This article is not easy to write. The reason is that reading the phrase “righteous Lot” seems contradictory. How can we think that a man who chose to live in Sodom is righteous (Gen. 13-19)? How can we believe that a man who defended strangers in town (who later revealed themselves to be angels) by offering his daughters to a mob is righteous (Gen. 19:1-12; Heb. 13:2)? How can we fathom that a man who was made drunk so his daughters might commit incest with him is righteous (Gen. 19:30-38)?

            Calling Lot “righteous” might be hard for us to do, but it wasn’t hard for God to do (II Pet. 2:7-8). How can God say this? Is He ignoring sin? I am not saying I have the “one and only answer,” but could I suggest a few thoughts I have had concerning Lot in this context?

            First, God is the biographer who presents His characters “warts and all.” He is a true journalist, telling us only the facts about people. What did they do? Where did they fail? God lets us know, and this is the way it is with Lot. II Peter 2 affects me because when I read this chapter, Lot becomes “real.” He becomes “human” to me. He is not someone who went into Sodom in ignorance (Gen. 13:10-12). The “men of Sodom were wicked and sinners,” and I am sure Abraham and Lot knew this. Since we are not told Lot’s thought process beyond the attraction of the land (v. 10), we can only assume his reasoning. Since God called Lot righteous, and a man “vexed” at the people’s wickedness, I have to assume that he thought he might be able to change the people when he moved into the city (Gen. 14:12). He even became someone of prominence in the area (Gen. 19:1, 9). Did he think that this position might make it possible for him to turn the people to God? God says their wickedness “vexed his righteous soul” daily (II Pet. 2:8). “Vexed” means torture or torment (Strong’s). Therefore, in Genesis 13-19, we read about a man who was agonizing over the people, and no doubt agonizing as he thought he might be able to change them.

            Sadly, we see how this did not work. Lot and his girls left Sodom, but Sodom never left the girls (Gen. 19:30-38). By the end of Genesis 19, we read of a broken man, and might I say a depressed man as well? He’s lost everything but his girls. While having your children is a great blessing, I see a man focused on loss. He came into Sodom a rich man, and left a pauper (Gen. 13:5-7, 19:15-29). He came in married and left a widower (Gen. 19:26). Might I venture to say Lot entered this area and idealistic man, and left in depression? Notice how the angels had to drag Lot and his family out of town (Gen. 19:16)! Could he have thought that one more day might have made the difference? Thus, now sitting with his daughters in a cave, he has given up! When we think about this perspective, Lot takes his place with many righteous people in the Bible who became depressed at the reality of sin that surrounded them.  

            The Bible says the reason God had the angels drag this man and family out of town is that the Lord was “merciful unto him” (Gen. 19:16). For a long time, I thought mercy was shown because of his uncle. Perhaps this was a factor. Based on II Peter 2, however, I believe God is merciful because of Lot’s righteous soul. God saw and knew what Lot had been doing for years (Prov. 15:3; Jer. 23:24; Heb. 4:13). Thus, God extended mercy to a man “vexed” at the wickedness of the people and powerless to change them!

            Is this the quintessential answer to II Peter 2:7-8? Of course, not, but I do believe Peter’s second letter demands we look at Lot again and see him as a three-dimensional person, as we all are. God, knowing all sides, shows us how to be merciful. Let us follow that example. Yes, people need to repent of their sin, and yes, we will answer for unrepented sin (Acts 17:30; II Pet. 3:9; Lk. 13:3, 5). However, let us not be so quick to judge people’s decisions when we do not know their motivation or other factors that led to their decision. For the record, I do not agree with Lot’s decisions, especially those highlighted in the first paragraph! However, why did he do these things? Except for the drunken incest, I believe God, through Peter, gives us insight into a flawed man’s motivation. I might not have done what Lot did, but then again, maybe I am doing what he did at times. Perhaps I am holding out hope on a situation that is hopeless? Do I think “one more day” is what is needed? What do I do after that day has come and gone, and nothing has changed? Perhaps I am waiting on someone or on a situation that has passed me by? Maybe it is time for me to face reality on some situations in my life because things are not changing and are not going to change?

