Running Away

In Genesis, Jacob (whose name meant heel or supplanter) twice defrauded his brother, Esau. First, he manipulated Esau into giving him his birthright.  Second, he stole Esau’s blessing by deceiving his aged and blind father, Isaac, into thinking he was his brother. So, it was ironic that years later, Jacob’s uncle Laban cheated him multiple times—first, by giving away of his daughters as brides, and second, by changing his wages on numerous occasions for rendered work. So, when God told Jacob to return to his own family, he seized the opportunity to leave while his uncle was shearing sheep. He did not give Laban the chance to say goodbye to his daughter and grandchildren, instead secretly fleeing.

​Meditation
Genesis 31:17—Then Jacob got up and put his children and wives on the camels.
 
Before the Civil War ended, General Ulysses Grant’s Union Army advanced on General Lee’s starved and exhausted Confederate Army, trying to escape from Virginia to the Carolinas to gain food and safety.  As the Union soldiers approached the Confederate line, they waved handkerchiefs and mocked their enemy, jeering that they should surrender. The rebels were quiet, letting their overconfident foe advance. As Grant’s army drew close, the cry “Ready,” “Aim,” and then “Fire” was shouted. A wall of bullets hit the unsuspecting attackers, decimating their entire front row so forcefully that the second rank turned and fled.[1]
           
Later, Grant’s army gathered itself and defeated the out-of-ammunition and heavily outnumbered Army of Northern Virginia in the vicious battle of Sayler’s Creek. The Civil War ended because the persistent Grant would not allow Lee’s worn-out army to escape.[2]           

Jacob did not need to run from Laban. His angry father-in-law pursued him for seven days before overtaking him. Had it not been for God’s warning, Laban might have killed Jacob. Jacob should have trusted God and shared with Laban the message God gave him. Instead, he escaped in fear, just as Grant’s Army, not realizing just how weak the condition of their adversaries was, initially fled in terror.
           
There is a big difference between faithfully running and fearfully running. Too often, fear is the fuel of runners.  If true, are we trusting our Father or relying on our flesh? Are you unnecessarily running from something?  Don’t be afraid to give God your distress and ask for His help.  Be like the prophet Jeremiah, who, though pressed by persecutors, bravely told God, “But I have not run away from being Your shepherd, and I have not longed for the fatal day. You know my words were spoken in Your presence” (Jeremiah 17:16).
 
Inspiration
“Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson
 
©2025 Daniel York  ARR.  Reveration is the weekly devotional ministry of First Cause.  To receive these devotionals, go to www.firstcause.org and click the “Click here to receive weekly devotionals” box.  Unlimited permission to copy this devotional without altering text or profiteering is allowed, subject to the inclusion of this copyright notice.     
 
Ecclesiastes 12:10-The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and to accurately write words of truth.  (Holman CSB)


[1] O’Reilly, B. & Dugard, M.  (2011). Killing Lincoln. Henry Holt & Company.
[2] Ibid