2 Peter 2:7: And If He Rescued Righteous Lot, Greatly Distressed By The Sensual Conduct Of The Wicked

2 Peter 2:7

[7] And if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (ESV)

There are verses that, at first glance, cause us to be confused or perplexed. This is one of those verses. Peter describes Lot as righteous. Of all the adjectives that one could think of to describe Lot, the word "righteous" would not readily come to mind. Lot was Abraham's nephew who lived in the wicked city of Sodom. We will take a brief look at the narrative in Genesis.

Lot was living in a city that God said was going to be destroyed because of its wickedness. God sent two angels to Sodom to inform Lot of the coming judgment. The men of the city viewed the angels as men whom they had not yet had sexual relations with. They were banging on Lot's door, demanding to come in so that they could sexually assault these angels sent from God. Here is Lot's response:

Genesis 19:7–8:  "and said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. Behold, I have two daughters who have not known any man. Let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please. Only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.” Lot's response is to offer up his virgin daughters to be sexually assaulted by the men of Sodom.

It is hard for us to consider Lot to be a righteous man. He had lived in the land of Sodom for far too long. Peter mentions that Lot was distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked. One would wonder if he was distressed enough. Truthfully, there are many who belong to the Lord who are considered righteous in God's eyes who do not always act in a godly way. We will look more at that concept in the next verse,

We also live in a time where we are distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked around us. God will bring judgment. Look to him for ultimate deliverance. Our goal is heaven, where there will be no sin. Praise his name!