Friend, When you reach the point where you can understand you have acted like Lot, then please don’t act like Lot and descend into a depression, which can lead to even more sin (Gen. 19:30-38). Please look to God for strength (Ps. 110:1-2), for courage (Josh. 1:6, 9), for hope (Rom. 8:24), for forgiveness (Acts 2:38), and acceptance (Jas. 4:8). Remember, God has not been able to preserve all of His children for Heaven. Therefore, let us not think we will have a 100% success rate. Let us remember our responsibilities before God and make sure our righteous souls are prepared for Heaven and look for those who will listen, who will obey, and who appreciate the truth of God’s word (Mk. 16:15; II Tim. 2:2).

- Jarrod M. Jacobs

            Peter, by inspiration, gives Noah a unique description. He calls Noah a “preacher of righteousness” in II Peter 2:5. The word “preacher” in this text means what we think it means. “Preacher” is from the Greek word meaning, “herald of divine truth” (Strong’s). Is this the usual picture we have in our minds when we think of Noah? If not, it should be!

            Noah is well-known as the man who “found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Gen. 6:9). God instructed him to build an ark so that he might save his family from the coming Deluge (Gen. 6:14; Heb. 11:7). The Ark he built sometime in the years between his 500th and 600th birthday (Gen. 5:32, 7:11), served the purpose of saving land animals as well as the humans that chose to join him (Gen. 6:19-22, 7:2-3, 7-9; I Pet. 3:20). Again, when we think about Noah, we might think “obedience,” or “shipwright” or “faithful,” or other worthy descriptions, but when was he ever a “preacher”? 

            Perhaps our confusion on this subject results from the fact that we forget that we’re not told about Noah until he was 500 years old (Gen. 5:32). What was he doing during the five centuries prior to the Ark? Was he following in the example of great-grandpa Enoch (Gen. 5:22-24; Heb. 11:5; Jude 14-15)? Was he warning people about their wickedness and sin? We are not told explicitly, but praise such as “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Gen. 6:9) does not come for no reason!

            Don’t forget that Noah built the Ark during his 500th and 600th year (Gen. 5:32, 7:11). Since folks hadn’t seen such a thing before (Heb. 11:7), if they came to Noah and asked what he was doing, was this not an “open door” to preach and warn people about what was to come? I think he did a lot of preaching in those years!

            Lastly, once off of the Ark, what do we see Noah doing? The first thing he did was stop and worship God (Gen. 8:20). Wouldn’t the preaching of Noah have to continue? He lived another 350 years after the Flood (Gen. 9:28-29)! Therefore, he had to tell future generations who had not been on the Ark about God’s covenant (Gen. 9:8-11), the rainbow’s connection (Gen. 9:12-17), not to murder (Gen. 9:6), not to eat blood (Gen. 9:4), not to mention God’s plan for marriage (Gen. 2:18-25) and many other things. As patriarch, he would have had such a responsibility to warn and instruct.

            When thinking about it in this light, how could we not think of Noah as a preacher? He knew what God said, and he spoke it and lived it before the people. Noah’s righteous example was recorded for us to follow (Rom. 15:4). We need to be preaching God’s word (II Tim. 2:2). We need to speak it and live it daily. We have many to influence and bring to the Lord before the coming destruction -- not by water, but by fire (II Thess. 1:6-9)! Are you preaching like Noah?

- Jarrod M. Jacobs

Nehemiah 5 records a sad event in the history of God’s people. As the wall was being built, and the people united against a common enemy, Nehemiah records that the “nobles and the rulers” (v. 7) were guilty of oppressing their countrymen. They did this by charging usury (KJV) or interest against their people. Think: Loan sharks!

The affected people came to Nehemiah, crying out against this treatment. Why had they gotten out of the bondage of Xerxes only to trade it for bondage to their brethren? Sons and daughters were sold into servitude so landowners could pay the interest they had accrued (Neh. 5:5). This was wrong, and Nehemiah condemned the “nobles and the rulers” for their behavior (Neh. 5:7, 9).

There had been a famine (Neh 5:3), and though there were people who needed to buy grain or other things, those making the loans could have left off charging their brethren interest (v. 10). Can you imagine the decline in morale as the work of wall-building is taking place, and then those trying to build the wall cannot work because of how their brethren are treating them! In this chapter, we see that it was not what Sanballat, Tobiah, and the others had done that was killing them. This issue was internal!

How are we treating our spiritual brethren? Christ says the world will know we are His disciples when they observe the love we show our brethren (Jn. 13:34-35). Loving the brethren is more than words. It is also action (I Jn. 3:18)! What does the world see in us? What do we see in each other (Phil. 2:3)? Friend, how can a man love God whom he hasn’t seen if he doesn’t love the brethren he has seen (I Jn. 4:20)?

