Lot’s Family Versus Noah’s Family
Both Lot and Noah lived in wicked cultures and God destroyed both. Let’s look at both of their families and how their wicked culture influenced them.
When two angels came to warn Lot about the coming destruction and they went into Lot’s home, ALL the men of the city, young and old, came to Lot’s home because they wanted to have sex with the two angels. How did Lot answer them? “Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof” (Genesis 19:8). From this verse, we see that the daughters were virgins yet Lot was willing to give them to these wicked men to do as they please! Unbelievable.
The angels smote the men with blindness and then asked Lot if he had any family to warn of the coming destruction. Lot hurried to his two sons-in-law who engaged to his daughters but they mocked Lot. (They weren’t married yet but in that time, they called those who were committed to marriage their sons-in-law.)
When the angels gave him one last warning to get out, Lot “lingered” (Genesis 19:16) so the angels had to grab the hands of Lot, his wife, and his two daughters. They were all warned to not look back but, of course, Lot’s wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt. The angels wanted him to escape to the mountains but he wanted to escape to a little city. He ended up in the mountains since he feared the city. Then the daughters got him drunk and both bore children by him.
This is what God thought about the earth before the Great Flood. “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5) But “Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9). He had three sons. God gave Noah clear instructions on how to prepare for the coming flood by building an ark, so Noah obeyed immediately and began building an ark.
“But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee” (Genesis 6:18). Noah was told to take two of every species and he obeyed everything God commanded him to do. “And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood” (Genesis 7:7). They all willingly went into the ark. Everything on the earth was destroyed.
The differences between these two families couldn’t be more stark. Yes, Lot was a righteous man (2 Peter 2:8) but he didn’t raise his family to be nor was his wife. They didn’t trust God. They were lured by the evil in their cities. None of them wanted to leave and his wife looked back. She didn’t want to leave. Nothing about the story of Lot shows us that he was a righteous man but because God tells us that he was, we must believe it and this is why God saved Lot out of the fire and brimstone.
Noah was a righteous man. We can tell by his immediate obedience and trust in God. What he was asked to do was much more difficult than what Lot was asked to do. I imagine that Noah was mocked and ridiculed daily as he built this monstrosity of a boat on dry land. I am sure they mocked his God and his family, yet he continued to obey God. His wife, his sons, and his daughters-in-law went willingly on the ark when they were told to do so. There was no lingering or longing for the culture they were in. No, they trusted God and God saved them from His wrath.
Which family are you going to model your family after? Are you teaching your children to long for the things that this culture longs for and participate in the things it participates in, or are you teaching them to be separate and long for God and His will for them? Are you teaching them to disobey you by not being consistent in disciplining them when they don’t, or are you teaching them to obey you the first time you ask them to do something? If you aren’t teaching them to obey you, they will most likely grow up to not obey God, and if you are teaching them to obey you, they will most likely grow up to obey God.
Teach your children the beauty of God and His ways. Teach them to long for the new earth and not crave the things this world has to offer. Tell them that God’s boundaries are for their good and for their protection. They aren’t to keep them from enjoying life; for “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17). Model your family after Noah’s family, not Lot’s.
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
Joshua 24:15
13 thoughts on “Lot’s Family Versus Noah’s Family”
Good post! I hear all the time my kids aren’t robots they shouldn’t be trained to obey me. I’m like what, the bible is clear on children obeying their parents and authority structure. Discipline is so important as well for disobedience. Just look at the people that were disciplined growing up and the ones that weren’t. We need to train our kids up in the ways of the Lord!
Great point, Kevin. I believe sometimes people have a laid back approach to discipline either because 1-their children are grown and turned out okay (by their standards), or 2-they forget how hard they worked to train their own children to live by Biblical standards.
Both paradigms tend to express an “everything will turn out okay” mentality. Or, if it’s a grandparent, they may say “You turned out fine!”
Regardless, parents must remain diligent!
