Lot, Moab, Ammon and Esau Page 11
Christian Churches of God
No. 212B
Descendants of Abraham
Part II:
Lot, Moab, Ammon and Esau
(Edition 1.1 20070220-20070220-20070416)
The blessings conferred on Abraham also extended to the children of Lot and the sons of Isaac. They will be united under Messiah for the millennial system.
Christian Churches of God
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(Copyright ã 2007 Wade Cox)
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Lot, Moab, Ammon and Esau
Lot, Moab, Ammon and Esau Page 11
LOT
Lot, from the Hebrew word pronounced lote, (SHD 3875: a veil or covering), was the son of Haran, grandson of Terah, and nephew of Abraham (Gen. 11:27,31-32).
Lot was born in Ur of the Chaldees, and after the death of his father there, his grandfather (Terah) took Abraham, Sarai and Lot to Haran. At the age of 205 Terah died there in Haran (Gen. 11:27-32). Sarai’s childlessness and Haran’s death may be the reason Lot continued with Abraham instead of staying with Nahor. Perhaps there was no formal adoption but Lot was a likely candidate to become Abraham’s heir.
So when God commanded Abraham to leave Haran we find Lot accompanies Abraham on his journeys from Mesopotamia to Canaan, through Canaan to Egypt, and back again to Beth-el (Gen. 12; 13:1-3).
By this time both Abraham and Lot had accumulated great wealth. Abraham was obviously the head of the family and Lot the subordinate but Abraham had allowed Lot to have his own flocks and herds and tents (Gen. 13:5). No doubt because Abraham was blessed Lot was also blessed. But because “their substance was great” they could no longer dwell together. There were quarrels between the herdsmen on both sides because the land’s resources were obviously not enough for all the herds and cattle. Also the Canaanites and Perizzites dwelt there in the land (Gen. 13:6-7).
Inheritance of Lot
So Abraham offered Lot the choice of the land and Lot chose what he thought was the better part, which was all the plain of the Jordan near the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, since the land there was well watered. So Abraham dwelled in the land of Canaan and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent towards Sodom (Gen. 13:10-12).
Some years after this separation, Chedorlaomer and his allies attacked the kings of Sodom and the neighbouring cities. Lot was among the many captives taken and he lost all of his possessions. When Abraham heard about this he armed his 318 trained servants, and pursued the retreating victorious kings as far as Dan. He recovered all the spoils they had taken and brought back Lot with the other captives. Abraham was offered a reward by the King of Sodom, but refused to take anything.
We next hear of Lot in Genesis 19 when God sent angels to rescue Lot and his family before the cities of the plain were destroyed. The wickedness of the people there had called down God’s wrath but Abraham had pleaded for Lot’s safety and protection.
We note that Lot was sitting at the gate when the angels arrived at Sodom. So, Lot had seemingly become a member of Sodom’s ruling council, as the city gate was where legal matters were discussed and prosecuted. Bullinger says in his notes to Genesis 19:1 that the gate was the seat of judgment, showing that Lot was a real citizen.
It is also interesting to note that while Lot is often portrayed in a bad light from the events of the OT text, he was indeed a righteous man as we see from 2Peter 2:4-9 (esp. vv. 6-9).
… 6 if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomor'rah to ashes he [God] condemned them to extinction and made them an example to those who were to be ungodly; 7 and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the licentiousness of the wicked 8 (for by what that righteous man saw and heard as he lived among them, he was vexed in his righteous soul day after day with their lawless deeds), 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment (RSV used throughout)
Continuing with Lot, we see a number of events ensued during that night before the destruction of Sodom, but at dawn the angels took Lot, his wife and two of his daughters and led them safely out of the city. They were told to flee into the mountains and warned not to look back at the doomed city. Lot entreated the angels, who consented that he might retire to Zoar, which was one of the five doomed cities. However, Lot's wife, disregarding the warning of the angels, looked back, and was turned into a pillar of salt (v. 24).
Sodom was destroyed and Lot and his family were saved from the destruction by the Angel of Yahovah (see the paper The Angel of YHVH (No. 24)).
Lot left Zoar and retired with his two daughters to a cave in an adjacent mountain. Lot's daughters incorrectly believed they were the only females to have survived the devastation. They assumed it was their responsibility to bear children and enable the continuation of the human race. On two subsequent nights they got their father drunk enough to have sexual intercourse with them. By him each became pregnant.
Sons of Lot
The older daughter had a son, and she named him Moab; the younger daughter also had a son, and she named him Ben-Ammi (Gen. 19:30-38).
Genesis 19:37 The first-born bore a son, and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day. 38 The younger also bore a son, and called his name Ben-ammi; he is the father of the Ammonites to this day.
Moab (SHD 4124, from the father). He was the patriarch of the nation known as Moab. Moab also a territory, means beautiful land.
Ammon (SHD 5983) from (SHD 5971): tribal, i.e. inbred; or Ben-Ammi (Heb.) Son of Ammi = “god of Am” – Bullinger. He became the patriarch of the nation of Ammon.
Moab was to take part in the lineage of Messiah through Ruth (a Moabitess), wife of Boaz, the mother of Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of David (see Ruth 4:16-22).
Inheritance altered by Israel and Gilead
Ammon had no authority to possess Gilead or take it from Israel.
Yet both nations would be extended salvation under Messiah in the Last Days.
MOAB
The Land
Moab is the historical name for a mountainous strip of land in modern-day Jordan. It extends along the eastern shore of the Salt Sea (called the Dead Sea). The land of Moab was occupied by the tribe of Moab in ancient times which is demonstrated by numerous archeological findings. Their capital was Dibon, located next to the modern Jordanian town of Dhiban.
