Was Lot of the Bible a Righteous Man?

Lot was considered “righteous” because he was a direct Descendant of Abraham, who most likely taught him the ways of the Lord. Through Abraham’s teachings, was Lot made righteous. However; Lot became disobedient to God when he moved to Sodom where “the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly” (Gen. 13:13). When you consistently surround yourself with bad company you begin to think like them. That’s exactly what happened to lot. Also Lots daughter weren’t children (which didn’t make the situation better but still an important fact).

All sin is detestable unto God, and if God was to respond to all sin by immediate punishment he will. There is also concept of Sowing and Reaping. Lot reaped what he sown by living in the midst of blatant sin by dealing with the reality of his daughters later successfully conspiring to get pregnant by him (getting him pretty much black out drunk and having sex with him). He planted a bad seed on himself and his family.

Lot was a righteous man who backslid. Earthly Righteousness doesn’t make you immune to making stupid decisions. Good people go bad all the time keeping it real. Scripture said in the New Testament:

“But he (God) saved Lot from those cities. Lot, a good man, was troubled because of the filthy lives of evil people. (Lot was a good man, but because he lived with evil people every day, his good heart was hurt by the evil things he saw and heard.)”

• 2 Peter 2:7-8 **NOTE: Some translations say that Lot was “vexed”, meaning “to make trouble for; to treat roughly; to afflict or oppress with evils.” 

Think about the things that Lot saw on a day to day basis living in Sodom. Think about the wicked and corrupt behavior Lot witnessed day after day, which greatly troubled him as he strove to obey God. Imagine the worldly pulls and peer pressure he had to battle and endure as he interacted with neighbors, merchants, civic leaders and other citizens. Ezekiel 16:49-50 states that ancient Sodom’s “iniquity” was “pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness,” as well as being “haughty” and failing to care for and “strengthen the hand of the poor and needy”. Kind of sounds like America in many ways lol.

Though he was a believer, Lot had to learn that “evil communications [companionship] corrupt good manners [morals, character]” (I Cor. 15:33). The Bible has much to say about this:

• “Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man you shall not go: Lest you learn his ways, and get a snare to your soul” (Prov. 22:24-25).
• “Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence” (Prov. 4:14-17).
• “He that walks with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed” (Prov. 13:20).
• “Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding” (Prov. 9:6).
• “Wherefore come out from among them, and be you separate, says the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you” (II Cor. 6:17).
• “Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful” (Psa. 1:1).
• “I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers. I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked” (Psa. 26:4-5).
• “Come out of her, My people, that you be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues” (Rev. 18:4).

In Conclusion, Lot was a Righteous Man who had an extremely bad case of peer pressure. We are called to be in the World, to be God’s instruments to save it. Being surrounded by sinners or the unsaved is a part of life and our job as believers. But if we are constantly are surrounding ourselves with Sinful Lifestyles eventually the flesh will be fed causing one to also engage in sinful acts. Keep the Lord’s words at heart and watch the company you keep.

Additional Information on Lot

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