The Story of Lot: A Man Who was Sexually Assaulted in the Old Testament

An ugly case of lost hope and incest

I previously published an article about three women who were sexually assaulted in the Old Testament. You can read it here.

However, there was a fourth victim in the Old Testament who wasn’t mentioned in that article. And there is a reason for that.

Usually, sexual violence in the Bible is directed towards women. But this particular incident was borne upon the body of a man.

His name was Lot.

His two daughters got him drunk, slept with him and then bore his children. Why did they do it? What desperation drove his own daughters to violate him?

Well, the Bible does shed some light on that for us. But before we answer that question, let’s discover how Lot and his daughters ended up in such a terrible situation in the first place.

The need for elbow room

Lot was the nephew of Abraham, a man of great faith who was known as God’s friend. He and his uncle were extremely wealthy men.

Over time, their herds (cows, goats, and sheep) grew. Eventually, their combined livestock was more than the land could handle. Natural resources like grass and water were dwindling fast. And fights broke out between Lot’s workers and his uncle’s herdsmen. So, Abraham and Lot parted ways to keep the peace.

Lot unwisely chose to settle in Sodom. At the time, it was a town known for its wickedness and rebellion against God.

Which meant that it was only a matter of time for Sodom…

A couple of angelic visitors

One day the Lord visited Abraham and shared His plan to destroy Sodom and its sister city Gomorrah. Naturally, Abraham was concerned about his nephew who lived in Sodom. But the Lord comforted Abraham and assured him that He would spare the populous city if as few as ten righteous people were found there.

Two angels were immediately dispatched to Sodom. They arrived in the evening disguised as ordinary men. Lot was sitting at the city’s entrance and spotted them.

Hotels didn’t exist at the time. So, Lot invited the strangers to his home. Initially the pair declined Lot’s offer of hospitality and decided to rough it in the city’s square. But Lot finally convinced the men to stay with him.

Later that night after dinner, ALL of the men of Sodom — both young and old — surrounded Lot’s house. They demanded to have sex with the strangers.

Lot stepped outside and tried to defuse the situation. He even offered his two virgin daughters in place of his house guests. (That messed up response is an article for another day).

But it was no deal.

The mob wasn’t interested in Lot’s daughters. They wanted the two visitors. Lot protested but the crowd ignored him and attempted to break down the front door.

Suddenly the angels yanked Lot back into the house. They then struck the mob with blindness so they couldn’t find the door.

Getting out of Sodom

On the spot the angels revealed to Lot that God was going to destroy the city. They told him that he had to get out RIGHT NOW and to give the heads-up to anyone he cared about.

So, Lot hurried and found both of his daughters’ fiancées and told them about God’s impending judgment. They laughed at him.

When Lot returned home, the angels urged him to get his family together and to leave the city pronto. That party of four — Lot, his wife and two daughters — were the only people making a mad dash out of Sodom.

Four people.

Remember, God promised Abraham that He would spare the city if just ten righteous souls could be found.

Sodom came up six short.

So God rained down fire and burning sulfur from heaven and completely destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.

Four people escaped Sodom, but tragically, only three lived to see the next day. Lot’s wife died as the family scrambled to get out of the danger zone. She disobeyed God’s command to not look back at the fiery destruction and was instantly turned into a pillar of salt.

As the smoke rose from the ruins of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot and his remaining family settled in the tiny village of Zoar. But they didn’t stay there very long.

A sad, terrible act

The family of three relocated to a cave in the mountains. But Lot’s daughters were not happy. Both of them lost their fiancées when God wiped out Sodom.

The older daughter reasoned that they would never marry and raise families of their own. In desperation, she devised a plan: each of them would have sex with Lot while he was asleep and try to get pregnant.

And that is exactly what they did. The sisters plied Lot with alcohol and sexually assaulted him. Both daughters ended up pregnant by their father.

The Aftermath

The older daughter gave birth to a baby boy whom she named him Moab. He was the ancestor of the Moabites. They became one of Israel’s (God’s chosen people) future enemies.

The younger daughter also gave birth to a son. She named him Ben-ammi. His descendants became the Ammonites, another formidable future enemy of Israel.

Lot and his family escaped the destruction of Sodom. But unfortunately, it seems like they weren’t able to escape the Sodom that was buried in their hearts.

That darkness catalyzed some seriously warped thinking and drove two women to do the unthinkable with their father. It’s just another sad testimony to mankind’s penchant for sin and the need for a savior.

Hey there. If you liked this article, try ‘God or Satan: Who are You Going to Serve?’ here. You may also like this one about what was made on each day of Creation. You can also subscribe so you won’t miss an article.

Thanks for your time. Thanks for reading.