And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great. (Gen 19,11)
And the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing? (Gen 18,17)

We can have many objections to Abraham, noting his failures in his life, which are not few, but honestly, who among us would have thrown the first stone? Because through it all, we see in him a man who repeatedly raises his head to look up. He seeks contact with the invisible, he worships the God who has revealed himself to him. And he sought him even in the moments when he seemed distant, in his moments of inner emptiness and silence. It may seem surprising, but faith is inextricably linked to emptiness and silence, or rather to the ability to persevere precisely in the moments when we cannot see, touch, or hear. When we have nothing to rely on, when the experiences of the inner touch we have had have ceased, and we are left alone in a dark valley, crowded together as in a dark tunnel that leads us through events rushing at us from all sides, while what we had hoped for until now seems impossible - that is when what we call faith must manifest and grow. It is not always difficult to believe - however, the times when it is difficult simply occur in life! Moments of inner emptiness call for one to believe God against all odds. And as much as Abraham was just a fallible man, he gradually reached heights along the way.

Not so Lot. In terms of the outside world, he may have been more outwardly successful (in the Las Vegas of that time), with a house and status to show off. But he had lost his inner contact with God. He didn't trade him for idols, but he no longer had living contact with him. As a result, his inner vision became clouded and he ceased to see, to discern.

Notice the vast difference: Abraham does not live in Sodom, but he knows what awaits it. He knows this because of his deep communion with God. Lot lives in Sodom, is touched by it in a very personal and fatal way - and yet he does not know what is coming. Because he had lost living contact with God, he became blinded internally long before it happened to the men around his house.