute between the shepherds of Abram's cattle and between the shepherds of Lot's cattle; and the Canaanites and Perizzites dwelt then in that land. And Abram said to Lot, Let there be no strife between me and you, and between my shepherds and your shepherds, for we are kindred; Is not the whole earth before you? separate yourself from me: if you are to the left, then I am to the right; and if you are to the right, then I am to the left.

Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the region around the Jordan, that before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, it was watered all the way to Sigor, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt; and Lot chose for himself all the region around the Jordan; and Lot moved towards the east. And they separated from each other.

Abram began to live in the land of Canaan; and Lot began to live in the cities of the region and pitched his tents as far as Sodom. The inhabitants of Sodom were evil and very sinful before the Lord.

(Gen. 13:5–13)

It is said that the land was not large enough for the people of Abraham and for the people of Lot. There were a lot of them. Abraham's household and Lot's household. Abraham's servants and Lot's servants. Evidence that God blessed not only the house of Abraham, but also the house of Lot, which was then in unity with the house of Abraham. And later, after Lot had separated from Abraham, Lot's economy was impoverished, and he leaves Sodom and Gomorrah with only a small family - with him his wife and two daughters, and no one else.

When Lot chose for himself the land in which he would live, Abraham gave him the right to decide where to go, saying: “Choose which one is for you. You go right, I go left. You go left, I go right." Now, Lot chose with carnal eyes. He saw the land of Sodom and Gomorrah. And, as the Bible says, for him it was like the garden of the Lord. Like heaven! That is how he valued these lands. But soon, after a while, paradise turned into hell. This is happening now.

Many of my friends left for America, some for Western Europe. In the first letters they wrote: we live in paradise, we have everything. But after a while, heaven turned into hell. And in the letters there was a cry: “What to do? Everything here is on credit. And if I don't pay it on time, everything will be taken away from me. Even the water from the pool is pumped out and taken away. The lawn will be rolled up and taken away…” And even: “They can take my children away from me.”

Paradise turns out to be hell - if we evaluate what is heaven and what is hell, based on purely carnal criteria

Very often, heaven turns out to be hell - if we evaluate what hell is and what hell is, based on purely carnal criteria, worldly understanding. And a person should be careful in his assessments of the surrounding reality and reality. Especially in our time. Because what we seems good and favorable, maybe not so in reality. Maybe behind a bright facade to hide the black essence.

Yes, Lot and his family did not learn the "habits" of the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, did not perform their "feats". And they were saved, leaving Sodom. But were they saved? And did they really leave Sodom?

Sodom already lived in their hearts. turned around to gloat that the city was dying, but she was alive. For this, God punished her: she also died. And Lot did not escape the fate of Sodom, as he thought. Because it was Sodom who pushed his daughters so that, having drunk their father with wine, debauchery with him, committed the sin of incest.

Staying in Sodom will not be without consequences

Staying in Sodom will not be without consequences. You can’t just leave it and then live, believing that everything is in order. So you think that - to Europe, to America, you will earn money there, you will return to Russia and live happily ever after. Not! This will not happen without losses. There will definitely be some losses, difficulties - and first of all, these difficulties will hit our children. And sometimes it hurts a lot. In one family I know, who lived in America for a long time, then they simply suffered with a child. He spoke Russian with an accent, all his vital interests changed. They took the child to the old man. And the elder said: this child should be sent for reprimand!

Let's remember the Bible lessons.

Hello, dear Rabbi Ovadia Klimovsky! Peace be upon you and God's guidance!!! I recently read from the Torah the story of the daughters of Lot, and of course, many questions arise. For example, an act that was done with a father is not worthy of encouragement, but of condemnation.

The comment of the sages is amazing: “R. Khiya bar Avin, said r. Yehoshua ben Karha: “Let a person always hasten to fulfill the commandment. So, for example, because of one night, by which the eldest was ahead of the youngest, the offspring of the eldest (i.e. Ruth) - was honored to start the royal family four generations earlier than the youngest (Naama - the wife of Shlomo ”».

