Genesis 19:30-38; Psalm 19

Genesis 19:30-38
This is a dark episode in already tragic life! Sodom and Gomorrah have been destroyed; Lot and his 2 daughters have fled to Zoar, and they are even afraid to stay there. The Bible doesn't tell us why they were afraid, but it's possible that the people there did not welcome them, perhaps being afraid they would bring more judgment. Anyway, v. 30 tells us they ended up in a cave in the mountains. The following verses reveal that the 2 daughters contrived an incestual relationship resulting in both of them being impregnated by their father. This shows how completely they had embraced the immorality of the people of Sodom. The two sons born of this incident were to become the ancestors of longstanding enemies of Israel--the Moabites and the Ammonites.

The lesson I take from this is that when we don't deal with sin in our lives, the result is very bad! The Bible calls Lot a "righteous" man (2 Peter 2:7) meaning that he was a believer! Incredible as it sounds, a believer can fall into deep sin, and this never ends well. God never removes us from His family, but we can pay a heavy price for our disobedience. And so, let us learn from Lot's failures!

Psalm 19
Were you able to see the 2 main ways God has revealed Himself to us? We could divide these into non-verbal and verbal.

1. Non-verbal, v. 1-6 Without saying a word, God has disclosed Himself through the physical world. Every individual who was ever born experiences the grandeur of the vast heavens which declare the glory of God and the beauty of the earth (firmament) around us. No inventor can begin to fashion something like this world; scientists can't fully explain it; artists can't do it justice! The only explanation of the world around us is that it reveals God Himself--the Mighty Creator.

2. Verbal, v. 7-11 And then God has revealed Himself through His Word. May we never neglect it.

• It's perfect, showing us the way of salvation. v. 7
• It brings us wisdom. v. 7
• It brings joy to our hearts. v. 8
• It enlightens us. v. 8
• It cleanses us. v. 9
• It is true. v. 9
• It is more precious than gold. v. 10
• It's sweeter than honey. v. 10
• It warns us. v. 11
• Obeying it rewards us. v. 11

In the remainder of the psalm, the psalmist, David, encourages us to examine our hearts. He prays that God will reveal hidden sins so that he can confess them and that he won't stubbornly cling to presumptuous sins that can entrap him. What great advice! We learned from Lot what NOT to do, and now David gives us wonderful advice on what TO DO in order to stay right with God.

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer."  Psalm 19:14