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The Effects of Ancestry (Genesis 19:30-38)

July 19, 2021 | by: Gregg Hunter | 0 comments

Posted in: Genesis 19

Have you ever wondered where you came from? Today, with companies like Ancestry.com and 23andMe, its become fairly common place for people to use tests and questionnaires to determine their ancient ancestors. Were your ancestors part of a tribe of Native Americans or Africans? Were they descended from Roman emperors or European kings? Were they famous? Was your family known for being woodcutters or poets? Cobblers or hunters?

Many of us are fascinated to find out where we came from. But of course, the results are not all pleasant. What if your ancestors were criminals? Serial killers? Dictators?

In the ancient world, you were known by your ancestors. Rather than last names, people were often known as _______, son of _____ (as in Abraham, son of Terah). They were even known as the sons of their ancestors, as in Jesus, the son of David. The entire nation of Israel was named after their ancestor.

It’s important to know where you came from because it says a lot about you and your people. Perhaps that’s why the origin of the Moabites and the Ammonites is so disturbing…

 

Please read Genesis 19:30-38.

The first thing to notice about this passage is that Lot is so distraught over the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah that he cannot bring himself to live in another city, even one as little as Zoar. So he hides in a cave.

It would be bad enough if the Moabites and Ammonites were descended from someone who should such cowardice. But their ancestry is even worse: they are the results of an incestuous relationship between two daughters and their father. Not only that, but the daughters performed what amounts to ancient date rape by having sex with their father while he was too drunk to notice!

Can you imagine the kind of home lives that these children must have had? Surely it was horrible. Yet, they grew up to have children of their own who eventually grew into two entire nations: the Moabites and the Ammonites. These nations were great enemies of the nation of Israel when they were entering into and conquering the Promised Land. They were so utterly sinful that God demanded that Israel completely wipe them out. As Moses writes Genesis and tells the Israelites where the Moabites and Ammonites came from, it’s probably safe to assume that the Israelites were disgusted at the origin of these two nations, and even more motivated to carry out God’s commands.

Now, let me be clear: your ancestry does not dictate your eternal destiny. The son of an incestuous relationship is not doomed to be destroyed. Everyone will be judged based on their own sin. The Moabites and Ammonites would be judged for their actions as nations, not for their ancestry.

But, your ancestry does have a strong affect on who you will become: children of alcoholics often become alcoholics; children of abusive spouses often become or marry abusive spouses; children of people with anger management issues often develop anger management issues, etc.

On the contrary, children of godly parents are often raised to trust in God themselves. Christian parents are encouraged to “train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

Be on guard against the sins of your fathers. Continue the godly legacy that has been passed down to you. Or, if you come from an ungodly ancestry, then start a new one today with your children. Declare over them, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:16).

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