Why do the wise men not only not condemn the act of Lot's daughters here, but also count it to them as a commandment? And as far as I understand, the wise men sometimes do not agree, there are significant disagreements. But what about non-wise people who should listen to the words of their elders? It's not true. After all, there SHOULD BE a single measure from which to build off!!! Otherwise, people will do what they think is right. How to know which opinion of the sages is correct and which is not? Thank you in advance for your answer.

Answered by Rav Ovadia Klimovsky

Hello dear Eugene! Thank you very much for your kind wishes and an interesting question, which we will divide into two parts for convenience.

1. About the daughters of Lot. First of all, let's decide from what point of view we are going to consider their act. If from the point of view of relativistic "universal" morality, then there is no question at all - did they harm anyone?

But if you look from the point of view of the Torah, then you should check two aspects: what exactly was done (in this case, some commandment was fulfilled or some prohibition was violated) and - which is always very significant, and especially in the light of your question - what action motivation.

So, first. Rabenu Behaya writes that in those days there was no prohibition on the relationship between a daughter and a father. Therefore, formally, the daughters of Lot did not violate anything. And they explained their intentions clearly - both believed that there was no one left in the world except them and their father, and therefore they had the duty to preserve the human race.

However, there are other sayings of the sages about this story, less positive. For example, several collections of midrashim, speaking about the events in the desert at the end of the stay of the people of Israel there, quote the words of the sages about the eldest daughter: “She started this debauchery.” (This is how the sages explain the Creator's stricter attitude towards Moab than towards Ammon.) In addition, according to tradition, the reason that shortly after this incident Abraham left these places, going south, was a desire to get away from the shame that Lot and his daughters brought on the family. From this we can conclude that already in those days the descendants of Noah voluntarily renounced incestuous relations, and therefore the act of the daughters of Lot did not honor them among the nations.

But here it is necessary to explain why the sages call it depravity, if the girls were guided by altruistic considerations, as mentioned in the gmara you cited. Perhaps in this case there is no dispute between the sages. The fact is that our intentions when committing various actions are far from always unambiguous. We often do not know about some motives. Perhaps something similar is at stake in our history: certainly, the main intention of the daughters of Lot was the salvation of the world. Otherwise, it would be impossible to set their act as an example to anyone. But the wise men also revealed to us the deeper layers of the consciousness of the daughters of Lot - at the same time they were going to enjoy what they had done, and this is already wrong, because in a normal situation such an attitude is unacceptable. Therefore, the eldest daughter, who did not try to "rebuild" from the forbidden pleasure, deserved such an unflattering review in other midrashim.

2. Now about the disagreements of the sages. This is a very subtle topic, but our approach can be briefly formulated as follows: “The Almighty does not tyrannize his creatures” (Avoda Zara 3a), that is, he does not demand from them the impossible. If we have an obligation to obey the sages, this means that there is a rule in the Torah that determines exactly whom to listen to in case of disagreement.

And we find this rule where the Torah speaks of legal proceedings. In particular, she writes: “… bow down after the majority” (Shemot 23:2). When the Sanhedrin functioned without interference, all questions of the Law were decided in this way - by voting. Of course, after a detailed comprehensive discussion, without politics and pressure, the authority ohm. Until the decision is made, everyone is free to do as his teachers of the Law say, if, of course, they have the right to be called such.

This is in addition to the fact that there are initially different ways of serving the Almighty, equally legitimate and recognized by all. After all, we note in the end, and the disagreements of the sages, as a rule, only demonstrate the depth and diversity of the Torah (as the sages said: the Torah has 70 “faces”, faces). Each sage, in accordance with the turn of his soul, can see a special facet in the Torah, and the words of both arguing (even if in practice their opinions are mutually exclusive) can equally reflect the light of the multifaceted crystal of Divine wisdom.

The whole dispute often comes down to just what kind of opinion should serve as a practical guide here in the material world. This is set using the above rules.

Question: "Why such a pious person as Lot drank for more than one day, so much so that he managed to sleep with his own daughters? After all, in essence of the whole scripture, such a person already strengthened in faith could not afford such a thing!"

The story of Lot contains many lessons, but in connection with your question, we will focus on only two.

