Although Lot is referred to by Peter as “righteous Lot,” he chose to live among the wicked in Sodom because he loved money and prominence. He was a double-minded man who wanted to serve God but who also decided to live with the people of a city that were exceedingly wicked and sinners against the Lord. I believe this is evident from the fact that Lot chose to live in the plain bordering the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 13:1-13). Once there, he moved into the city itself and became a part of its culture (Gen. 19:1). It’s true that he didn’t give up his belief in the high moral standards he had learned from his uncle Abraham, and he didn’t approve of the wicked things he saw and heard. But as an official at the city gate, he apparently had little impact on the wicked society of which he was a part.
Lot’s doublemindedness brought him much inner torment and rendered him spiritually powerless. He couldn’t even convince his sons-in-laws to leave Sodom before God’s judgment fell. Only he, his wife, and the two daughters escaped. And his wife died instantly when she looked back with her heart loving Sodom and disobeying God’s command. In the end, Lot lost the very things he wanted—God’s blessing and this world also. Lot made some decisions for his family that had eternal consequences, not just because of where he lived but that he made those decisions with eyes of flesh and not of faith. Pastor Mark