Righteous lot. Why did such a pious man like Lot behave so badly? Lot and his daughters interpretation

"Lot and His Daughters." Goltzius Hendrik, 1616.

It may seem surprising, but the plot of such controversial works of art is taken from oldest parts Christian Bible - Old Testament.

The Book of Genesis (the first book of the Bible) tells the following story:

One day, two angels came to the righteous old man Lot to check whether such great sins and indecency were really happening in the city of Sodom, as they say.

The angels wanted to stay on the street, but the elder invited them to his home and very hospitably begged them to spend the night under the roof, and not in the open air. But as soon as the guests were ready to go to rest, the inhabitants of the notorious Sodom gathered at Lot’s house and began to demand to hand over the guests so that the Sodomites could “know” them.

To the great dissatisfaction of the residents, the elder refused their request and did not allow them to do indecency with the guests, but offered in return his two innocent daughters so that the townspeople could satisfy their lust and do whatever they pleased with them.

Of course, in the modern world such “courtesy” looks extremely strange and even disgusting, but we should not forget that in Old Testament times people had slightly different views.

However, the residents of Sodom did not like the idea of ​​daughters and began to threaten the old man himself. But the angels blinded the angry residents, and Lot was ordered to urgently flee the city with his family.

The fate of Sodom itself was already predetermined.

As a result, the elder, his wife and two daughters were able to escape from the sinful city. The angels told them to run up the mountain and not look back. But Lot’s wife disobeyed the angels, turned around and immediately turned into a pillar of salt.

Some time after the miraculous rescue, Lot and his daughters settled in a cave under the mountain.

And perhaps this story would have ended quite happily if his daughters had not decided that all the other people in the world had died.

Having accepted this error as a great mission, they planned to make their father drink wine, seduce him, commit incest and produce descendants from him in order to save the human race.

The plan was a success. The eldest gave birth to a son, Moab, considered the ancestor of all the Moabites, and the youngest gave birth to Ben-Ammi, the ancestor of the Ammonites.

It is noteworthy that the act of Lot and his daughters is not considered so sinful.

As a rule, the Church interpreted this event as a “misconception with good intentions” (which is strange from a modern point of view, to put it mildly) and the story itself was especially popular among both the clergy and ordinary believers.

It is not surprising that since the Renaissance, the exciting story about Lot and his daughters has become one of the most popular themes in painting, as it made it possible to create completely godly, frank works based on biblical motives.

It is noteworthy that the customers of world-famous masterpieces were often prominent religious figures.

Question: “Why did such a devout man like Lot drink 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 allow himself to do this!”

Lot's story contains many lessons, but in connection with your question, we will focus on just two.

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

Among the depraved inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot was the only person who somehow still 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 invited strangers to his home, thereby inviting salvation to his home.

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

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

It is precisely because of his faith that Scripture calls Lot righteous. By the way, pay attention to the fact that after 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, this does not mean that God approved of their failures, their unrighteous thoughts and wrong behavior, God will never approve of sin. However, God loves man and, knowing his weak, vile 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 the story of Lot is that we should not be deceived: bad communities really 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 live were very, very prone to evil.

“Lot lifted up his eyes and saw all the surrounding Jordan, that it... all the way to Zoar 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 around and pitched tents as far as Sodom. The inhabitants of Sodom were evil and very sinful before the Lord» ().

Being the man who knew True God Through his uncle Abram, Lot still decided that he could preserve this knowledge while living among uncleanness 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 cleave his heart so closely to the external comfort of that life that he managed to cleave to many of the sins of this “comfort.” Lot was not exactly a “man strong in faith,” as you say about him. He was a man losing his faith... and if not for the strangers who literally took him by the hand () and led them out of their cities, Lot would have died just like the rest of the inhabitants of those cities. Out of His mercy, the Lord came with punishment for the deeply corrupt cities before the last rays of Lot's faith (righteousness) were swallowed up by the darkness of worldly comfort. Had the Lord stayed for some time, Lot would have been completely assimilated into the environment to which he had clung... and there would have been no one to save. This is why the warning to end-time believers sounds so serious:

“Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers, for what fellowship has righteousness with iniquity? What does light have in common with darkness? What agreement is there between Christ and Belial? Or what is the complicity of the faithful with the infidel? What is the relationship between the temple of God and 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 will be My people. And that's why come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord, and do not touch the unclean; and I will receive you. And I will be a Father to you, 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 do not suffer from her plagues; for her sins reached heaven, and God remembered her iniquities” ().

