In March this year, when the media was recalling tales of the "Great Escape", 60 years ago, of RAF prisoners-of-war from the German prison camp Stalag 3, I remembered the story of St. Paul's escape in a basket. I then wondered whether there were any more great Biblical Escapes so I started searching and came up with a few more, some of which you may already know about.
Here they are in chronological order. Check out the Biblical references and more details for yourselves.
1.Genesis 31:1-55. Jacob escaped from his father-in-law, Laban, after 20 years of pressed service.
2. Exodus 2:11-15. Moses, as the adopted son of Pharaoh's daughter, one day saw a fellow Israelite being beaten by an Egyptian, so Moses killed the Egyptian. Pharaoh then sought to kill Moses so he escaped to the land of Midian. He thus saved his own life and began another part of God's training. God fits even our mistakes into his plan.
3. Exodus 12: 28-42. After 450 years in slavery, came the great escape of 600,000 Israelites from Egypt. Thus, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob did not forget his promises and confirmed his choice of Abraham's descendants.
4. Joshua 2:1-24. Joshua sent two men to spy out the land in Jericho and they stopped in the house of Rahab. When the King of Jericho sent men to search for him, Rahab hid the two spies on the roof. When it was safe she let them down by a rope through a window. Before escaping they instructed her to tie this same scarlet cord in the window when the Israelites entered Jericho as a sign for the lives of Rahab and her family to be spared. This escape prepared the destruction of Jericho and preserved Rahab who became one of David's ancestors and so an ancestor of Jesus.
5. Judges 3:15-30 Because Israel again turned away from God, he allowed the nation of Moab under King Eglon to oppress Israel with heavy taxes for 18 years. When the Israelites cried out again to God he sent them a deliverer named Ehud, a left-handed man, and he was sent to Eglon to pay the taxes. To cut a long story short (you should read this fascinating account yourself), he reached with his left hand for his specially made sword which was strapped under his clothing to his right thigh, and plunged it deep into the King. Some more trickery with locked doors, which would have puzzled Sherlock Holmes, so confused the King's servants that Ehud managed to make good his escape. After that, Israel rebelled against Moab and had peace for 80 years. In Ehud's day, left-handedness was considered a handicap but God used his perceived weakness to give Israel victory.
6. Judges 16:1-3. Samson escaped a locked city by ripping the gates from their hinges.
7. Acts : 9:23-25. After his conversion, Saul (Paul) preached about Jesus in the synagogues and provoked the Jews into conspiring to kill him and they kept a close watch on the city gates. However, his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall and so he escaped. The escape saved the new Christian for great service to God who has a purpose for every life, which leads to a real adventure for those willing to co-operate.
8. Acts 12:1-11. King Herod Agrippa persecuted Christians. He killed James, the brother of John and also seized Peter, putting him in prison, guarded by squads of 4 soldiers each. The Church prayed earnestly for him. The night before his trial, Peter was sleeping, bound with chains, between two soldiers, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. An angel appeared and awoke Peter. His chains fell away and wrapping his cloak around him he followed the Angel, passing the first and second guards. The city's iron gates opened by themselves and Peter just walked home. Herod had the guards executed. Prayer can change things so we should pray often and with confidence.
9. Acts 16:22-40. During Paul's second missionary journey with Silas they came to Philippi, a Roman city in Macedonia. After Paul had driven out a demon from a slave girl, her owners brought Paul and Silas before magistrates who had them flogged and then imprisoned with their feet in stocks. At midnight while Paul and Silas were praying a violent earthquake shook the prison doors open and loosened everyone's chains. The gaoler, thinking he had failed in his duty tried to kill himself, but Paul told him not to harm himself and refused to escape. The magistrates ordered their release but Paul said ‘No, we were publicly beaten without trial though we are Roman citizens. Now you can yourselves escort us out’. The magistrates were alarmed and escorted them out, begging them to leave Philippi. This points out the powerlessness of humans before God, who offers help in unexpected ways when our dependence and attention are focused on God rather than our own problems.
David de Souza