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An important aspect of the covenant is God’s remembering. In the Flood narrative, creation is saved because God remembers Noah (8:1). Israel is rescued in Egypt because God remembers the patriarchal covenant (Ex 2:24). In the present text, Lot and his family are saved because God remembers Abraham (19-29). God responds to Abraham’s intercession for Lot and demonstrates his grace by showing kindness to Lot for Abraham’s sake.
Abraham’s special relationship to God is articulated in 18:16-33 as Abraham intercedes for Sodom. V.19 implies a particular friendship and the esteem in which God holds Abraham. That such an esteem is mutual is evidenced in the patriarchal prayer, which exhibits Abraham’s faith in the justice of God (v.25), reverence and humility in his manner of address (v.27), and love for the inhabitants of the city. By contrast, Lot, who is probably a man of distinction in Sodom (19-1), is influentially impotent to dissuade Sodom from continuing in sin (18-20). In an attempt to show hospitality to God’s messengers, Lot succeeded only in placing his own daughters at risk. This further enraged the citizenry, and Lot had to be rescued by those whom he had sought to protect (19:4-11)! Lot was not able to carry any weight even with his own family members (v.14). His own indecision contributed to the final disintegration of his family (vv.16-20). Clearly, Lot is rescued not because of any virtue in him, but solely because of God’s love for Abraham. As such, the story serves to highlight an alternative view of God as One who shows patient mercy and grace to a reluctant convert within the broader context of One who punishes sin and destroys the children of disobedience. God is depicted as One who is not indifferent either to sin itself or to means whereby humankind can be rescued from its consequences.
The horrifying narrative closes with Abraham overlooking the quiet devastation of Sodom and Gomorrah (19:27-29). God’s judgment is vividly portrayed. It is an image Abraham is not likely to forget. Lot has fled to Zoar, and fear is his constant companion (v.30). His end is one of ignominy, and his legacy is Moab and Ammon (vv.31-38).