Righteous Lot

and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds) then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, - 2 Peter 2v7-9

God delivered Noah form the great day of His judgement in the flood. That is no surprise. That makes sense to us. In the entire world Noah was the man who was upright, he was the one who hated evil and feared God. Even to out human reasoning that is logical. We might even say, ‘Of course God saved Noah.’

Then we read. ‘God delivered righteous Lot.’ That’s a whole different story. Lot seems very much like the bad boy of Genesis. When offered a choice of land from his uncle he chose the best looking land. He set up his tents toward the wicked city of Sodom. He moved into this vile city and its lawless deeds. God sent messengers into the city and Lot insisted they come and stay in his house. During the night the men came to get the men and have sex with them. ‘Righteous” Lot offered his virgin daughters to the men. He just doesn’t seem like Mr Righteous.

And yet ‘God delivered righteous Lot.’ This same Lot ‘tormented his righteous soul’ every day by seeing all the wickedness going on around him. It just doesn’t seem to make sense to me.

The truth is that it is not up to me to decide. God, not Roger, knows how to deliver the godly in the day of judgement. I would never have chosen Lot as the righteous one. God is the only One who really knows the righteous from the unrighteous. I am grateful the knowledge of who to deliver is up to God and not me or any other man.