Lot certainly has a sad history.  He was Abraham’s nephew (Genesis 12:5) and went with Abraham when he left his country to follow the Lord to another country.  When both of their flocks became too big for the land they occupied, Abraham offered Lot the choice of where he wanted to dwell with his flocks, herds, and tents.  Lot, as most of us know, chose to live in a land overlooking Sodom and Gomorrah. (Genesis 13:5-11).

We can trace Lot’s migration towards Sodom.  First, we see he “pitched his tent toward Sodom.” (Verse 12).  From his position, he could see Sodom and that, “…the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.” (Verse 13).  Lot was attracted to that wild lifestyle, and we next see that Lot “…dwelt in Sodom.” (Genesis 14:12).  We later see that “Lot sat in the gate of Sodom.” (Genesis 19:1).  This means that Lot had attained some prominence in Sodom and was one of its rulers.  Lot’s heart was manifested by his actions.  He ‘pitched his tent towards Sodom, then he ‘dwelt in Sodom’, and eventually he ‘sat in the gate of Sodom.’  Oh, may we be so careful where we cast our eyes.  The more we gaze upon the ongoing sin around us, the more our hearts will be drawn to it.  May we have an undivided heart for the Lord and fix our gaze upon Him!

The Lord determined to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of their grievous sin.  We read in Jude 7, “Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”  Fornication and homosexuality ran rampant, and the Lord decided to destroy these cities.  However, before his act of judgment, He sent two angels in the form of men to rescue Lot and his family and spare their lives.  Sadly enough, Lot and his family had to be taken by the hand and led out of the city.  Genesis 19:16 says, “And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.”  Lot’s wife, with her heart still in the city, turned back and was turned into a pillar of salt. (Verse 26).  I encourage you to read Genesis 19 to get all the details.

Genesis 19:30-28 tell us of Lot sleeping with his daughters.  The daughters, fearing they would not have any offspring, encouraged Lot to drink until he was drunk, and both of his daughters had sex with him while he was in his drunken stupor.  They both became pregnant by their dad and had two sons, Moab and Ben-ammi.  The descendants of these two became the Moabites and the Ammonites, great enemies of the nation of Israel.  We can see how such a lurid act produced such a source of contention for the Lord’s people, even as our acts of sin often bring great consequences we must deal with.

Lot’s history ends in shame. Moab and Ammon, produced by acts of wickedness, have a history of evil and shame.  The record of Lot ends here.  No record is given of his death or the death of his daughters. 

We cannot end our study of Lot here, for he is mentioned in the New Testament.  We read in 2 Peter 2:6-7, “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.” (NKJV).  “Righteous Lot!”  The Lord declares that, although Lot was so affected by the filthy conduct of those around him, was indeed a saved man.  Without this statement, we would have thought that surely Lot was not a saved man…yet the Lord reveals to us that he was saved.  Although most of his life was spent in indulging of sin, and his life ended in shame…Lot was a saved man.  Surely, we learn from this that, “The Lord knoweth them that are his.” (2 Timothy 2:19).  1 Samuel 16:7 tells us, “…the LORD looketh on the heart.”  In spite of our behavior, the Lord knows if we are truly saved or not.  He sees your heart even as he sees mine.  He knows His own.  He knows if you truly believe on Him.  (CC)  (501.4)