There are not many personalities in the Bible that have successfully confused me. But Lot is one of them. When I read about him, I honestly can’t place where he falls. He seems like one of those people who are Christians with a touch of compromise. If Scripture hadn’t clearly called him a righteous man, I would have concluded otherwise (2 Peter 2:7-8).
His story is quite sad. I have always wondered: why didn’t he just go back to Abraham? This was a man who had once lived under the covering of a covenant. A man whose cousin, Abraham, risked his own life and mobilised 318 men to rescue him when he was taken captive (Genesis 14:14-16). Abraham would have taken him back in a heartbeat. He wouldn’t have even thought twice. So why didn’t Lot return? Why did he stay?
There’s only so much evil you can look at without eventually becoming like it. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Do not be misled, bad company corrupts good character.” Yes, maybe he personally remained righteous. Maybe his daughters were technically virgins and didn’t lie with the men of Sodom, but Sodom still got into them (Genesis 19:4-8, 30-36).
How else do you explain two “virgin” ladies able to conceive the idea of getting their father drunk and raping him? That’s not righteousness. That’s rot. Lot didn’t succeed in keeping his home immune from the corruption around them.
And what about the moment he offered his daughters to a mob of violent men just to protect his guests? That’s one part of the story I’ve never really understood (Genesis 19:6-8). If he was so keen on protecting strangers, why didn’t he sacrifice himself instead? Why did the dignity and safety of his guests matter more than that of his daughters?
To understand this, we need to remember the cultural context. In ancient Near Eastern hospitality customs, protecting guests was considered sacred, sometimes even above protecting one’s own family. Hospitality was a binding social contract, where violating the safety of a guest was one of the worst offenses. This doesn’t justify Lot’s action; rather, it highlights the extreme moral confusion in Sodom. His choice reflects a sad prioritization born out of fear and a distorted value system shaped by the environment he lived in. What I see in his story is a painful example of compromised righteousness, where even a ‘righteous man’ can make terribly flawed decisions under pressure and cultural influence.
Atmospheres Can Impact Your Family Positively or Negatively
When we read the story of Lot in Genesis, many of us focus on how he escaped destruction. He did, in fact, leave Sodom. But the real tragedy isn’t just what happened in Sodom, it’s what Sodom left in his family. Lot and his daughters escaped the destruction of Sodom (Genesis 19:29).
But it was too late.
Sodom had already entered them. Lot lost his family long before Sodom burned. Sodom didn’t burn down his home; it just revealed what was already smouldering. They left physically, but not emotionally. Their bodies were out, but their hearts were left behind.
Lot’s decision to go and also remain in Sodom may have seemed practical; the land was fertile and promising. But “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12). The problem wasn’t just Sodom. The problem was that no new culture was established in its place.
The hard truth is that Lot failed as a father long before fire rained down. He failed the moment he raised his daughters in a culture he didn’t want them to be consumed by. It reminds me of something I once heard: “You can’t protect your children from a city you’re still flirting with.” You can’t be doing business at the gates of Sodom and still hope your children will grow up to be New Jerusalem. Some of us are like that.
We want our kids to be on fire for God, but we’re lukewarm and comfortable.
We want them to be safe from the world, but we’re still trading at its gates.
We want them to shine, but we don’t want to leave the dim place we’ve adapted to.
Sincerely, we cannot ignore the impact of atmosphere. It’s like a house surrounded by flies. Even if you close the windows and lock the doors, one will eventually find its way in. Galatians 5:9 says, “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” Atmosphere shapes us. More importantly, it shapes our children. “Bad company corrupts good character” (1 Corinthians 15:33).
What we tolerate eventually trains the next generation.
We can be righteous and still raise children who have no anchor if we ignore the subtle shaping power of environment.
The part that puzzles me is that Lot had a window of escape when Abraham rescued him, that would have been the time to leave Sodom for good (Genesis 14:14-16). That was his divine escape. A moment to go back and say, “Cousin, please… let me remain with you. I thought I could handle that place, but I can’t. It’s not just about me anymore. I have a family now.” But he stayed (Genesis 19:15-16).
When I read that Lot lingered while trying to escape Sodom, it made sense to me. That’s what a lot of us do when trying to make life changes.
You know you need to leave.
You know the place is dangerous.
You know it’s unhealthy.
But your eyes have adjusted to the darkness and darkness has a way of rewarding those who settle.
The spiritual environment we create for our children is a matter of life and death.
As parents, our choice to remain ‘near Sodom’, whether physically, emotionally, or in values, risks our family’s future. It’s only a matter of time before you fully ‘move’ into Sodom.
Lot’s journey into compromise was gradual:
He first pitched his tent near Sodom (Genesis 13:12),
Then moved closer until he was living in the city and
Was carried off with its people during a raid (Genesis 14:12).
Eventually, he had a house there (Genesis 19:2–3) and
was found sitting at the city gate (Genesis 19:1) a position typically reserved for leaders and officials, implying that Lot had become a recognized figure within Sodom despite its corruption.
Dear parents, the best way to protect your children is to leave Sodom early. Not just physically, but emotionally. Leave the value systems. Leave the excuses. Leave the delay. Leave the love for comfort over righteousness. Even if your children don’t understand it now, one day they’ll thank you.
I’ve had people tell me, “You’re too strict,” “Let children be children,”. Hmmm… I’ve also heard mothers cry and say, “I wish I taught them early,” “I wish I didn’t allow that phone,” “I wish I didn’t let them stay in that school,” “I wish I followed that nudge to pray when they were asleep…”
Don’t be the parent who knows what’s coming but can’t get your children to come out.
Don’t be the parent who had time to warn but never took it seriously.
This is not to say that you should become a paranoid parent who doesn’t allow your children to leave your sight. But it is a strong reminder that while you may be saved, your child is still forming. While you may know how to navigate evil and not be overcome by it, your child is still learning to know the difference between good and evil.
