By all accounts, Lot was a little bit like a round peg in a square hole.
He didn’t belong in Sodom; in fact, the people there still called him an “alien” (Genesis 19:9). They didn’t appreciate, nor did they respect, Lot’s decision to protect his angelic visitors.
It comes as little surprise that when the angels instruct Lot to find “whomever you have in this city” and bring them out of it, that nobody went with him. The only record we have is of Lot, his wife, and his two daughters fleeing before the destruction.
In more ways than one, Sodom was a lonely place to live
Pilgrims on This Earth
The writer of Hebrews reflects on the nature of our earthly sojourn when he talks about those who “died in faith,” saying that their lives demonstrated that they were “strangers and exiles on this earth” (Hebrews 11:13).
This really shouldn’t surprise us. Jesus noted that we are “in the world, but not of the world” (John 17:16). We’re different; our lives reveal us to have a drastically different set of values than everyone else.
…Or does it? I know that in my life, I’ve been way too eager to conform to the world around me rather than stand out. I’ve “gone with the flow” when I know for a fact that I should’ve said something. Or done something.
In some way, I should’ve been different. And I wasn’t. And that’s my fault.
Lot’s Friends
When the angels tell Lot to go tell “everyone you have” to leave that place, the narrative goes suspiciously silent.
Lot goes to tell his sons-in-law about the situation, who automatically think it’s a joke. Then, morning dawns, and its apparent to the angels that Lot is stalling. Maybe he thinks its a joke too?
It’s possible that the “hesitation” on Lot’s fault was him finding his friends and telling them — who apparently didn’t believe him either.
Others have suggested that Lot went to go find his in-the-flesh sons and tell them about the judgment, who also didn’t believe him.
They claim that because the angels ask “Whom else do you have here?”, then list “a son-in-law” along with “your sons” and “your daughters.” If so, that casts an especially dark cloud over an already-dark saga.
Regardless, when he leaves, it’s just him, his wife, and his two daughters. By anyone’s estimation, the future that Lot hoped for in Sodom and Gomorrah never panned out. He never really fit in.
And honestly, that’s for the best.