Flee From/Flee To

If you are going to flee, do it right!

What?  Give me a chance to explain!

But first, let’s land on what it might mean to flee.  To flee is to run away from a place or situation of danger or evil.  It also means to hurry toward a place of safety.

So, here are some possible explanations:

1.  Flee when God tells you:

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”  (Matt 2:13)

 

2.  But don’t try to flee from God:

But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.  (Jonah 1:3)

  

3.  Flee from danger:

For they have fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, from the bent bow, and from the press of battle.  (Isa 21:15)

  

4.  But don’t try to flee from the dangerous messes or situations you created:

What will you do on the day of punishment, in the ruin that will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your wealth?  (Isa 10:3)

  

5.  Flee to a place of safety:

Raise a standard toward Zion, flee for safety, stay not, for I bring disaster from the north, and great destruction. (Jer 4:6)

  

6.  But don’t just try to flee to your “happy place”:

In the Lord I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, “Flee like a bird to your mountain,  (Ps 11:1)

  

7.  Flee from that which you know is detrimental:

So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.  (2 Tim 2:22)

 

 8.  Flee toward that which is helpful or beneficial:

Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord! I have fled to you for refuge.  (Ps 143:9

  

If you are going to flee, do it right!  How? 

In the book of Hebrews, we find this encouragement:  “so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.”  (Heb 6:18)

We flee away from that which we are supposed to flee from and we flee toward that which can provide the genuine safety and security we need.  And the only source of that is God Himself. 

So flee from and flee to…Him!