One of these lessons is that the righteous shall live by faith, and not by the works of his righteousness. The righteous is not the one who does everything absolutely right, but the one who believes in God and walks with God according to the extent of the light revealed to him. God saves a person not for the deeds of righteousness that he does for the glory of God, but for FAITH in His word.

Among the corrupted inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot was the only person who still somehow remembered the True God, and therefore his actions, which became a continuation of his faith, turned out to be correct.

Lot was the only person in the city who called strangers to his house, thereby calling salvation to his house.

Lot was the only one of all his relatives who believed the Word of God and therefore was saved.

See? Lot was saved not because he was absolutely righteous, but because he believed the Word of God, which in his case sounded like this: "Who else do you have here? son-in-law, whether your sons, whether your daughters, and whoever you have in the city, bring everyone out of this place, for we will destroy this place, because the cry is great against its inhabitants to the Lord, and the Lord sent us to destroy it ” (). It was not for righteousness that Lot was led out of the city destined for destruction, but because of his faith in the Word of God.

It is precisely because of his faith that Scripture calls Lot a righteous man. By the way, pay attention to the fact that after the Scripture called Abraham righteous, he fell several times, re-read the story of David, and you will definitely see that this righteous man of God also fell more than once, and not only them ... Of course, it does not mean that God approved of their falls, their unrighteous thoughts and wrong behavior, God will never approve of sin. However, God loves a person and, knowing his weak, nasty nature, saves a person not because of his (her) righteousness, but simply because a person believes His word and desires the fulfillment of His word in his life.

Another lesson we see in Lot's story is that we should not be deceived: bad communities indeed corrupt good morals (). When Lot separated from Abram to live in a fertile and beautiful land, he did not pay much attention to the fact that the people among whom he would have to live were very, very inclined to evil.

“Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the region around the Jordan, that it ... all the way to Sigor was watered with water, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt; and Lot chose for himself all the region around the Jordan; and Lot moved towards the east. ... Lot began to live in the cities of the surrounding area and pitched his tents to Sodom. The inhabitants of Sodom were evil and very sinful before the Lord» ().

Being a man who knew the True God through his uncle Abram, Lot still decided that he could keep this knowledge alive by living in the midst of impurity and depravity. However, he was mistaken, and although in his God-believing soul, he was constantly tormented by what was happening in Sodom and Gomorrah, he managed to cling to the outward comfort of that life with his heart so much that he managed to cling to many sins of this “comfort”. Lot just wasn't "strong in faith" as you say about him. He was a man losing his faith... and had it not been for the strangers who literally took his hand () and brought their cities out, Lot would have perished just like the rest of the inhabitants of those cities. Out of His mercy, the Lord came with punishment to the foundations of corrupt cities before the last rays of Lot's faith (righteousness) were swallowed up by the darkness of worldly comfort. Had the Lord lingered for a while, and Lot would have completely assimilated into the environment to which he clung ... and there would be no one to save. This is why the warning to end-time believers sounds so serious:

“Do not bow under the yoke of others with the unbelievers, for what fellowship is there between righteousness and iniquity? What does light have in common with darkness? What agreement is there between Christ and Belial? Or what is the partnership of the faithful with the unbelievers? What is the compatibility of the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God, as God said: I will dwell in them and walk [in them]; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And that's why come out from among them and separate yourself, says the Lord, and do not touch the unclean; and I will receive you. And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty "().

“And I heard another voice from heaven, saying: come out from her, my people, so that you do not share in her sins and suffer from her plagues; for her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.

Yes, the minds of Lot and his daughters were perverted. Coming out of the physical destruction that befell Sodom and Gomorrah, they came out with a nasty legacy that didn't fail to manifest itself. Lot could not deny himself the joy of alcohol intoxication, and his daughters could not deny themselves the desire to be mothers at all costs. Life in the midst of debauchery and lawlessness never contributes to the growth of righteousness.

Sad story? Yes. It is also sad that the children born of this unnatural union became the fathers of peoples who constantly resisted God and His saving will. The Bible is worthy of trust because it does not hide from us the truth about what we all really are, about how terribly greedy our nature is for evil, how easily it clings to it, and how difficult it is for a person who believes in the One True God, unstick from evil and begin to walk in the ways of good. Therefore, let's study the lessons from the life of our forefathers so as not to repeat them in our lives.

