[Biblemat] A> Make Your Escape

[Steven C. Harper]

From: TRUTH & REASON, a bulletin of the Glendale church of Christ, Glendale, AZ. 
Editor: Steven Harper 
September 2, 2007
Make Your Escape

 

     When Joseph was first tempted by Potiphar's wife, he willingly took the escape route God provided. To her initial temptation Joseph answered, "Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except yourself, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" (Gen. 39:8, 9). His first escape was answering the temptation by pointing out what it actually was: sin. But Potiphar's wife persisted! She tried daily to get him to lie with her, but he refused again and again (v. 10), taking the escape God provided each time. Then, one day she caught him alone with her and she literally grabbed him by his outer clothing (vv. 11, 12). Joseph had to go to 'Plan B'! This time, words were not going to be sufficient, so Joseph left his outer clothing behind and fled from her presence (v. 12). Joseph saw the open door and literally made his escape.

    Joseph was not tempted beyond his ability to endure, but was provided a way of escape every time. Note that he took the way of escape every time and, because of this, he did not sin. Yes, he ended up suffering because Potiphar's wife lied (39:13ff), but this was nothing for which Joseph should have been ashamed (cf. 1 Pet. 2:19, 20). Joseph's behavior was commendable to God!

    Consider the life of the man named Saul, who would become better known as the apostle Paul. Immediately after his conversion he was found in Damascus preaching Christ in the synagogues, that He was the Son of God (Acts 9:20). This must have highly irritated many of the Jews who were his partners just days before for they plotted to put him to death soon afterwards (v. 23). Paul was not tempted to quit preaching, however; a literal way of escape was provided by God when his brethren in Christ "took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket" (v. 25). Paul did not quit preaching because he chose to make his escape from the temptation to do so. You see, Paul believed eternal life was more important than even his physical life.

    When he and Barnabas were in Lystra, some Jews from Antioch and Iconium came up and stirred up the crowds against them and had Paul stoned, dragged out of the city, and left for dead (Acts 14:19). While this may have tempted some to give up preaching the gospel, Paul did not give up. We read in the very next verse that when the disciples gathered around him, "he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God" (vv. 20-22). [Paul could speak from very recent experience about that last line!] Paul's escape from the temptation to quit preaching allowed him to courageously continue, and many of his brethren were strengthened because he did.

    We could list many other trials that would serve as temptations to quit (cf. 2 Cor. 11:23-33), but let us sum it up like this: Paul did not ever succumb to the trials and persecutions that came because of his faith in Jesus Christ. In each case, he took the way of escape that allowed him to continue living a faithful life but, just as importantly, to also continue preaching the words of salvation. Imagine how much less the world would have been had he given up and allowed the temptation to quit overrule his desire to serve the Lord.

    And, of course, we must consider Jesus. Yes, Jesus was tempted. Despite some of the twisting [and willing denial and avoidance] of Scripture by some brethren within the last couple of decades, the Bible still says Jesus "in every respect has been tempted as we are" (Heb. 4:15); it still says, "because He Himself has suffered when tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted" (2:18). Jesus was tempted as we are, but He did not sin, and His example is certainly one worthy of note, if only to learn how He overcame every temptation. That example is one for us to follow (1 Pet. 2:21, 22).

    We know the story of how the devil came to Him after He had fasted forty days and forty nights. The enemy comes when we are weak, and with Jesus it was no different, but Jesus was prepared. When tempted to make bread for His physical needs, Jesus resisted with Scripture (Matt. 4:4); when He was tempted for pride's sake to throw Himself from the pinnacle of the Temple, Jesus resisted by using Scripture (v. 7); and when the devil offered Him the glory of all the kingdoms of the world if He would only bow to him, Jesus answered with Scripture yet again (v. 10). In each case, Jesus had a way of escape and He took it each time. We do not have a record of all the other times Jesus was tempted, but we know this was surely not the only time (Luke 4:13) and we know that Jesus made His escape every time. Let us learn that Scripture is often the best means of escaping temptation, which means [1] we must learn the Scriptures so we will have multiple means of escaping temptations and [2] we must learn to use those Scriptures if we really want to escape.

    Right now - somewhere out there - a brother is faced with a temptation to sin. Maybe he has lived a faithful life for years without such a temptation, but by chance and circumstance he has been led to where he now is. He always thought he would never be tempted to commit this sin, but that belief was really based on the faulty idea that he would never be in such a situation where he would be tempted; now that he is, he is having difficulty finding a way of escaping. He is discovering a desire he thought he had put to death long ago (Col. 3:5), and he is shaken to think that these desires have arisen within him, and he doesn't quite know what to do. The desires seem to be blocking out all that he knows and believes and he actually wants to fulfill these fleshly desires.

    He studies his Bible diligently and reminds himself of what the Scriptures do say about this particular temptation; by coincidence [?], he reads some articles that were recently written by brethren that deal with this particular temptation and hears a lesson by a preacher that addresses it, too. It seems that everywhere he looks now, someone is talking about this particular temptation - the dangers it presents to disciples and the answers for it. Still, the pull of the temptation is great and he finds himself in a precarious situation: he knows what is right, but his desires are just as strong. Now - as always - there are two options: give in to the temptation and face a certain end (Jas. 1:14, 15) or reject the temptation and become stronger.

    Maybe you have been this person. Maybe you are this person. If you are, please listen closely to these next few words.

    First, admit that the temptation is based on your own desire (Jas. 1:13, 14). If your desire is causing you problems, it is time to put to death those desires and set your mind on the heavenly things (Col. 3:2). Second, get away - or stay away -from situations where you will face this temptation again. Third, don't fool yourself again by thinking "I would never do that" or "That will never tempt me"; it may be that you were strong enough to resist this temptation, but have become weakened by inattention or failure to spiritually exercise yourself as you should. Finally, flee when you can and must.

   The devil is just waiting for someone to drop their guard (1 Pet. 5:8). Don't hesitate to make your escape.

-- Steven Harper
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