Our Flights to Egypt

Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"...and they went ... on their way to Egypt to escape the Babylonians." Jeremiah 41:17,18

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear. "Ambrose Redmoon

Confucius said "The man of courage is never afraid," but I disagree. To lack fear in the face of danger is a quick ticket to the next life. Fear is normal, natural, and healthy; it spurs us to survive. As Dan Rather said, "Courage is being afraid but going on anyhow." Courage is not ignorance, and lack of fear. Courage is going forth in spite of fear because we are doing what is right, regardless of the very real consequences to us. But sometimes even the courageous, even those who trust in our Father, are called upon not to fight but flee.

Fight or Flee. The two natural responses to stress (danger) are fight and flee (or we can do freeze, like a deer in headlights, and die). Our body and mind both equip us to fight or flee. When in danger, a "super fuel" called epinephrine pumps through our body to help us fight harder or flee faster. This super fuel is what explains amazing news stories about petite women lifting wrecked cars to save a loved one (this has been reported in the U.S., Britain, and China!).

"Fear and courage are brothers." A proverb

Courage is Obedience Courage is not lack of fear but discernment, and obedience in spite of fear, for sometimes our Father tests us by having us do the exact opposite of what we want to do. Myself, for example--from my youth I was interested in Australia, South America, and Africa, and had zero interest in Asia. But here I am (nd happy to be here, too). But we are all tempted to flee to Egypt at times--which is fine, if it is His timing. As Marvin Kitman said, "If God wanted us to be brave, why did He give us legs?

Our Egypts Egypt was the Bible's usual "land of refuge." Jacob fled famine by going to Egypt, where his son Joseph ruled. Uriah fled to Egypt to escape King Jehoiakim. Rehoboam fled to Egypt to escape Solomon. And sometimes we are even told to flee to Egypt. When Herod tried to kill the infant Jesus, God didn't remove the threat but warned Mary and Joseph to make a difficult, 200 mile ten day escape from Bethlehem to Egypt (Matthew 2:!3).

Return from Egypt. If we are called to an Egypt, we will also be called out of Egypt. "Out of Egypt I called my son." Matthew 2:15. Israel fled to Egypt to escape famine, but was also led out of Egypt after 400 years of captivity had refined Israel and cultivated the courage and conviction to seek change.

His Timing, His Purposes. Courage is not fearlessness but obedience, in spite of the consequences. Fighting for our own purposes and in our own strength is just as wrong as fleeing to Egypt out of fear, which shows our cowardice and lack of trust in our Father (and allies ourselves with Egypt instead of our Father).

Whatever God Wants, But... When the Israelites were fleeing the Babylonians, they asked Jeremiah, "Ask God if we should stay or flee. We will do whatever He tells you, so that he will bless us." They really laid it on, too, because they were desperate. In Jer. 42:2, they said, "We were once many but now few," so they said, "As God is our witness we will do anything he tells us to do, so He will bless us..."

Jeremiah came back ten days later to tell them that God promised to protect them and give them favor if they stayed put and did not flee their enemies, but to destroy them if they fled to the safety of Egypt. And the men who swore to do anything God asked said, "Liar! God never told you that! You're selling us out to the enemy!" (Jer. 43:3). And they fled to Egypt.

Fight or Flee? We too must sometimes fight and sometimes flee to Egypt. We need discernment about whether to make our stand or make our escape. Is it His battle, or just our own? Is it His timing, or our own?

Prayer, reading the Word, and good council are necessary. But once the way is clear, then we demonstrate our courage not by bravado and supposed lack of fear but by our obedience, whether it be to fight or flee (which sometimes is as hard as fleeing! Imagine Mary and Joseph and the infant Jesus making a 200 mile ten day journey to Egypt!).

In closing, it is almost Chinese New Year, and soon we'll be besieged by invitations to attend long and loud Chinese celebrations. I think this is the time to flee....

My Favorite Courage Quotes

"Bravery is being the only one who knows you're afraid." Franklin P. Jones

"Courage is tiny pieces of fear all glued together." Irisa Hail

"Wisdom, compassion, and courage are the three universally recognized moral qualities of men." Confucius

"Faced with what is right, to leave it undone shows a lack of courage." Confucius
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