Sincerely,
Sasha.

When Lot settled in Sodom, he intended to decisively protect himself from iniquity and command this to his house after him. But he was gravely mistaken. The perverse environment had a detrimental effect on his own faith, and the association of his children with the inhabitants of Sodom led to the emergence of common interests. We know the consequences of all this.

Many people still make the same mistake. When choosing a place of residence, they take into account temporary advantages rather than the moral and social atmosphere in which they will have to live. They choose a beautiful fertile place, or go to some prosperous city in the hope of getting rich; but temptations surround their children, who, as often happens, make such acquaintances that are most unfavorably reflected in the development of religious feelings and the formation of character.

The atmosphere of unbridled immorality of unbelief, indifference to religious issues nullifies the influence of parents. Before the eyes of youth there is always an example of rebellion against parental and divine authority. Many enter into intimate relations with the wicked, and consequently throw their lot into the hands of the enemies of God.

God wants us to consider first of all the moral and religious influence that our family will experience in choosing where to live. We may be in a critical situation, for many cannot have the environment we would like, but if duty calls us, God will help us to remain spotless, if only we will watch and pray, relying on the grace of Christ. But unnecessarily we must not expose ourselves to such influences as may adversely affect the development of our Christian character.

If we are voluntarily in the company of the godless, then we grieve God and drive the holy angels out of our homes. Those who provide their children with earthly wealth and worldly honor at the cost of eternal interests will later realize that these gains have turned out to be a terrible loss. Like Lot, many will see their children lost and themselves barely saved. Their life's work is lost, their life is a sad failure. If they had acted truly prudently, then although their children would have had less earthly goods, there would have been confidence in an immortal inheritance.

The inheritance promised by God to His people does not exist on this earth. Abraham had no wealth in this world: "And he did not give him an inheritance on her, not even a foot" (). He possessed a huge fortune, but he used it for the glory of God and for the benefit of his compatriots. But he did not consider this land his homeland. ( , chapter 14)

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What prompted you to write this article? The fact is that this was not the first time I had to read an insulting note in relation to one of the Biblical righteous. This time, the righteous Lot became the object of attacks from the side of another impudent-tongued “wise guy”. Moreover, the bones of this righteous man undertook to wash, not some pagan, but a man who calls himself a Christian, and he did this, guided by the Bible.
Before, I had heard damning sermons based on Pharisaic logic directed not only at Lot. Christians who did not shine with their minds (although they probably really wanted to “shine”), “digged into the linen” of Abraham, looking for his unbelief! They stuck out their tongue against Jacob, the grandson of Abraham. Noah got it, and Moses, and Samson. Even the apostles Peter and Paul got it! Moreover, you often hear these bold sermons from the lips of seminarians, all of whose literacy is Greek with a dictionary.
These unfortunate preachers, whose reasoning is based mainly on emotions and ignorance, humiliated the memory of people whom the Scripture calls - RIGHTEOUS! The good memory of which people kept and passed from mouth to mouth, from generation to generation. Their names are not blacklisted in the book of books, but inscribed in the Holy Scriptures in golden letters.

“They look for lies, make investigation after investigation”

Before I start talking about Lot, it is worth touching on such a topic as respect for elders. This theme runs like a red thread through almost the entire Bible. Respect for elders is the basics! This is the foundation, relying on which you can properly build relationships in the family, in society, and, most importantly, with God. It is He who wants us to revere Him, who gave the commandments to respect the elders, since the oldest in this chain is He Himself. And is it really necessary to treat only the living with respect? And to the memory of the righteous who have left this life?

