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Lot was a son of Haran, and grandson of Terah. Born in Ur, he left with his grandfather when he migrated up the Euphrates, for his father had died in Ur. The family would settle in the city of Haran, and lived until Terah's death. Lot would accompany his uncle Abraham to Canaan when God called him, sticking with him until the two returned from Egypt after a famine passed.

Given a choice, he chose the plush Jordan valley, and especially the city of Sodom on the rivers east bank. Somewhere along the way, before moving back to Canaan, he took a wife and had raised two daughters to child-bearing age. The family would move into Sodom, which had grown exceedingly wicked.

Being warned by two messengers (angels) from God, his family fled Sodom as it and the other cities of the plain were destroyed with fire and brimstone. He lost his wife to God's punishment when she tarried, looking back at the destruction. Refusing to live in another city, Lot lived in a cave with his daughters, keeping them from any contact with civilization. His daughters schemed to preserve Lot's family line, getting and keeping him drunk to get pregnant by him. The results were brothers/cousins Moab and Ben-Ammi.

Biography[]

Early Life and Family[]

Lot was born to Haran, one of Abraham's brothers and this made Lot the grandson of Terah.[1] While Lot's grandfather was living, his father died in the land of Ur.[2] Lot's sister Milkah married his uncle Nahor[3] and so when the time came, Lot traveled with uncle Abraham and his aunt Sarai with his grandfather to Harran.[4] After Terah had died,[5] and Abraham was about 75 years old, God called him to move to Canaan.[6] Lot, living with his aunt and uncle went with them to Canaan.[7] After living in Canaan with Abram and Sarai, a famine came about and so they moved to Egypt.[8] Abram, seeing his wife's beauty posed as the brother of Sarai so he would not be killed when the Pharaoh took his wife in marriage.[9] Abram acquired a great wealth,[10] but Sarai caused diseases to be inflicted upon Pharaoh[11] and so they were banished from the land.[12]

Lot separates from Abram[]

Since Lot had lived in Egypt with Abram and Sarai, and they had been banished[12] he went up with them to Negev.[13] Lot traveled along with his relatives through multiple regions,[14] but had also possessed a large amount of wealth.[15] With both his and his uncle's possessions, the land could not support the amount of livestock and servants[16] and so fights began to arose between Lot and Abram's servants.[17] So Abram decided that the land should be divided between the two offering Lot the decision on his land.[18]

So Lot surveyed the land and saw the land of Jordan was fruitful in the east.[19] So Lot picked the land of Jordan and went east[20] and Abram lived in Canaan. Lot pitched his tent near the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah,[21] both cities greatly sinning against God.[22]

Lot captured[]

Eventually the cities of the area split into two factions and war began to outbreak.[23] The faction of Sodom and Gomorrah engaged the enemy in one battle, but landed in the tar pits of Siddim.[24] This allowed the opposing army to charge into both Sodom and Gomorrah and raid them,[25] in the process capturing Lot, since he lived in Sodom.[26]

News came to Abram that Lot had been captured[27] and so he gathered his personal militia[28] and attacked the enemy army that had captured Lot and the rest of Sodom.[29] Lot was rescued by Abram and had all his possessions returned to him in Sodom.[30]

When the men of Sodom surrounded Lot's house, calling for him to bring out his visitors so that they may "know them", Lot bravely attempted to offer them his two daughters to satiate themselves with. When the men refused and proceeded to break into Lot's house, the angelic visitors pulled him inside and blinded his attackers, warning him and his family to leave Sodom immediately because they were sent to destroy it. Lot tried to warn his two future sons-in-law about the imminent destruction, but they though he was joking.

The angelic visitors forcibly took Lot, his two daughters, and his wife and brought them outside the city, warning them to flee to the mountains and not look back or else they will be destroyed. Fearing that he would not reach the mountains in time for safety, Lot pleaded for the small town of Zoar to be spared so he may be safe there, which the angelic visitors allowed as long as Lot and his family would get there soon. Lot and his family reached Zoar when fire and brimstone rained down on Sodom and Gomorrah, destroying the two cities, but Lot's wife looked back and was turned into salt. Lot and his two daughters ended up moving into the mountains for fear of living in Zoar. Believing that there was no man left around by which they could have children, Lot's two daughters made their father drunk on two separate nights so that they could sleep with him. By this involuntary act of incest, Lot fathered Moab, the father of the Moabites, and Ben-Ammi, the father of the Ammonites. From the Moabites came Ruth, who married Boaz of the family tribe of Judah, from whom came King David and ultimately came Jesus Christ.

Verses[]

  1. Gen 11:27 (Link)
  2. Gen 11:28 (Link)
  3. Gen 11:29 (Link)
  4. Gen 11:31 (Link)
  5. Gen 11:32 (Link)
  6. Gen 12:1-3 (Link)
  7. Gen 12:4-5 (Link)
  8. Gen 12:10 (Link)
  9. Gen 12:11-15 (Link)
  10. Gen 12:16, 13:2 (Link)
  11. Gen 12:17 (Link)
  12. 12.0 12.1 Gen 12:18-20
  13. Gen 13:1 (Link)
  14. Gen 13:3-4 (Link)
  15. Gen 13:5 (Link)
  16. Gen 13:6 (Link)
  17. Gen 13:7 (Link)
  18. Gen 13:8-9 (Link)
  19. Gen 13:10 (Link)
  20. Gen 13:11 (Link)
  21. Gen 13:12 (Link)
  22. Gen 13:13 (Link)
  23. Gen 14:1-9 (Link)
  24. Gen 14:10 (Link)
  25. Gen 14:11 (Link)
  26. Gen 14:12 (Link)
  27. Gen 14:13 (Link)
  28. Gen 14:14 (Link)
  29. Gen 14:15 (Link)
  30. Gen 14:16 (Link)
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