Drunk

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

DRUNK

Gen 19:30-38

30 Lot and his two daughters left Zoar and settled in the mountains, for he was afraid to stay in Zoar. He and his two daughters lived in a cave. 31 One day the older daughter said to the younger, "Our father is old, and there is no man around here to lie with us, as is the custom all over the earth. 32 Let's get our father to drink wine and then lie with him and preserve our family line through our father." 33 That night they got their father to drink wine, and the older daughter went in and lay with him. He was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up. 34 The next day the older daughter said to the younger, "Last night I lay with my father. Let's get him to drink wine again tonight, and you go in and lie with him so we can preserve our family line through our father." 35 So they got their father to drink wine that night also, and the younger daughter went and lay with him. Again he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up. 36 So both of Lot's daughters became pregnant by their father. 37 The older daughter had a son, and she named him Moab; he is the father of the Moabites of today. 38 The younger daughter also had a son, and she named him Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the Ammonites of today.

NIV

This was not a proud moment in the life of Lot and his two daughters. However, it is the history of the beginning of the Moabites and Ammonites who ended up not being friends with Israel, although their father Lot was the nephew of Abraham the father, or the beginning of Israel. Still, incest had its hand in this and it was not the custom, but the wicked plan of the oldest daughter who, for whatever reason, needed to become a mother, which according to the context of this narrative was the custom for women. Because they were hiding, this was the only way these daughters were going to preserve the bloodline of their father. Certainly, this was not condoned by God for this was morally wrong, yet it was history, and we are informed of what happened. How do we learn a lesson from this action of these two daughters? There could be a lesson taken from Lot, in that he allowed himself to drink enough wine that he was not aware the woman he was lying with was his daughter. That seems absurd to think one could be so drunk, and still be able to physically be able to perform this intimate act with a woman and not remember doing it. Yet, this is what is recorded. Maybe that is our lesson about wine. Although God does not prohibit the drinking of wine, in fact, Jesus’s first miracle was turning water into the best wine for the wedding feast in Cana. We are admonished not to get drunk on wine, but instead be filled with the Spirit. If what took place with Lot, being drunk on wine is certainly not close to having just a little too much wine that one feels a little tipsy, however, nothing should replace being filled with the Holy Spirit. We do wonder if the idea of being drunk, as in the case of Lot where he was so filled with or completely influenced by the wine he was unaware of his actions, that if we are filled with the Spirit should have some effect on our lives. Could being so filled with the Spirit that our behavior is completely influenced by the Spirit. Then we ponder on what that would look like. We would believe this is what is meant by keeping in step with the Spirit, walking in the Spirit. Certainly, this would be different than just saying we are Christian and attend church. Being filled or under the influence of the Spirit would include every action of our lives. All that we are and all that we do must be done according to the divine influence of the Spirit within us. Then we could say we would be drunk on the Spirit.