“Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly!... And they said, “Stand back!” Then they said, “This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.” (Gen 19,7.9)

Even though Lot had seen what was happening in the city and where things were going for many years, he still wanted to stay in Sodom. There may have been simple inertia, an unwillingness to change, a piece of comfort, though let's not forget that God sent His messengers to Sodom because of the violence that had long before cried out to heaven, and thus it was no longer a pleasant place to live. There were rational reasons for the change. But Lot, by breaking with Abram, had decided on a certain lifestyle, and Sodom was fitting into it, even as the prestigious address of that lifestyle. People have a habit of defending their initial decisions in the face of uncertainty, of persuading themselves with selectively viewed arguments: perceiving only what they want and not perceiving what contradicts it.

Lot, meanwhile, managed to suppress his doubts and reconcile them with the reality he witnessed every day. Although he was inwardly becoming more and more distant from the surrounding inhabitants, he was still seeking agreement and consensus towards them. Perhaps it was this trait of character - the need for contact with people, the desire to be among them, not to be alone - that attracted him more than the socially somewhat impoverished life in Abram's camp.

The crowd gathered around his house, Lot went out to address them, calling them "brothers". It was certainly by purpose at the time, in an effort to find a positive response from them. But on the other hand, if he had done it now for the very first time, he would probably have suspected that it would not work. Rather, this was how he really saw himself and how he wanted to be seen - among his own, as among his "brothers". To be accepted, to be part of the group, not to remain out as an outsider.

But how do they answer him! - "Get lost!" And they threatened, "He is only here as a guest and will act as a judge!" Everything must have really collapsed for Lot in one moment. All the false image he had of his stay in Sodom, all the arguments he had used to delude himself that it was not so bad. It was bad; it was much worse. Now he saw clearly the whole truth: The people of Sodom literally hated him, and in fact had never accepted him into their midst. They hated him for being different. Although Lot had stood for their fellowship and had not acted as a prophet, a critic of their condition. Yet they see it differently - he is like their "judge". How is this possible? They were irritated that he did not engage in the same orgy with them: 'They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you.' (1Pt 4:4). But at the same time, because their consciences accused them, they saw it as their condemnation.

The scales fell from Lot's eyes, and in one evening he understood what he had been unwilling to admit for years. It was a mistake. His life in Sodom was definitely over.