Lot went with him

We find the first mention of Lot on the pages of Holy Scripture, which tells us about Abram, who intends to go to an unknown land for him, obeying the voice of God. In general, when it comes to Lot, one involuntarily has to mention Abram as well. Lot and Abram are relatives. Lot is the son of Aaran and the nephew of Abraham. Abraham is Lot's uncle. The fates of these people are connected. They are connected not only by blood ties, but also by something more:
“And the Lord said to Abram, Get out of your country, out of your kindred, and out of your father's house, to a land that I will show you;
And Abram went as the Lord told him” (Gen. 12:1-4).
God spoke to Abram and commands him to leave his land, from his kinship and go to a land completely unknown to him. Abram obeys Him by faith. Abram was a living person, and various thoughts and experiences raced through his mind. What will be the path? Where is this land? What are the customs of the tribes living there? After all, this journey was fraught with danger.
This narrative is followed by lines that speak of our hero: “and Lot went with him” (Gen. 12:4).
Obviously, Abram told Lot about the command of God. Lot deliberately followed Abram. But he could have stayed. God personally did not say anything to him (there was no special invitation). But Lot decided to follow with Abram to an unknown land, not embarrassed by the danger of the path, rather than remain with pagan kinship. Several millennia later, the apostle Paul wrote the following lines about the followers of Jesus: “walking in the footsteps of the faith of our father Abram” (Rom. 4:12). Now, the first of these followers was Lot. He did not stay in his homeland, but preferred to be a wanderer and a stranger with Abram.

“The inhabitants of Sodom were evil and very sinful before the Lord”

Abram and Lot wander through the promised land. Famine sets in and Abram has to go to Egypt. The Egyptians did not shine with good morals, they took away Abram's wife. Lot was in Egypt with Abram, and he saw how God stood up for the righteous Abram: “But the Lord smote with heavy blows Pharaoh and his house for Sarai the wife of Abram” (Gen. 12:17) I think he remembered this lesson, the essence of which was that God does not leave friends in trouble.
After this event, a story follows that tells us about the dispute that arose between the shepherds of Abraham and Lot. Note that the dispute was not between Abraham and Lot. Abraham, as the elder, takes the initiative and invites Lot to separate from him: “Is not the whole earth before you? separate yourself from me: if you are to the left, then I am to the right; and if you are to the right, then I am to the left. (Gen. 13:9)
Lot chose the Jordan region. For this choice, Lot is groundlessly reproached by some critics: “Lot sought to get rich! He was driven by the spirit of profit!” But let me! Abraham, was he from the poor ten? What is the fault of Lot, to whom Abraham, his uncle, offers the right to choose. If Lot had chosen the other side, then Abraham would have been in his place.
Lot's accusers, who consider him unspiritual, love to quote lines of Scripture that seem to confirm their accusatory fervor: “The inhabitants of Sodom were evil and very sinful before the Lord” (Gen. 13:13) That is, Lot knew about this, but being driven by the spirit of gain, he nevertheless chose this area. In this regard, I have a simple question: were the inhabitants of Egypt who took Sarah from Abram very righteous? Or maybe the inhabitants of the Philistines were distinguished by a good disposition when they had views of Rebekah? All the tribes among which Abraham wandered were subsequently destroyed by God. They were all "very sinful" and very immoral.

Then Lot has an accident. During the war between the pagan kings, he will be captured: And they took Lot, Abram's nephew, who lived in Sodom, and his property, and departed. (Gen. 14:12) On the basis of which our “investigators for especially important cases”, guided by the apparently primitive template of the “prosperity gospel”, say something like this: “he went where he didn’t need to, that’s why trouble happened to him.”
But what exactly is Lot's sin? That he was robbed and taken prisoner? Now, if he robbed someone, then we can talk about his sin (at the same time, it would not be superfluous to recall how Abraham's great-grandson, Joseph, was also captured. Is he also guilty?)
Abram, having learned about what had happened, rescued Lot, just as God rescued Abraham when his wife was taken from him. This bold act of Abram speaks eloquently of his friendship and spiritual intimacy with Lot.

"Will the Judge of all the earth act unjustly?"

