When I read the account of Lot’s words and actions in Genesis 19, I am struck with how much I don’t like him and don’t trust him. You can see an artist’s rendition of Lot fleeing Sodom and Gomorrah in this picture.
Abraham (uncle to Lot) begged God to not destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, but to no avail. Lot was living amidst debauchery, and even apparently participating in it, for crying out loud.
Were it not for very persuasive angels and the unbelievable mercy of God, Lot himself would have been destroyed. Frankly, it reads as if the guy has no morals at all. Lot’s wife was ultimately destroyed, but Lot was spared.
Turning to II Peter chapter two, I read Peter saying that God rescued Lot — "a righteous man" (emphasis mine), who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men. Peter says "for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard."
Lot was righteous? Yes, apparently so. Let me ask you, "Are you righteous?" The answer if you’re a Christian is a resounding YES. All who turn to Jesus are made right with God. Indeed, God, who is full of mercy, has your back more than you’ll ever know, if you’ll merely turn to him in faith.
Now if God rescued Lot, and he did, Peter says that God knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment. Those godly men of whom Peter speaks would be you and me!
So here’s the no-brainer conclusion I draw from these two Scriptures: There are no good men among us. Not Lot, not you and not me. We are saved by the grace and mercy of a loving Father who loves us in spite of our sins and awful shortcomings.
Before I start judging all the Bible characters that I don’t like for what they did, I think I will say to the Lord, "Jesus, my loving Savior, thank you for being gracious over and over and over again to me, a sinner."
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