Have we noticed that often we treat strangers better than we treat those we know the best? Just observe and contrast how we treat a stranger in town with how we treat a family member at home. Why the difference? Similarly, some treat their brethren in harsh ways. Do we backbite? Gossip? Treat them cruelly? Why is this? Aren’t we supposed to be heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17)? Why then, do brethren treat those we are supposed to spend eternity with worse than the people who have rejected God? Please understand, our work is to love all men without partiality (Jas. 2:8). So, why are we not completing our work?

Let’s take a moment for some self-examination (II Cor. 13:5). How are you treating your brethren? Are you treating them with love (Matt. 22:39)? Are you treating them as you want to be treated (Matt. 7:12)? If not, why not? Why are you not willing to treat those whom God loves with respect? Don’t act like the “nobles and the rulers” did. Instead, read Romans 12:9-21 and treat fellow-Christians in a manner that respects them and God!

I am thankful to see that when confronted by Nehemiah about their behavior, the “nobles and the rulers” repented (Neh. 5:11-12). What will we do if we examine ourselves (II Cor. 13:5; Jas. 1:22-25) and see that we are guilty?

- Jarrod M. Jacobs

In my opinion, one of the most stirring images in Nehemiah is when the men were building the walls while also preparing to repel an attack from Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabians, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites (Neh. 4:7-23). The Scripture says they made their prayer to God and then took action. As the men worked, they also carried weapons in case of the enemy’s attack (v. 18-20).

What unity! What determination! What zeal! What faith!

As I have contemplated those people’s actions, I thought about the parallel between God’s people then and today. Those of us who are God’s children today need to take a lesson from God’s people in the past (Rom. 15:4). As Christians (Mk. 16:16; Acts 11:26), we need to remember that we have a dual role! We need to build up our brethren (Eph. 4:11-12; I Thess. 5:11; Eph. 4:29; Rom. 14:19). We also need to put on “the whole armor of God,” which includes using “the sword of the Spirit” in our spiritual combat (Eph. 6:13-18; II Cor. 10:3-5)!

As we build, remember that “your adversary the devil” (I Pet. 5:8) continues to wage war against the people of God. His flaming arrows (Eph. 6:16) are continually shot at those who are doing the will of God. Were you aware there was a war going on? We must “fight the good fight of faith” (I Tim. 6:12). At the same time, we need to “admonish the undisciplined, comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient toward all” (I Thess. 5:14, NET). Are you doing this?

Are we building with one hand and holding a weapon in the other? If not, why not? God’s people in the past did it, and God’s people need to continue in this work today!

- Jarrod M. Jacobs

After yesterday’s study, I got to thinking more about all of the names in Nehemiah chapter three. Why did God want His writers to include lists of names from time to time? Why do we read all of those names in Genesis 5 and 10? Why do we read all the names in Exodus 6:14-30 or in the Chronicles? Why name people in Nehemiah, chapters three and seven? Why all of the names in Matthew 1, Luke 3, Romans 16, Hebrews 11, and other places throughout the Scripture?

One answer is that on several occasions, these names are recorded, so we see the genealogy that brings us from Adam to Christ. This is true (Heb. 7:14; Isa. 11:1-2; Gen. 49:10). At other times, however, this is not the case. In our reading, the names in Nehemiah three and seven are not listed for this purpose.

In the case of Nehemiah, let me suggest that those names are listed as a memorial to special people. It memorialized those who served the Lord faithfully and some who did not “put … their necks to the work” (3:5)! The overwhelming majority, however, stand out for their work in rebuilding a wall that had been in ruins for decades! We might think of it as a memorial to them and their sacrifice. This list is not unlike the list of names found in Romans 16 or Hebrews 11, where we read a “hall of fame” of sorts of faithful people.

If you have not done so, spend some time in Nehemiah chapters three and seven and some of the other Scriptures cited above. You would be well-served to take some time and study the people named in those books. Don’t get intimidated by their pronunciation. Instead, look up these people in a Bible dictionary or other Bible study book and see what you can learn about these faith heroes. You might be surprised to learn these people’s connection with the overall narrative of the Bible, and how, at times, their lives intertwine with the lineage of Christ!

Besides this, a study of these people will inspire us to higher service to God. After all, if they endured the hardships they did and remained faithful, does this not show me that I can do it as well (Heb. 12:1; Rom. 15:4)?

- Jarrod M. Jacobs