Before we begin to comprehend the events that happened to Lot in Sodom, let's remember what preceded this. And preceded the burning of cities, the conversation of God and Abraham. Abraham says: “It cannot be that You did so that You would destroy the righteous with the wicked, so that it would be the same with the righteous as with the wicked; can't be from you! Will the Judge of all the earth do wrong? (Gen. 18:25)
For whom does the chosen one of God intercede? Whom does he call the RIGHTEOUS, separating him from the wicked? Abraham clearly cares about Lot and his family. After all, he knew that his pious nephew lives precisely in Sodom.
When two angels came to the city, and Lot did not know who they were, he acts like a true righteous man. He hospitably invites them to spend the night in his house. When they do not agree, he still persuades them, knowing what trouble can happen to them. The Apostolic Letter to the Hebrews contains the following lines: “Do not forget hospitality, for through it some, not knowing, showed hospitality to angels” (Heb. 13:2). For some reason, in this case, they usually remember only the story of Abraham. But why? For it is written here: "some". Some are at least two, not one. Lot treats the angels, not knowing who they are, just as hospitably as Abraham.
Moreover, when the Sodomites approach his house with criminal intent, Lot is ready to sacrifice his daughters rather than betray the guests. (Do not rush to condemn Lot for these words about your daughters. It is difficult for us from the 21st century, with our emancipation, to understand the culture of that time. The life and honor of a man was then valued much higher than the honor of a woman. Remember the actions of Abraham and Isaac, in relation to their When Sarah is taken away from Abraham, he prays, and when Lot is taken prisoner, Abraham immediately gathers a detachment, arms the people, and fearlessly attacks the army of several kings.)
But that's not all. Lot courageously risks himself for the sake of his guests. At the same time, pay attention to the speech of the citizens of Sodom! They call it: "stranger" (Gen 19:9). Lot has always been a stranger to them.
The Apostle Peter, recalling these events, wrote: “For this righteous man, living among them, daily agonized in a righteous soul, seeing and hearing lawless deeds” (2 Pet. 2:8). Righteous Lot is an example for us to follow. We, like him, are surrounded by sinners: in the family, at work, in society. And there is no place on earth where we Christians could move and get rid of them. And what happened next to Sodom, where Lot lived, is not a punishment for Lot, but a salvation. Yes, yes, precisely by SALVING him from the wicked:
“For if God ... the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, having condemned to destruction, turned into ashes, setting an example for the future wicked, and the righteous Lot, weary of the conversion between violently depraved people, DELIVERED ... then, of course, the Lord knows how to deliver the pious from temptation. » (2 Peter 4:9)
By destroying Sodom, God thus delivered and saved the righteous Lot from the depraved Sodomites, although the way of salvation was quite original, as in the case of the righteous Noah. However, God does what he wants and how he wants, and does not report to anyone about this.

"save your soul"

When Lot was already outside Sodom, he asks for the right to run not to the mountain where the angels pointed him, but to the small nearby city of Segor. Just look at what God's answer is to this request of the righteous: “And he said to him, Behold, I will do this also to please you; I will not overthrow the city of which you speak” (Gen. 19:21). For the sake of the righteous Lot, God does not destroy the city in which Lot wanted to receive shelter. The Creator would not stand on ceremony with the wicked.
After the burning of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot did not stay in the city of Segor. Apparently he was afraid that the same fate would befall this city, since the manners of the inhabitants of this city, apparently, were similar to the manners of the Sodomites.
“And Lot went out of Segor and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him, for he was afraid to dwell in Segor. And he dwelt in a cave, and with him his two daughters” (Gen. 19:30).
Further, an event happened to Lot, for which many people condemn him and, starting from this condemnation, they begin with the suspicion of a biased investigator, to look for knots and hitches in Lot's previous life: “That's what I've come to! But it started small!”
So, what… Lot withdrew from the city of Sigor, believing that Hiroshima would be followed by Nagasaki. He fears that the wrath of God may soon fall upon this city as well. His fears were not unfounded. His two daughters also knew about it. Here are the reasonings of his daughters: “And the older one said to the younger one: Our father is old, and there is no man on earth who would come in to us according to the custom of all the earth.” (Gen. 19:31)
The adult daughters of Lot sincerely thought that there were no men left on earth except their father. They care about the continuation of the human race. You say: "But God did not burn the whole earth, but only a few cities." And how could they know that! Add to this the scale of the disaster. They haven't recovered from the shock yet. They had a memory of the flood in the days of Noah, when Noah and his family were left. And here is a similar situation. Only the flood is fiery.
Daughters are in a hurry "our father is old". They have the idea of ​​procreation. From whom? Only from a man. Of all the men, in their opinion, only their father remained. Therefore, they decide on a well-known act, having previously given their father a good drink of wine. For what? Because sober, Lot obviously would not have done this. You ask: "why did he drink wine?" People have always drunk wine. Prohibition was not introduced even by Moses in his strict legislation. Yes, and Lot, clearly did not suspect the intentions of his daughters. If we take into account all these nuances and take into account the psychological state in which they were, then I personally have no complaints about Lot.