Yes, the consciousness of Lot and his daughters was perverted. Emerging from the physical destruction that befell Sodom and Gomorrah, they emerged with a hideous legacy that did not fail to reveal itself. Lot couldn't deny himself the joy alcohol intoxication, and his daughters could not deny themselves the desire to become mothers at any cost. Living in the midst of depravity and lawlessness never contributes to the growth of righteousness.

Sad story? Yes. It is also sad because the children born from this unnatural union became the fathers of nations 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 our nature is susceptible to evil, how easily it clings to it and how difficult it is for a person who believes in the One True God to detach yourself from evil and begin to walk in the paths of good. Therefore, let us study the lessons from the lives of our forefathers so as not to repeat them in our lives.

Sincerely,
Sasha.

When Lot settled in Sodom, he intended to resolutely protect himself from lawlessness and command this to his house after him. But he was cruelly mistaken. His corrupt surroundings had a detrimental effect on his own faith, and his children's association with the people of Sodom resulted in common interests. We know the consequences of all this.

Many people still make this 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 acquaintances that have the most unfavorable effect on the development of religious feelings and the formation of character.

The atmosphere of unbridled immorality, unbelief, and 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 people join intimate relationships with the wicked, and therefore throw in their lot with the enemies of God.

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

If we voluntarily stay in the company of ungodly people, 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 expense of eternal interests, realize later that these gains have turned out to be a terrible loss. Like Lot, many will see their children lost and themselves barely saved. Their whole life's work is lost, their life is a sad failure. If they had acted truly wisely, then although their children would have fewer earthly blessings, they would have confidence in an immortal inheritance.

The inheritance God promised His people does not exist on this earth. Abraham had no wealth in this world: “And he did not give him an inheritance on it, not even one foot” (). He possessed enormous wealth, but he used it for the glory of God and the good of his countrymen. But he did not consider this land his homeland. ( , chapter 14)

Read more on the topic “Interpretation of Scripture”:

What was the reason for writing this article? The fact is that this is not the first time I had to read an offensive note regarding one of the Biblical righteous. This time, the object of attacks from another bold-tongued “clever” was the righteous Lot. Moreover, it was not some pagan who undertook to wash the bones of this righteous man, but a man who called himself a Christian, and he did this, guided by the Bible.
I had previously heard damning sermons based on Pharisaic logic addressed not only to Lot. Christians, not brilliant in their intelligence (although they probably really wanted to just “shine”), “digged through Abraham’s underwear, looking for his unbelief!” They also stuck out their tongues against Jacob, the grandson of Abraham. Noah, Moses, and Samson got it too. Even the apostles Peter and Paul got it! Moreover, you often hear these daring sermons from the lips of seminarians, whose entire literacy is Greek with a dictionary.
These would-be preachers, whose reasoning is based mainly on emotions and lack of education, humiliated the memory of people whom Scripture calls RIGHTEOUS! The good memory of which people preserved and passed on from mouth to mouth, from generation to generation. Their names are not on the black list in the book of books, but are inscribed in the Holy Scriptures in golden letters.

“They are looking for lies, doing investigation after investigation”

Before I start talking about Lot, it is worth touching on the topic of respect for elders. This theme runs like a red thread throughout almost the entire Bible. Respect for elders is the basics! This is the foundation 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 commandments about respecting elders, since He Himself is the most senior in this chain. And is it really necessary to treat only the living with respect? And to the memory of the righteous who passed away from 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 a land unknown to him, obeying the voice of God. In general, when we talk about Lot, we inevitably have to talk about Abram. Lot and Abram are relatives. Lot is the son of Haran and nephew of Abraham. Abraham is Lot's uncle. The destinies of these people are connected. They are connected not only blood ties, but also something more:
“And the Lord said to Abram, Get thee out of thy country, from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto the land that I will show thee;
And Abram went, as the Lord had told him” (Gen. 12:1-4).
God spoke to Abram and commanded him to leave his land, his family, and go to a land completely unknown to him. Abram obeys Him by faith. Abram was a living person and various thoughts and experiences flashed through his mind. What will be the path? Where is this land? What are the morals of the tribes living there? After all, this journey was fraught with danger.
This narrative is followed by lines talking about our hero: “And Lot went with him” (Gen. 12:4).
It is clear that Abram told Lot about God's command. 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 Abram into an unknown land, not embarrassed by the danger of the path, rather than remain with pagan kinship. Several thousand years later, the Apostle Paul would write the following lines about the followers of Jesus: “following the steps of the faith of our father Abram” (Rom. 4:12). Now, the first of these followers was Lot. He did not remain in his homeland, but chose to be a stranger and a stranger with Abram.

