Genesis 19:16

"And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters;
the LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city."

There are many pathetic characters in scripture. But perhaps the most pathetic was Lot. He was a man that was related to the great Abraham, being his nephew. Abraham walked and talked with God. Lot was certainly witness to this. But he preferred the ways of the world. Lot separated himself from Abraham, and went to live in the plains. There, we are told, he pitched his tent near to Sodom and Gomorrah. We see him again, later in scriptures, having taken up residence in that place. He even sat in the gate.

The significance of sitting in the gate is in those days matters of law were decided in the gate. In other words, one who sat in the gate was a judge. This is the place where Lot had come. Externally, one might say he had succeeded greatly. On one hand, being a judge is a position of great authority. Generally, only the very wise attain to this position. Surely something about him must have commended him to the people of Gomorrah to put him in that position. On the other hand, some might even say that he had found himself in a position of being able to do great good in an awful city. But one really must ask, Why was he even there in the first place?

While Lot sat in the gate of Gomorrah, Abraham continued in the ways of God. One day, as he sat in his tent, the LORD appeared to him. Many things were discussed. The last topic about which God spoke was the impending judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham, certainly knowing that Lot was there, pleaded with God for the city. God promised that if there were 10 people that were righteous in that city, He would not judge it. Abraham was satisfied that Lot would be spared. After all, Lot was married and had at least four children. That makes six people that were surely righteous. The four children were themselves married. That makes ten. And perhaps the children had children.

The LORD sent His angels to the city. When they arrived, Lot insisted that these "men" spend the night in his house. He knew the kind of people that lived in the city. As they slept, the men of the city surrounded Lot’s home, hoping to take advantage of the visitors. The angels instructed Lot to warn his two married daughters, and their husbands, that judgment was about to fall. Scripture tells us that they thought he was talking foolishly, and ignored him. Ten, take away four, makes six. The other two daughters were not married. Take away two, makes four.

After all was said and done, only Lot and his two unmarried daughters survived the judgment that fell on Sodom and Gomorrah. Even his wife was judged. She turned to look back, which action God warned against. To make matters worse, his two unmarried daughters both ended up with child because of him.

All of this detail of Lot’s life underlines a particular phrase in the verse above, "...the LORD being merciful unto him..." The whole verse emphasizes this concept, for God was doing all to get Lot, his wife, and his two daughters out of Sodom and Gomorrah before He judged the place. The angels finally took them by their hands and escorted them out. That was why the angels were sent to him. God’s judgment was going to fall, and He wanted Lot and his family out of the way. There apparently were at least four righteous in the town, and they were put by God in a place where they would be safe from the judgment.

Paul, when speaking to the Romans, says of God, "...He saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." The fact that God chose to have mercy on Lot is certainly a choice that God can make. But in the book of 2 Peter we read that God "..turn(ed) the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow ... and delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (for that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds)..." Regardless of how the life of Lot looks from what we find in the book of Genesis, God’s view of the matter is that Lot was righteous.

That is why God had mercy; that is why Lot was spared judgment. With this information it is clear that righteousness is a desirable thing, for it spares from judgment. Yet, speaking of humanity, Paul tells the Romans that there is none righteous, no, not one. How could it be that Lot was righteous?

Genesis 15 tells us that Abraham "...believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness." Lot had contact with Abraham, and knew that he had left his father’s lands at God’s command. In spite of what his poor choices seem to indicate, Lot knew Who God was, and must surely have believed in Him. The quantity that pleases God is faith (without faith it is impossible to please Him). It must be that Lot believed in God, for God would not have accepted him except on the basis of faith. So, God’s mercy to Lot was on the basis of his faith (in spite of his choices).

Paul tells the Corinthians that, "For he (God) hath made him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (Jesus)." The same basis for right standing before God is open for us. Through Jesus Christ, through believing in Him, we are counted as righteous, and God will be merciful to us. Even in our darkest hours, even if they are of our own making, just as God was merciful to Lot, so will He be to all that trust in (believe in) Him. And, consistent with the things that we have considered, we are told, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." Through Jesus, we are saved from God’s wrath against our sin, and we are accounted as righteous! Therefore, God is merciful to us. Praise His name!

"Crimes of such horror to forgive,
Such guilty, daring worms to spare;
This is Thy grand prerogative,
And none shall in the honor share"

HJK