History: from The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
We know scarcely anything of the history of the Moabites after the account of their origin in Genesis 19 until the time of the exodus. It would seem, however, that they had suffered from the invasions of the Amorites, who, under their king Sihon, had subdued the northern part of Moab as far as the Arnon (Num. 21:21-31). Here the Israelites found them as they approached the Promised Land. They did not at first disturb the Moabites in the South, but passed around on the eastern border (Deut. 2:8,9) and came into conflict with the Amorites in the North (Num. 21:21-26), defeating them and occupying the territory (Num. 21:31-32). But when Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, saw what a powerful people was settling on his border, he made alliance with the Midianites against them and called in the aid of Balaam [see the paper The Doctrine of Balaam and Balaam’s Prophecy (No. 208)] but as he could not induce Balaam to curse them he refrained from attacking the Israelites (Num. 22; 24). The Israelites, however, suffered disaster when the Lord’s anger burned against them because of their sins (Num. 25). Some time before the establishment of the kingdom in Israel the Midianites overran Moab, as would appear from the passage in Genesis 36:35, but the conquest was not permanent, for Moab recovered its lost territory and became strong enough to encroach upon Israel across the Jordan. Eglon of Moab oppressed Israel with the aid of Ammon and Amalek (Jdg. 3:13-14), but Eglon was assassinated by Ehud, and the Moabite yoke was cast off after 18 years. Saul smote Moab, but did not subdue it (1Sam.l 14:47), for we find David putting his father and mother under the protection of the king of Moab when persecuted by Saul (1Sam. 22:3,4). But this friendship between David and Moab did not continue. When David became king he made war upon Moab and completely subjugated it (2Sam. 8:2). On the division of the kingdom between Rehoboam and Jeroboam the latter probably obtained possession of Moab (1Kgs. 12:20), but it revolted and Omri had to reconquer it (M S), and it was tributary to Ahab (2Kgs. 1:1). It revolted again in the reign of Ahaziah (2Kgs. 1:1; 3:5), and Moab and Ammon made war on Jehoshaphat and Mt. Seir and destroyed the latter, but they afterward fell out among themselves and destroyed each other (2Chr. 20). Jehoshaphat and Jehoram together made an expedition into Moab and defeated the Moabites with great slaughter (2Kgs. 3). But Mesha, king of Moab, was not subdued (2Kgs. 3:27), and afterward completely freed his land from the dominion of Israel (M S). This was probably at the time when Israel and Judah were at war with Hazael of Damascus (2Kgs. 8:28,29). Bands of Moabites ventured to raid the land of Israel when weakened by the conflict with Hazael (2Kgs. 13:20), but Moab was probably subdued again by Jeroboam II (2Kgs. 14:25), which may be the disaster to Moab recounted in Isaiah 15.
At a later date Moab was overrun by the Nabathean Arabs who ruled in Petra and extended their authority on the east side of Jordan even as far as Damascus (Josephus, Ant. J., XIII, xv, 1,2). The Moabites lost their identity as a nation and were afterward confounded with the Arabs, as we see in the statement of Josephus (XIII, xiii, 5), where he says that Alexander (Janneus) overcame the Arabians, such as the Moabites and the Gileadites.
http://www.studylight.org/enc/isb/view.cgi?number=T6108
The Bible tells us the land of Moab is located east of the Jordan River and the Dead Sea, and south of the Arnon (Num. 21:10-15). Today, Moab is within the Kingdom of Jordan. See the territorial map at Appendix A.
Inheritance of Moab
Deuteronomy 2:8-9 So we went on, away from our brethren the sons of Esau who live in Se'ir, away from the Arabah road from Elath and E'zion-ge'ber. "And we turned and went in the direction of the wilderness of Moab. 9 And the LORD said to me, `Do not harass Moab or contend with them in battle, for I will not give you any of their land for a possession, because I have given Ar to the sons of Lot for a possession.'
Moses buried in the land of Moab
Deuteronomy 34:5-6 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD, 6 and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-pe'or; but no man knows the place of his burial to this day.
Alliance within Moab
When Israel lapsed into idolatry then God used the idolatrous nations around them to punish them, even though they were worshipping the gods of these nations. Thus, because they allowed themselves to be corrupted by these false gods, Israel was allowed to be ruled under their laws and unjust systems.
Judges 3:12-14 And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done what was evil in the sight of the LORD. 13 He gathered to himself the Ammonites and the Amal'ekites, and went and defeated Israel; and they took possession of the city of palms. 14 And the people of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.
When Israel repented and turned to God they were restored and given rest. It was always the same. When they were idolatrous they were ruled by others; when they were faithful they ruled over them or were free of their systems.
Judges 3:28-30 And he said to them, "Follow after me; for the LORD has given your enemies the Moabites into your hand." So they went down after him, and seized the fords of the Jordan against the Moabites, and allowed not a man to pass over. 29 And they killed at that time about ten thousand of the Moabites, all strong, able-bodied men; not a man escaped. 30 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest for eighty years.
Often the idolatry was brought in by the rulers of Israel themselves.
1Kings 11:1-2 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women: the daughter of Pharaoh, and Moabite, Ammonite, E'domite, Sido'nian, and Hittite women, 2 from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the people of Israel, "You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods"; Solomon clung to these in love.
The restrictions on marriage were because of idolatry and not for racist consideration.
David subdued Moab
When Israel was given rest under David the surrounding nations were subjugated. This action points towards the restoration under Messiah, as all nations there will be brought into the inheritance of Messiah.
1Chronicles 18:2 And he defeated Moab, and the Mo'abites became servants to David and brought tribute.