But Lot hesitated. The men grabbed his hand, and those of his wife and two daughters, and dragged them along, leaving them outside the town. The Lord was kind to them to do this.
At dawn, the angels begged Lot to be quick, telling him, “Hurry up! Leave right now with your wife and your two daughters here, otherwise you'll be wiped out when the city is punished.”
The Lord passed in front of him, calling out, “Yahweh! Yahweh! I am the God of grace and mercy! I am slow to become angry, full of trustworthy love and always faithful.
I go on showing my trustworthy love to thousands, forgiving guilt, rebellion, and sin. But I will definitely not clear the wicked—the impact of sin will affect not only the parents, but also their children and grandchildren, up until the third and fourth generation.”
He suffered with them in all their suffering, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and kindness he redeemed them. He picked them up and carried them all throughout those years long ago.
The Lord is slow to become angry and is full of trustworthy love, forgiving sin and rebellion. However, he will not allow the guilty to go unpunished, bringing the consequences of the parents' sin on their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
But the tax collector stood at a distance. He wouldn't even look up to heaven. Instead he beat his chest and prayed, ‘God, please be merciful to me. I am a sinner.’
The Lord your God is a merciful God. He won't abandon you or destroy you or forget the agreement he made with your forefathers, confirmed by a solemn promise.
Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, and that the Lord your God led you out from there with his great power and incredible strength. This is why the Lord your God has ordered you to keep the Sabbath day.
However, because the Lord loved you and kept the promise he gave to your forefathers, He led you out by his power and rescued you from the prison-house of slavery, from the rule of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.
Joshua had told the two men who had gone to explore the land, “Go to the house of Rahab the prostitute and bring her out together with all her family, as you promised.”
As you can see, the Lord is able to rescue from their troubles those who respect him, and to keep the wicked until the day of judgment when their punishment is completed.