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

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

Then an accident happens to Lot. During the war between the pagan kings, he will be captured: “And they took Abram’s nephew Lot, who lived in Sodom, and his property and left.” (Gen.14:12) Based on this, our “investigators for especially important cases,” guided by the apparently primitive template of the “prosperity gospel,” say something like this: “He went where he shouldn’t, and that’s why trouble happened to him.”
But what exactly was Lot's sin? The fact that he was robbed and captured? Now, if he robbed someone, then we can talk about his sin (at the same time, it would not be out of place to remember how Abraham’s great-grandson, Joseph, was also captured. Is he also guilty?)
Abram, having learned about what had happened, helped Lot out, just as God helped Abraham out when his wife was taken away from him. This courageous act of Abram speaks volumes about his friendship and spiritual closeness with Lot.

“Will the judge of all the earth act unjustly?”

Before we begin to understand the events that happened to Lot in Sodom, let's remember what preceded it. And before the burning of the cities, a conversation between God and Abraham. Abraham says: “It is not possible for You to act in such a way that You would destroy the righteous with the wicked, so that the same thing would happen to the righteous as to the wicked; cannot be from You! Will the judge of all the earth act unjustly? (Genesis 18:25)
For whom does God's chosen one intercede? Whom does he call the RIGHTEOUS, separating him from the wicked? Abraham clearly worries about Lot and his family. After all, he knew that his pious nephew lived 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 misfortune can happen to them. In the apostolic letter to the Hebrews there are these lines: “Do not forget your love of hospitality, for through it some unknowingly showed hospitality to angels” (Heb. 13:2). For some reason, in this case, they usually only remember the story of Abraham. But why? After all, 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 intentions, Lot is ready to sacrifice his daughters rather than betray his guests. (Do not rush to condemn Lot for these words about his daughters. From the 21st century, with our emancipation, it is difficult for us 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 wives. When Sarah is taken from Abraham, he prays. And when Lot is taken captive, 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" (Genesis 19:9). Lot had always been a stranger to them.
The Apostle Peter, recalling these events, wrote: “For this righteous man, living among them, was daily tormented in his righteous soul, seeing and hearing lawless deeds” (2 Pet. 2:8). Righteous Lot is an example for us, worthy of emulation. We, like him, are surrounded by sinners: whether in the family, at work, or 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 salvation. Yes, yes, precisely by SAVING him from the wicked:
“For if God... condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction, and turned them into ashes, setting an example for future wicked people, and righteous Lot, tired of the treatment between people who are furiously depraved, DELIVERED...then, of course, the Lord knows how to deliver the pious from temptation.” (2 Peter 4:9)
By destroying Sodom, God thereby delivered and saved righteous Lot from the depraved Sodomites, although the method of salvation was quite original, as in the case of righteous Noah. However, God does what he wants and how he wants, and is not accountable to anyone for this.

"save your soul"

When Lot was already outside Sodom, he asked for the right to flee not to the mountain where the Angels showed him, but to the small nearby city of Zoar. Just look at God’s answer to this request of the righteous man: “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 righteous Lot, God does not destroy the city in which Lot wished to receive shelter. The Creator would not stand on ceremony with a wicked person.
After the burning of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot did not remain in the city of Zoar. Apparently he was afraid that the same fate would befall this city, since the morals of the inhabitants of this city were apparently similar to the morals of the Sodomites.
“And Lot went out from Zoar and began to live in the mountain, and his two daughters with him, for he was afraid to live in Zoar. And he lived in a cave, and his two daughters with him” (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 previous life A lot of hitches: “This is what I’ve come to!” But it started small!”
So, what... Lot left the city of Shigor, believing that "Hiroshima" would be followed by "Nagasaki". He is afraid that the wrath of God may soon fall on this city. His fears were not in vain. His two daughters also knew about this. Here are the reasonings of his daughters: “And the eldest said to the younger: Our father is old, and there is no man on earth who would come to us according to the custom of all the earth.” (Genesis 19:31)
Lot's adult daughters 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.” How were they supposed to know this! 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 remained. And here the situation is similar. Only the flood is fiery.
The 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. That's why they decide to do a certain thing, having first given their father a good drink of wine. For what? Because Lot obviously would not have done this sober. You ask: “why did he drink wine?” People have always consumed wine. Even Moses did not introduce prohibition in his strict legislation. Yes, and Lot clearly had no idea about the plans 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 is where the Genesis account of Lot ends. 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 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 it will be in the days of the Son of Man:
They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day that 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 came out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from the sky and destroyed everyone; so it will be on the day when the Son of Man appears” (Luke 17:26-31).
In both the first and second cases, the same picture is observed. On the one hand - the death of sinners, on the other - the salvation of the righteous. For some it is anger, for others it is mercy. For some it is death, for others it 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 gave, equalizes 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 for 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 did not believe in the Gospel will reap death.

