The story of Sodom and Gomorrah reads like a grim headline that never stops repeating itself. The Bible describes a culture steeped in violence and sexual depravity, where the many preyed upon the few and no one dared to intervene. Kent Hughes paints the scene vividly: “The black rain of violent sexual perversion had fallen on all the men of Sodom… all the people to the last man, surrounded the house.” Imagine a mob so depraved that they demanded Lot hand over his guests for their own pleasure. The combination of sex and violence is nothing new; it has been the ruin of civilizations from Noah’s flood to modern times. Sodom was not destroyed simply because of lust but because of the total corrosion of human decency. In that sense, it was a preview of what happens when people trade the image of God for the impulses of the flesh.
It is almost shocking, then, that Peter refers to Lot as “righteous” three times in 2 Peter 2. That label seems generous for a man who pitched his tent near Sodom and eventually moved in. He chose comfort over conviction, prosperity over purity. His wife could not let go of the city’s glitter, and his daughters carried its corruption into the cave at Zoar. Yet Peter describes him as a man with a “tormented soul.” Lot’s story feels painfully familiar. Many of us live too close to our own Sodoms—enjoying their conveniences but vexed by their values. We are entertained by what offends us, and then wonder why our spirits feel restless. Like Lot, we are torn between what we love and what we know is right. The good news is that God’s mercy reaches even the conflicted heart. As one writer put it, “If you feel tormented by your sin, remember that God offers you a right to His mercy more than any other.” Lot’s rescue reminds us that divine grace is stubborn; it follows us into the messes we make.
That grace reaches its full expression in Jesus Christ. The angels who pulled Lot from Sodom prefigure the Savior who pulls us from our sin. Peter wrote, “The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials” (2 Peter 2:9). Jesus entered a world as corrupt as Sodom and faced its hatred without compromise. On the cross, He absorbed the world’s violence and perversion to offer peace and purity in return. Paul said, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Lot was righteous because God declared him so; we are righteous because Christ makes us so. Even when we live too close to Sodom, His mercy remains closer still.