Coping with Social Collapse (8) - Hiding

Hiding in Secret
In some situations, hiding in a quiet place may be a sensible option. If a city is in an uproar, just keeping out of sight until things die down might be the best protection. Two days after the crucifixion, the disciples were hiding behind closed doors in an upper room.

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" (John 20:19).

Jesus did not condemn the disciples for hiding, but offered them peace. He had told them to wait in Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit, so keeping their heads down made sense.

We should think strategically about where we live. A house on a busy public street might be a dangerous place to live. Those living in wealthy suburbs might be setting themselves up as unnecessary targets. Living in a small side street where the entrance can be closed off with a couple of cars might be a safer option. Christians should live where God wants them to be, but they should also think about where they will go during a temporary disruption of their city.

We do not always have to be heroes. Hiding from trouble might be the best option, if the crisis will be temporary.

Hiding Key People
Some of God’s people will have a role in hiding others from trouble. Obadiah was a key person in the court of Ahab. He hid a hundred prophets to protect them from the hostility of Jezebel.

Obadiah was a devout believer in the LORD. While Jezebel was killing off the LORD's prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water (1 Kings 18:3,4).

This was a short-term solution, as these people could only be kept hidden for a limited time. Obadiah was willing to risk his life, because he thought strategically. He knew these people would have an important role to play once the current troubles were over, so he protected them to strengthen his nation’s future.

Athaliah was the wicked mother of a king, who used violence to seize control of her nation. Jehosheba and some priests acted strategically to thwart her plans.

When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family. But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes, who were about to be murdered. She put him and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him from Athaliah; so he was not killed. He remained hidden with his nurse … for six years while Athaliah ruled the land (2 Kings 11:1-3).

During this temporary hiccup in the life of the nation, going into hiding for a short time made sense. Wise, brave people made this possible.

The complete series on Coping with Social Collapse is here.