“I will go down and see whether they are doing exactly what the cry is against them, ascending to Me, or not; I'll find out"

In conclusion, I will give one piece of advice to aspiring 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 the bones of Saul. There are enough people in Scripture who have shown with their lives that it is impossible to live like this.
Do not touch the people whom Scripture calls righteous. Don't you see the difference between them? She's colossal! And if a righteous person 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 a saint seems unseemly to you, then do not rush to conclusions. If Scripture does not directly and unequivocally condemn, do not condemn either. Don't get drunk with emotions. Read serious books about the culture and customs of that time. An educated preacher is better than an uneducated one. Learn from God. See how the Judge of all the earth reasons, giving us a lesson: “I will go down and see whether they are doing exactly what the cry is against them, ascending to Me, or not; I will know" (Gen. 18:21)
In jurisprudence there is such a thing as the “presumption of innocence.” (“Presumed” – i.e. assumed.) Everyone accused of committing a crime is considered innocent until his guilt is proven in court. Irremovable doubts about a person’s guilt 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 action that at first glance seems not good to you, then do not condemn it either. Is God the judge or you?! If a football referee doesn't blow his whistle, you never know what might appear to the fan watching the 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, we would not have even guessed that David had done something displeasing in the eyes of God. Well, I counted... so what? What's bad about it? However, from the reaction of the Lord, reflected in Scripture, we understood that David did not do well. We need to reason in exactly the same way when it seems to us that the action of a biblical character is not good, from our point of view. We must look at the Judge's reaction. 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.

BE INFAMIINE WITH THE RIGHTEOUS! STAND UP FOR THEM! BE SMART!

One such place is verses 30-38 of chapter 19 of the Book of Genesis, which tells about Lot and his daughters. This place is downright a challenge for many and, unfortunately, there are people who say, citing these verses as an example: “Here is YOUR Bible: only debauchery!”

Lot, his wife and daughters are taken out of Sodom, after which Sodom and Gomorrah experience the wrath of the Lord and perish. Lot’s wife also turns into a pillar of salt, turning towards Sodom, despite the fact that it was said: “...save your soul; do not look back and do not stop anywhere in this region” (Gen. 19:17).

Lot and his daughters live in a cave (Genesis 19:30) and something happens. Eldest daughter says to the younger one, “...let us therefore give our father wine to drink, and let us sleep with him...” (Gen. 19:32).

It would seem that it is a sin, incest, how often they talk about it completely thoughtlessly. However, if we look at further events, we see that the children of Lot's daughters formed the nations of the Moabites and Ammonites, who continually fought with the children of Israel. At the same time, however, Ruth the Moabite was the great-grandmother of David, that is, Lot’s daughters also participated in the genealogy of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:5). Thus, we see that there was some lasting meaning in the actions of Lot's daughters.

And again we need to turn to the Holy Scriptures. “And the older woman said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man on the earth who has come in to us according to the custom of all the earth” (Gen. 19:31). It's written very briefly, isn't it? Scripture does not say that the sisters were motivated by lust, perversion. Not at all, the sisters are talking about the custom of the whole earth. Obviously, this means a woman’s sacred duty to give birth. At the same time, the sisters come to the conclusion that a) they have a duty to give birth; b) there is no one to be their husband; c) there is a father who is old. That is, it is only conceivable to give birth to a child from a father, and then only for a short time, since he is old and it is not known whether he will be alive tomorrow. This is the dilemma the sisters are faced with. And for them, duty is not an empty word; they have seen with their own eyes what the sin of failure to fulfill a duty is and what it leads to. What did they know? They knew that their father had left Ur of the Chaldeans, because there was Babylon, debauchery, horror, they saw that where they lived there was also debauchery and horror. Death and destruction are everywhere. At the same time, the Lord saves them. This means that the Lord favors them, which means they have this mission to continue life on earth.

