Lot, the nephew of Abraham, makes for an interesting study. He had the advantage of being exposed to the life and influence of Abraham: a great hero of faith, the "friend of God" (James 2:23). However, through a series of unwise decisions, he lost everything of value. After choosing the well-watered plain of the Jordan as a place to feed his flocks, Lot eventually moved into Sodom and took his place at the gate of the city. He fled the city before it was destroyed, but lost his wife as she turned and looked back. Afterward, his daughters got him drunk, lay with him, and had sons by him who turned out to father two enemy nations of Israel.

We do not look upon Lot with much respect or favor, but the Bible describes him as a righteous man. Abraham is referring to his nephew when he asks God to spare the city for the sake of the "righteous" individuals who are present (Gen. 18:23-32). Notice also Peter's estimation of Lot in 2 Peter 2:7-8. "And delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)."

We struggle with this, don't we? How could a righteous man choose to live in Sodom? How could a righteous man offer to give his virgin daughters to satisfy a mob of men intent upon raping his guests? We don't see much righteousness in Lot at all, but it must have been there for the inspired Scriptures to call him "righteous."

Perhaps the statement from the apostle Peter clarifies this for us. We are told that Lot was "oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked" and that his righteous soul was tormented everyday by seeing and hearing the lawless deeds of those around him. Think about that for a moment. We don't know why Lot stayed in Sodom. We don't know why he made some of the decisions that he made. However, he never got to the point that he was "ok" with the things going on around him. They oppressed and tormented him. The word "oppressed" is translated from a Greek word that means to subdue, wear out, or exhaust. "Tormented" is translated from a Greek word that refers to mental affliction or torture.

Does sin bother you? Does it bother you to hear filthy language, see sexually suggestive or explicit images, or to witness violence and cruelty? Sometimes I hear my brethren claim, "These things don't bother me." Well, such statements should be alarming to us. When do we stop being righteous people? Perhaps it is when we stop being bothered by the unrighteousness that we see and hear. When our conscience becomes calloused to the sins of the world, we have lost something that God intends for us to maintain - the ability to be oppressed and tormented by the filthy conduct of wicked people.

Each of us has the opportunity to live in Sodom today. We don't have to move to a city that is notorious for sin. The filthy conduct of the wicked can be funneled into our homes and hearts through the internet, the television, and other entertainment formats. We can expose ourselves to every curse word, dirty joke, sexual perversion, act of hate and violence, etc., imaginable. How much of it do we tolerate? The next time we hear ourselves say, "That doesn't bother me," we should stop and take notice. We might not be as righteous as Lot.