I once read “Train up a child in the way you should’ve gone”. I’m not suggesting changing scripture, but that stuck with me, a reminder that we should use our wisdom and memory of our own poor choices to more proactively train our children in this fallen world, more wretched by the day.
Lori,
I just wanted to say this: I disagree completely with most all of your views, but wanted to express to you that I am very glad you have said that modern-day people cannot heal the sick in the same way Jesus could. There are so many religious families preyed upon by wolves in sheep clothing claiming they can “heal the sick with their hands”. I know this is irrelevant to your post, but just wanted to express gratitude.
And just think of what would of happened if Noah’s wife would have been rebelling against him. If his wife was trying to be the leader like we see in many Christian marriages nowadays.
“Noah, you are a stupid jerk, I don’t know why I ever married you.”
“You are spending all the money and your time on this moronic wooden monstrosity that you say is needed for the coming flood. Everyone knows it has never had water fall from the sky.”
“You are being abusive to the children, making them work on this piece of garbage, instead of out having fun with all the other young couples.”
“You are being cruel and abusive to me by making me help. I should be going to the vendor stalls with my friends to shop the latest fashions. Instead there is no money for that because you spend it on this boat.”
“I’m the laughing stock of all the women because of your hair brained idea.”
“Noah, if you don’t stop this nonsense and do as I say, you will not be getting any sex from me.”
“Noah, I’ve had all I am going to take of you and your nonsense! You will be hearing from my lawyer!”
Exactly but they all supported him in his work for the Lord.
Biblical stories like these enforce my beliefs that people really don’t change regardless of whether they’re living in a tent or a mansion. When I’ve asked people about their Bible readying, many have said that it’s outdated and doesn’t apply to today- particularly women. They often say, “It’s a book written by old Jewish men who probably hated women.”
I’ve told both my brothers that no boy should reach puberty without knowing the wisdom in Proverbs- the life lessons there are timeless. While times change, human nature doesn’t.
Amen!
I recently read an article that was talking about a massive surge of people who dabbled in the occult. A study found that 60% of women surveyed were either involved in occoultic practices or were more likely to than men.
I read another article that interviewed a priest who was trained in the Vatican on performing excocisms. (I’m not Catholic) he said in the last few years there has been a massive surge in calls for help. And he puts it down to people walking away from Christianity.
It just proved to me God’s word is true when it comes to gender roles. And how easily decided women can be.
I never understood why lot offered up his daughters to perverts. I’d much rather be a member of Noah’s family.
There is a lesson here for homeschoolers.
Once you resolve to leave the City of Destruction, don’t look back. Don’t long for the leeks and onions of the government school system, make a complete break. Don’t look back.
Don’t try to have it both ways: homeschooling some subjects while sending your children to the government school for others; accepting government school materials or services; insisting the government school allow your academically homeschooled child to participate in extracurricular activities.
“But we pay taxes, we have a right to it, etc., etc.,” Yes, yes, but you must realize government school money, goods, and services are the devil’s candy. Don’t fall for the temptation because they bring government controls along with them.
Remember the words of Luke 9:62 — Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Lori,
What should be done if you have to spend the holidays with divorced people and men bringing in their ‘gf flavor of the month’?
I think Lot is like so many people…their hearts are not evil…but they can’t say ‘No’ to the people around them (or are afraid to)
The Angels tried to do everything they could to help the man but then his weaknesses (the drinking) and evil around him…He just couldn’t stand up to all the evil
It’s really sad because SO many good people are like Lot…
Be kind and loving towards them. Speak the name of Jesus as much as possible. He should be a part of your conversation any way. They need Jesus more than they need anything else.
I hope you mean that literally! All of my sons memorized the whole book of Proverbs when they were young. Young minds are capable of that easily! They memorized Proverbs, along with Romans, John, and Ephesians! It wasn’t even difficult when they were young. As opposed to me memorizing Romans in my 30s, lol. I was only able to get half way through bc I simply don’t have it anymore (but I’m still trying, even though I’m now past 50).