On The Run

On the Run

“Then Absalom fled…” (2 Samuel 13:34a – New King James Version).

Once, when I was a kid, I broke the key to the ignition of one of my dad’s trucks off in the switch. I freaked! I jumped out of the truck and started to run. Then, to make matters worse, I realized that I had left the truck out of gear, and as I turned around to go back I realized the truck was rolling. Not only was it rolling, but rolling toward the pond! I tried to stop it, but could not. It rolled into the edge of the pond. Let’s recap; I had broken the key off and let the truck roll into the pond. As if it could get any worse, my dad had told me to leave that truck alone. That’s not good. I fled. I ran home and hid under the couch. That was my first instinct…to flee.

That is where we find Absalom. His half-brother, Amnon, had forced himself upon Absalom’s sister, Tamar, which was also Amnon half-sister. Absalom was furious! He waited two years, and finally took his revenge upon Amnon. He invited Amnon to a sheep shearing celebration. Absalom told his servants to wait until Amnon was drunk and kill him. They did. Absalom’s first response, knowing his wrong, was to flee, because Absalom knew that his father, King David, would be angry with him.

Isn’t that what we do when we sin? We run from our Father. Why, do you think, don’t we run to our Father? Is it fear? Is it fear of punishment? Is it fear of the response we may get? Is it fear of rejection? Is it a lack of wanting to take responsibility for our actions? Most likely, it is a combination of them all.

We need not feel that way. Look at the last verse in 2 Samuel 13. It says, “And King David longed to go to Absalom…” (13:39a - NKJV). Absalom’s father wanted to see him. As a matter of fact, David “longed” to be with Absalom.

When we sin, God does not want us to run from Him, but TO Him. 1 John 1:9 says, “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong” (NLT). Sure, there are consequences to be faced. Sure, we must take responsibility for our sins. But, the over riding truth is that God will NOT REJECT us. He will cleanse us. He will forgive us. We must, however, run TO Him and not FROM Him. We miss so much fellowship with Him because we flee from God rather than flying to Him.

If you are on the run, make sure it’s TO God and not FROM God.