Lot's daughters were religious and morality was not an empty phrase for them. And they did what they did not for themselves, and not to satisfy their desires, and it was bitter to make such a decision, and the elder sister behaved here as befits an elder, she had boldness, she had determination.

Lot in this case did not know what happened, for he was drunk. And chapter 19 talks about this twice. When Scripture repeats itself twice, it is very significant. It is written twice: I didn’t know, I didn’t know.

One might think that the act of intoxication in itself is not very positive. However, for example, John Chrysostom says: “and that this did not happen simply and not without a reason, but the excessive grief of the soul, through the use of wine, brought him to complete insensibility.”

And it is no coincidence that the same John Chrysostom says: “So, let no one dare to condemn a righteous man or his daughters. And wouldn’t it be extreme recklessness and unreasonableness to condemn those whom the Divine Scripture frees from all condemnation, and even offers such a justification for them, to us, burdened with the immeasurable weight of sins, without listening to the words of St. Paul, who says: “God justifies the one who condemns” (Rom. 8:33-34)?

To summarize what has been said, it must be remembered that Lot and his daughters found themselves in a situation that is not ordinary, ordinary. Not everyone will probably be able to overcome such difficult situations. They nevertheless overcame; it's not for us to say that difficult situation They behaved wrongly, and we could have done better. If there were no Lot's daughters, their children, would there have been David, would there have been Jesus Christ?

“And two angels came to Sodom in the evening. Lot saw them and stood up to meet them" (Genesis 19:1)

This is how this story begins innocuously. The guests came to the prophet. The Prophet, as a decent person, invites them to enter the house, but “They said: no, we spend the night on the street”. A strange habit for an angel, but oh well. As a result, Lot still begs them and they enter the house, have dinner and are about to go to bed, when suddenly:

“The city dwellers, the Sodomites, from young to old, surrounded the house. And they called Lot, and said to him: Where are the people who came to you for the night? Bring them out to us; we know them" (Genesis 19:4-5)

The word we chose was: we will know. I wonder what kind of perverts lived in Sodom and how Lot himself escaped violence, since he, too, was once new to Sodom? Or did you still not escape? We can only guess from the answer he gave, which was simply delightfully cynical:

“Here I have two daughters who have not known a husband; I’d rather bring them out to you, do with them as you please; But do nothing to these people, for they have come under the roof of my house” (Genesis 19:8)

That's how it is! He will sacrifice his daughters for the sake of some strangers who are used to sleeping on the street and whom he has just met. Hospitality, of course, is good, but not to the same extent. Although, perhaps, at that time this was considered quite decent behavior.

But Lot's daughters did not have to be known. The angels blinded the townspeople and saved the day. In a similar story in the Book of Judges, things didn't turn out so well. But more on that below.

A little later, the angels told Lot to gather all his relatives and leave the city. The composition of the relatives is quite interesting: “And Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters” (Genesis 19:14)

What kind of “sons-in-law” are they? What about Lot’s recent statement about the innocence of his daughters, who did not know a husband, if they were both married? It is possible that they did not have sexual intercourse, although given the customs of this small town, this is unlikely. It turns out that Lot was lying, which is very much in the spirit of a “true believer” person. On the other hand, deciding the destinies of daughters without asking the opinions of their husbands also causes slight bewilderment.

The sons-in-law thought that Lot was joking and did not listen to him. Considering dad’s prank described above, I don’t really want to listen to him. Meanwhile, the angels hurried Lot, and he, taking his wife and two daughters, left the city. And although the angels told him to go to the mountains, Lot nevertheless went to a nearby small town. He justified himself by saying that it was safer there. The old man did not trust the angels. The fugitives were ordered to run without looking back or stopping.

