Self-will always runs Amok with God's will

Genesis 19:30-38

Self-will and God’s will often run amok, unless self-will desires to be under the authority of God’s-will.  I do not know of anyone who is exempt from this battle, and do not be fooled; it is a battle for your mind and heart.  Often we refer to it as commonsense, and habitually the ways of God just do not fit in that box, we call “commonsense.”  That is where we find the two daughters of Lot, looking to self-will, and common sense, and they seem to be void of any understanding of God, as a provider, a protector, and a friend, as he was to Abraham.

It is safe to state that these two young ladies were indoctrinated by the culture of Sodom, and yet we find in Genesis 19:8, that both were still virgins, so it seems that Lot’s moral standards did have some influence on them.  Often our customs and our traditions drive our thinking, all of that was at play in what Lot’s daughters decide was in their best interest.  If they did not have children, their father would not leave descendants, they would not have sons to provide and take care of them, as they grew older.  These girls only knew self-will; they were not accustomed to a walk of faith in God, so God’s will did not enter into their thinking.

So this is the plan that “self-will” came up with, we will get dad stoned on wine, and then the older of the daughters would have sex with him, if it all worked out the next night they would do it all over again and the younger daughter would take her sisters place.  At this point we do not find any teaching against incest, and we do find that Abram married his half-sister Sarai, so this was not any kind of crime to these girls.  It is important to note that they did understand that it was not right to get Lot drunk in order to get what they wanted, not sex but children. 

What happens when self-will takes the lead in our life?  It always cost more than any of us would have been willing to pay, and that is also what we find with this act of self-will.  Henry M. Morris makes this statement on page 358 of the Genesis Record; “Scripture does not tell us how Lot felt about this matter when he finally learned about it.  In fact, it tells us absolutely nothing else about Lot.  Presumably, however, he did act as a father to the two sons that were born of his two daughters, since they did grow to maturity and, in fact became the ancestors of two nations.  The son of the older daughter was named Moab (meaning “from the father”) and was the progenitor of the Moabites.  The younger daughter’s son was named Benammi (meaning “son of my people”), and from him were descended the Ammonites. 

From some people’s viewpoint this act of “self-will” did not turn out bad, I mean look two nations came from this small action of “self-will,” what was so wrong with that?  Both of these nations were frequently at war with God’s chosen people, Israel.  It is very important to understand, “self-will” has self as the center of life, and “God’s will” has God at the center of life.  Self-will has no understanding of a walk of faith, it has no desire to wait on God, it is self-seeking and often that is where all of us find ourselves.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice