What to Flee from and When to Flee | Previous Challenge Entry

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TITLE: What to Flee from and When to Flee | Previous Challenge Entry
By Lakella Davenport
10/08/25
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What to Flee from and When To Flee

Ecclesiastes 3:1- “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”

Although a time to leave and a time to stay is not explicitly stated in the poetic verses of scriptures in Ecclesiastes chapter three, it is implied in verse one of that chapter that there is a season and time for everything that occurs under the sun. From this first verse we can glean that there is a time, a season, and a purpose to stay and a time and a season and a purpose to leave.

There are many examples of this biblical truth illustrated throughout the Bible. The relationship between Sarai and her maid Hagar is a vivid example. Sarai had told her husband Abram to take her maid Hagar as his wife, so that she may have a child through Hagar. When Hagar finds out that she is pregnant by Abram, she despised Sarai. This upsets Sarai to the point that she treats Hagar harshly. As a result of being treated harshly by Sarai, Hagar bolts from her mistress Sarai’s face. Hagar ends up by a “fountain of water” in the wilderness “in the way to Shur,” (Genesis 16: 6-7). The angel of the Lord appears unto Hagar and tells her to return to Sarai and to submit to her hands. He also tells Hagar that she is pregnant with child and that the Lord will bless her by multiplying her seed exceedingly upon the earth (Genesis 16: 7-11).

This wasn’t the season for Hagar to flee and permanently leave her home with Sarai and Abram. However, later in Genesis chapter 21 verses 10-21, God approves of Hagar being cast out of Sarah and Abraham’s home because of contention between Ishmael and Sarah’s and Abraham’s only son Isaac.

What can we flee from and when can we flee?

We can flee from our enemies when our lives are in danger. The Bible gives several examples of the need to flee from our enemies when in danger. Jesus tells his disciples that it is okay to flee from persecution from their enemies. There is a time to flee from danger. “But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another […],” (Matthew 10:23). In John chapter 10 verses 39-40, Jesus bolts away for his life after the Jews took up stones to stone him because he told them that he was the Son of God (John 10:29-40). “Therefore, they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand. And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode,” (John 10:39-40).

When King Saul tried to kill David, David bolted or fled from King Saul to save his life on several occasions. On one occasion, in I Samuel chapter 19 verses 11-12, Michal (Saul’s daughter whom David married), helped David flee from her father Saul. “So, Michal let David down through a window: and he went, and fled and escaped,” (I Samuel 19:12).

Jacob bolted away from Esau, when Esau purposed in his heart to kill Jacob for taking his birthright and blessing (Genesis 27: 42-45, Genesis 28: 1-5, 7). Jospeh and Mary bolted away into the land of Egypt to hide the child Jesus from King Herod, who sought to take the child’s life (Matthew 2:13).

We must flee or bolt away from sin.

“Flee also youthful lusts […],” (2 Timothy 2:22). “Flee fornication, every sin that man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body,” (I Corinthians 6:18).Besides fleeing from literal sexual fornication, we must flee from spiritual fornication (the worshipping of idol gods—god’s other than the one true God, Yahweh).

Hebrews 12:1 tells us to lay aside every weight and every sin which doeth so easily beset us. Galatians 5:1 tells us not to be entangled in sin again.

How can we get the Devil to flee from us?

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you,” (James 4:7). “Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established,” (Proverbs 16:3). “[…] present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God,” (Romans 12:1-2).

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