“and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless” (2 Peter 2:7 NIV).
It’s relatively easy to trace Lot’s path as he ascended to a leadership role within the city of Sodom. Nevertheless, Lot was eventually reduced to living in a cave, along with the last two surviving members of his family. So what led to that dramatic fall? Well, the immediate answer to that question involves God’s destruction of Sodom. However, we can also say that Lot’s undoing resulted from a series of small decisions that ultimately led to some tragic results.
But those negative repercussions were far from over, for we’re about to see an example of the family values that Lot’s daughters acquired while living in Sodom…
“Later the older daughter said to the younger, ‘Our father is old, and there is no man in the country to sleep with us, the way everyone does'” (Genesis 19:31 NET).
So it seems that life inside a cave prompted Lot’s oldest daughter to conclude that her prospects for marriage were limited at best. Unfortunately, it also appears that Lot’s daughter never thought to seek God or ask for His provision to solve her dilemma. That led to a decision that clearly reflected her exposure to Sodom’s cultural influence…
“‘Come, let’s get him drunk with wine, and then we will have sex with him. That way we will preserve our family line through our father.’ So that night they got him drunk with wine, and the older daughter went in and had intercourse with her father. He was unaware of her lying down or getting up again” (Genesis 19:31-33 NLT).
Before we continue, we should remember that Lot and his daughters had suffered the loss of their home and possessions. While we might assume that this family was left with virtually nothing, that assumption isn’t entirely accurate. While their resources may have been limited, it seems they did have enough alcohol on hand to get one of them drunk. That may be indicative of the poor quality of the local water, or it may offer a glimpse into their priorities and what they deemed important.
Nevertheless, the fact that Lot’s daughter had to get him intoxicated implies that she knew he would never willingly consent to a sexual encounter with her. Even though the prohibition against incestuous relationships didn’t come into effect until later, Lot was apparently aware that such relationships were wrong before God.
As for Lot’s daughter, her conduct can be attributed to the moral values that were instilled in her during her formative years in Sodom. Perhaps this is why the New Testament book of 1 Corinthians reminds us, “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character'” (1 Corinthians 15:33).