image: Lot's wife (cc) CharlesFred

A while back, my bible study group went through Genesis 19 (Lot, Sodom/Gomorrah), and we discussed at length the notion that the Bible calls Lot righteous... yet we would *never* call him any such thing. There's not a single thing Lot does that we would say is good -- his choosing the "good" land over the "bad" land, his living among wicked people in the cities of Sodom/Gomorrah, his willingness to throw his daughters to lecherous men, his hesitation so the angels had to force him out of the city before they destroyed it, his whining that he couldn't make it to the mountains, his marrying a woman who clearly does not fear God's instruction (pillar of salt and all that), his fleeing the town of Zoar, even though he was told that he would be safe where he was, his getting stupid drunk, resulting in his daughters having sex with him... When you look at the text, there's no record of him calling out to God. Not even a single conversation. Not one.

Yet... he is counted as righteous. (2 Peter 2:7)

And for that, I have a VERY difficult time judging any man. After reading the text, I felt so convicted about the times I questioned the sincerity and even salvation of people that didn't seem "righteous enough." If Lot can be called righteous by God, who can we condemn?