“But Lot’s wife looked back and became a pillar of salt” (Genesis 19:26)

So what's the point of this? Why is there such a severe punishment for such a minor violation? Perhaps this is a hint of disobedience. And still, even if so, the punishment does not fit the crime. The same Sodomites who came to Lot’s house demanding that they give them guests for “knowing” were only blinded. And Lot’s wife turned into a pillar of salt, only because she turned around to look at the fireworks that the Almighty had arranged. Or maybe she saw how the angels had fun cutting the people of Sodom into mincemeat? An extra witness. Whatever one may say, this is inexplicable cruelty, without any visible reasons. Which is very much in the spirit of the Old Testament God. An incomprehensible cruelty permeates the entire Bible, and Old Testament especially.

Here is the explanation theologians give: “By the fact that Lot’s wife looked back at Sodom, she showed that she regretted leaving her sinful life - she looked back, lingered, and immediately turned into a pillar of salt. This is a strict lesson for us: when the Lord saves us from sin, we need to run away from it, not look back at it, that is, not linger and not regret it.”

In general, all these explanations of the clergy are very funny and below we will look at some. But how do you like it? A beautiful trick, to say the least. If she looked back, it meant she regretted her sinful life. And where, may I ask, is it said that she led a sinful life? She seems to be the wife of a righteous man. And why shouldn’t she look back, simply because something thundered there? Why can't such a simple option be accepted?

Meanwhile, Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed, and Lot, afraid to live in Zoar, goes to live in the mountains, taking his two daughters with him. Why he was afraid to go to Zoar, only Lot himself knows. They settle in a cave. Oh, and these prophets love to live in caves. What happened next is more suitable for an erotic film script:

“And the elder (sister) said to the younger: Our father is old; and there is no man on earth who has come in to us according to the custom of all the earth. So let us make our father drink wine, and sleep with him, and raise (conceive) from the father of our tribe. And they made their father drink wine that night: and the eldest went in and slept with her father: but he did not know when she lay down and when she arose. The next day the eldest said to the younger: behold, I slept with my father yesterday; We will give him wine to drink this night, and you go in, sleep with him, and we will raise (conceive) from the father of our tribe. And they made their father drink wine that night; and the youngest came in and slept with her: and he did not know when she lay down and when she arose" (Genesis 19:31-35)

The plot of “Lot and his daughters” was popular in Renaissance painting. If you look closely at the image below, you can see the burning city, and the pillar woman decorating the outskirts of Sodom, and the fox, which seems larger than Lot, who realizes the immorality of the whole picture, and some couple relaxing a little away from Lot.

in great expansion

I wonder how the Church itself explains this story? There are so many sins here that it is unclear how the earth carries them after this. By the way, one of the reasons for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was constant incest. And here Lot himself does the same with his daughters. So why is he righteous? Maybe because he is Abraham's nephew?

As a result, both daughters became pregnant. The eldest gave birth to a son, Moab. The youngest is the son of Ben-Ammi. Both became the progenitors of entire nations: the Moabites and the Ammonites, respectively. Apparently, Lot himself was deeply confused about where the children were from and who the father was. His mind was filled with fear and worship of God.

A similar story happened with the residents of Gibeah. And the morality of this story goes far beyond the immorality of the previous one.

The plot almost completely repeats the story of Lot and his daughters in Sodom. A certain Levite and his concubine decided to spend the night in Gibeah with some old man - a resident of this city. Then the Bible will speak for itself:

While they had cheered their hearts, behold, the inhabitants of the city, depraved people, surrounded the house, knocked on the doors, and said to the old man, the owner of the house: bring out the man who has entered your house, we will recognize him.The owner of the house came out to them and said to them: No, my brothers, do not do evil, when this man entered my house, do not do this foolishness. Here I have a daughter, a maiden, and he has a concubine, I will bring them out, humble them, and do with them what you please; But don’t do this madness to this person. But they didn't want to listen to him. Then the husband took his concubine and brought her outside to them. They recognized her and cursed at her all night until the morning. And they released her at dawn. And the woman came before dawn, and fell at the door of the house of the man who had her master, and lay there until daylight. Her master found her in the morning, opened the doors of the house, and went out to go on his way: and behold, his concubine was lying at the door of the house, and her hands were on the threshold. He told her: get up, let's go. But there was no answer, because she died. He put her on the donkey, got up and went to his place.(Book of Judges 19:22-28)

With similar plots and the content of these stories, the attempt to veil the unambiguous desires of these characters with words like “to know” seems extremely strange. Although thanks to medieval censorship for this. Who knows how these stories were told to each other in the original.

