Lot

Lot was Abraham’s nephew and the ancestor of the Moabites and Ammonites. Like Abraham, Lot was born in Ur and traveled with Terah to Haran (Genesis 11:27–32). After Terah died, Lot joined Abraham on the journey to Canaan and Egypt.

When Lot and Abraham returned from Egypt to Canaan, their flocks and herds became too large for them to live together. So, Abraham allowed Lot to choose land for himself. Lot chose the fertile plain of the Jordan, which was like "the garden of the LORD" (Genesis 13:10). Eventually, he settled in Sodom. Lot's growing involvement with the corrupt cities of the plain weakened his moral values.

While Lot lived in Sodom, four Mesopotamian kings defeated the kings of five nearby towns. They stole things from the towns they had defeated and took Lot, his family, and his possessions (Genesis 14:1–12). When Abraham heard about this, he led a an attack against the invaders and rescued the prisoners and property (Genesis 14:13–16).

Due to the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah, God decided to destroy these cities. He sent two angels to Lot in Sodom to urge him to leave the city that was about to be destroyed (Genesis 19:1–15). The city's evil was clear when there was an attempted attack on the visitors. Lot's offer to sacrifice his daughters and his hesitation to leave showed his moral decline. Only his immediate family left with him, and his wife was destroyed when she disobeyed by looking back.

After Sodom's destruction, Lot's daughters, worried about not having husbands, made Lot drunk to have children with him. Their sons, Moab and Ben-ammi, became ancestors of the Moabites and Ammonites (Genesis 19:30–38). These two nations that became constant enemies of Israel (see Deuteronomy 23:3–6). Despite Lot's actions, Peter describes Lot as a “righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard” (see 2 Peter 2:6–9). This view of Lot may come from Jewish tradition, as it is hard to see in the Genesis story.

Passages for Further Study

Genesis 11:27, 31; 12:4–5; 13:1–14; 14:12–16; 19:1–38; Deuteronomy 2:9, 17–19; Psalm 83:4–8; Luke 17:28–33; 2 Peter 2:6–9