“Flee for your life, Leisure Suit Larry, Flee!” I was at the Farmers Market on Saturday morning, seeing this beautiful spiderweb and remembering an incident that took place thirteen years ago. Larry, we called the small male spider, had ventured onto a large, female golden spider’s web outside our back door. This time of year, male spiders leave their webs in search mates. Larry’s romance dance—rubbing his legs and advancing slowly—did indeed attract the female’s attention. Quick at that, she wrapped him in her web. Most spider reproduction involves female cannibalism after mating. Thus, my admonition to flee, which he obviously ignored.

To flee, an Old Testament story

There are several incidents in the Old Testament during which people flee from danger. Take King Rehoboam. 

Son of and the successor to Solomon and a grandson of David, Rehoboam saw his rule limited to only the Kingdom of Judah in the south following a rebellion by the ten northern tribes of Israel. Rehoboam went to war against the new Kingdom of Israel with a force of 180,000 soldiers. However, he was advised against fighting his brethren, and so returned to Jerusalem, which he retained as Judah’s capital. Here’s what happened:

Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was taskmaster over the forced labor, and all Israel stoned him to death with stones. And King Rehoboam hurried to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem. 1 Kings 12:18 ESV This story also appears in 2 Chronicles 10:18 ESV

Physical danger is real, and so is sin.

To flee, a New Testament warning.

Flee from sexual immorality, Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:18 Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. And again in 1 Corinthians 10:14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 

How did faithful Christians in Paul’s time live in a pagan culture without getting ensured in the external and internal web of sin? How do we?

To flee in today’s world

As in most if not all human history, we live in a time of war, from which many flee for their lives as Rehoboam did. We also live in a world consumed by idolatry.

David Foster Wallace said in his 2005 Kenyon Commencement Address, “…in the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everyone worships. The only choice we get is what to worship.” Wallace recommended a Deity or an inviolable code of ethics because “pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive.”

He explained, “If you worship money and things, if they are where you tap real meaning in life, then you will never have enough, never feel you have enough. It’s the truth. Worship your body and beauty and sexual allure and you will always feel ugly. And when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before they finally grieve you… Worship power, you will end up feeling weak and afraid, and you will need ever more power over others to numb you to your own fear. Worship your intellect, being seen as smart, you will end up feeling stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being found out.” 

Yesterday’s message in church was from Mark 10:17-22, Jesus’ encounter with the rich young man, pious and reverent. “Good Teacher,” the young man said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replied: “go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” It’s not that Jesus wanted everyone to give up their wealth, only those to whom that wealth had become an idol. 

For sin always comes down to idolatry, and from that spider web faithful Christians must flee.

Linkup with Five Minute Friday: https://fiveminutefriday.com/2024/10/10/fmf-writing-prompt-link-up-flee/