Flee These Things

Flee These Things.  The Continental Army, led by General George Washington, had suffered a lopsided loss at the Battle of Brooklyn. They found themselves pinned between the East River and the world’s superpower of that era, Britain. Under the leadership of British General Sir William Howe, the Redcoats were preparing a siege that would annihilate the overpowered and cornered Patriots. But that evening, August 29, 1776, Washington adapted. Lighting but then abandoning their campfires, the soldiers retreated toward the river under the cover of night. There, with skillful help from a regiment of fishermen from Massachusetts who muffled the noise of their oars with rags, Washington began ferrying 9,000 soldiers and all their equipment to safety under Howe’s very nose. When daylight arrived, though the maneuver was not yet complete, thick fog rolled in, preventing British cannons from sinking Washington’s makeshift flotilla. By retreating across the East River from Brooklyn to Manhattan that night, the Americans survived to fight another day and eventually won the War of Independence. New York was not the goal; independence was the goal. Sometimes a retreat is progress.

However, organizing and executing a large-scale retreat is one of the most difficult tasks a military leader can attempt. Without discipline and calm, the soldiers could easily scatter, thus alerting the enemy. Without leadership and cohesion, the soldiers could also easily lose their formation, thus trampling over their compatriots in a panic to escape. Retreating requires self-control in the moment and trust in the plan. Retreating is the pursuit of a better goal.

Joseph, a prince of Israel who became a slave in Egypt, might have reached the same conclusion as Washington: sometimes a retreat is progress. Sold by his jealous brothers to slavers, Joseph was sold again to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh (Gen. 39:1). After Joseph earned Potiphar’s trust, Potiphar’s wife repeatedly attempted to seduce Joseph. In fact, she commanded it! But each time, though he could not flee the scene completely, Joseph fled her pursuit (Gen. 39:12, 13, 15, 18). She finally caught Joseph’s garment and repeated her command: “But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house” (Gen. 39:12). Potiphar’s wife quickly changed her tactic with Joseph’s tunic in hand, accusing him of attempted rape (Gen. 39:15). Despite being thrown into prison, Joseph’s retreat proved to be progress. Escaping Potiphar’s house was not the goal; pleasing God was the goal. After retreating from Potiphar’s wife, Joseph soon became Potiphar’s boss (Gen. 41:43).

The very word, “flee,” that summarizes Joseph’s ultimate victory over temptation, is used by Paul several times in the New Testament. “Flee sexual immorality” (1 Cor. 6:18). “Flee idolatry” (1 Cor. 10:14). “Flee these things” (e.g., the love of money; 1 Tim. 6:11). “Flee youthful passions” (2 Tim. 2:22). Sometimes a retreat is progress toward a better goal: godliness.