“So it will be on the day when the Son of Man appears”

This concludes the story of Lot in Genesis. And then his name reminds us and not only us of Jesus Christ. When Jesus was asked: “What is the sign of your coming and the end of the age?”, then He recalls two events from ancient times. The Messiah of Israel recalls the events that everyone knew about. These events are the flood in the days of Noah and the burning of Sodom in the days of Lot.
“And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the Son of Man:
they ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
Just as it was in the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built;
but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all; so it will be on the day when the Son of Man appears” (Luke 17:26-31).
Both in the first and in the second case, the same picture is observed. On the one hand - the death of sinners, on the other - the salvation of the righteous. For some, anger, for others, mercy. One is death, the other is life. The only difference is that in the first case, God uses water for destruction, and in the second, fire.
Jesus, in the examples he gives, equates the status of Noah and Lot. Lot finds himself on the same saving side next to the righteous Noah. These two pious men are teachers to the whole world. Just as God gave life to Noah and Lot, so God will give salvation and eternal life to all who believe in Jesus. Just as God punished sinners in water and fire, so all those who do not believe in the Gospel will reap death.

“I will go down and see if they are doing exactly what the cry against them is going up to Me, or not; recognize"

In conclusion, I will give one piece of advice to beginning preachers. If you decide to expose someone's sin, and you need a living example from the Bible. In this case, there are enough characters from the “black list” in Scripture. Criticize Cain, rebuke Eli and his sons, wash Saul's bones. There are enough defendants in Scripture who have shown with their lives that it is impossible to live like this.
Do not touch the people whom Scripture calls the righteous. Can't you see the difference between them? She is colossal! And if the righteous committed a sin, for example, like David, then Scripture directly and frankly evaluates such an act as a crime. God has no partiality. Holy Scripture is an honest book. If some act of the saint does not seem plausible to you, then do not rush to conclusions. If Scripture doesn't directly and unequivocally condemn, don't condemn either. Don't be drunk with emotion. Read serious books about the culture and customs of the time. An educated preacher is better than an uneducated one. Learn from God. See how the Judge of all the earth speaks, giving us a lesson: “I will go down and see if they are doing exactly what the cry against them is going up to Me, or not; I will know” (Gen. 18:21)
In jurisprudence, there is such a thing as the “presumption of innocence”. ("Presumed" - that is, assumed.) Anyone accused of a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Irremovable doubts about the guilt of a person are interpreted in favor of the accused.
Do not rush to blame the righteous if their actions are not yet clear to you. If Scripture (God) does not clearly and unequivocally condemn any act that at first glance seems not good to you, then do not condemn you either. God is the judge or you?! If the football referee doesn't blow the whistle, you never know what the fan might think of on TV. And if sports judges sometimes make mistakes, then God - NEVER!
Remember the story when David counted the people of Israel. If Scripture had not condemned his actions, then we would not even have guessed that David did something objectionable in the eyes of God. Well, I counted ... so what? What's bad about it? However, according to the reaction of the Lord, reflected in the Scriptures, we understood that David did not do well. In the same way, we need to reason in the case when it seems to us that the act of a biblical character is not good, from our point of view. We have to look at the reaction of the Judge. If God does not condemn, then everything is fine. If the Heavenly Arbiter does not blow the whistle, then there is no violation of the rules. As the ancient Romans said, "silence is a sign of consent." Otherwise, we become smarter than God.

BRING TO THE RIGHTEOUS! JOIN FOR THEM! BE GRATEFUL!