It is noteworthy that this same Levite “husband” followed the “concubine” to her father’s house, where he was received with joy and stayed for a long time. And then, after a couple of days, he exchanged it like a coin. What is this if not another one clear example"respect for women" in scriptures? Again, what lesson can be learned from this story?

Now let's return to the explanations of the clergy.

Here is how Jewish experts explain these simple stories:

“The people of Sodom were evil and very criminal before Hashem.” (Bereshit, 13:13). The same was the case with four neighboring cities - Amoroi, Admah, Zvaim and Zoar, which were part of a kind of coalition, the capital of which was Sodom. The inhabitants of all five cities were murderers and adulterers who deliberately rebelled against Hashem, since they did the same things as the generation that lived before the Flood.

Further it describes in detail how rich these people are, but bad and greedy. They broke branches on the trees so that the birds would not eat the fruit, they stole onions and bricks from each other and - what a horror - they trusted not in God, but in themselves. Somewhere between these descriptions, the Midrash tells the story of one of Lot's daughters named Plotis. It turns out he had four of them. Such inconsistencies in the scriptures are not uncommon, so I will not pay special attention to them. So, the girl secretly gave to the beggar, and since the inhabitants of Sodom were greedy, they were greedy even of someone else’s and they did not like that the beggar had not yet died of hunger. They either burned the girl for this, or smeared her with honey and tied her up, and she died from bee stings - here the Midrash and the Torah were somehow unclear.

Before her death, the girl turned to God, saying, “To hell with me, but at least punish them,” and he promised that he would definitely come down and punish them. The fate of the beggar is kept silent.

And here God, as if to justify himself, declares that he did not destroy Sodom immediately, but 25 years earlier “he sent an earthquake to that region to encourage the inhabitants to correct themselves, but they did not pay any attention to the Divine warning.”

It must be said that when representatives of the clergy come to the rescue to explain what is written in the sacred texts and try to smooth over these inconvenient moments, it looks quite fun. This is understandable. Where to go with such instructive stories?

Take for example the Jewish version described above, which, as an exculpatory speech, describes the inhabitants as follows:

“The inhabitants of all five cities were murderers and adulterers, who deliberately rebelled against Hashem, because they did the same things as the generation that lived before the Flood.”

Murderers and adulterers. Is it really all? Both children and old grandparents? They're all murderers and adulterers. Lot alone is handsome. Or was it a resort area inhabited only by young people? Such a medieval Kazantip with Ibiza.

Why was this warning necessary at all if the joke with the Flood did not work and people continued to sin as before? And what kind of God is this who is offended by rich people because they counted not on Him, but on themselves? Since when is something like this considered criminal and deserving of punishment? The remaining descriptions of the actions of the inhabitants of Sodom clearly do not pretend to be mortal sins. So, petty hooliganism compared to what the Lord himself committed. Wow, 25 years ago he caused an earthquake so that they would understand that it was He who was warning them. It must be said that God was clearly no different in communicating his thoughts clearly and directly to humanity. All the time he communicated with some hints and parables. In 2004, 250,000 people died in the Asian tsunami. Was it God playing a prank again and warning?

The explanations of Jewish interpreters do not end there. For example, this is how the entire motive that prompted God to place Lot in this ridiculous situation is explained: “E it was part of Heaven's plan. Hashem wanted Lot to persevere so that he would have certain merits for which he should be saved.”

Lot, it turns out, did not have enough merit and needed to show one more small merit in the form of perseverance in order for him to deserve salvation. And how did it turn out? Listen! I have two unmarried daughters. I will bring them out to you, and do with them what you want. I just ask you for a favor, leave my guests alone, because they came to my house!

And this is a righteous man. The most decent person in town. It must be said that although Jewish sources promise that their history differs from the biblical one, there are no significant differences in them. Perhaps a little thriller with blind people who feel the doors in order to get to know everyone who moves and some details.

No matter how many similar explanations there are, notice how much the morality of that time differs from the morality modern world not difficult. And no matter how believers insist that God’s actions are justified, modern morality tells us that everyone is not punished for the sins of some, and no fairy tales can cover such theses. God would be God Almighty if instead Flood and the destruction of cities would have been carried out with targeted strikes and not with such cruelty. Let's say heart attack the guilty one would have gotten away quite well. But no, God doesn’t like trifles. If we are to punish, then with all the divine scope. Is he God or not God, after all?