At dawn, “the angels became urgent with Lot,” with a view to his taking immediate action. What was his response? “He kept lingering.” But “then in the compassion of Jehovah upon him,” the angels swiftly conducted Lot, his wife and his two daughters out of the city. Then they were urged on with the words: “Escape for your soul! Do not look behind you. . . . Escape to the mountainous region for fear you may be swept away!”

Yet, Lot was in no hurry to get out of Sodom, where certain of his interests lay. He had to be urged and even taken by the hand. (Gen. 19:16) Reflecting on Lot’s escape, we may well ask ourselves: Are we really out of sympathy with ungodly, law-defying people? And, to escape, are we willing to place greater emphasis on spiritual interests than on supposed material advantages?​—Matt. 6:33.

17. (a) In reflecting on the matters just discussed, what lesson should we take to heart? (b) What words of Jesus help us, as his followers, to evaluate our position with regard to the present system of things?

¹⁷ Here is a lesson that we can take to heart. Let us not pursue a righteous course in just a passive way, being content with avoiding actual bad conduct. Never should we linger and see how close we can stay to the edge of this wicked system of things, keeping on good terms with it and trying to get all its material advantages and all the “fun” out of it that we can. That Jesus’ followers were not to be worldly in attitude was made evident when Christ said in prayer to God: “I have given your word to them, but the world has hated them, because they are no part of the world, just as I am no part of the world.”​—John 17:14.