Cave to Crown prince

1 Samuel 22:1-2

1 Samuel 22:1-2, David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. 2 And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him. Some people think when I get anointed everything will change and I become a big blessing. Let us look at the life of David. David was anointed by God through Samuel in 1 Samuel 16. Very next chapters we see David has a great victory over Goliath. David victory over Philistines bring problem between him and Saul. Saul wanted to kill him.

David flees to Achish the king of Gath. There he had to act like a mad man. Now David has been hiding himself in Adullam cave. The Cave of Adullam is only about ten miles from Bethlehem, David's hometown. It is located in the Valley of Elah in the vicinity where David killed Goliath.

David escapes from Gath to the Cave of Adullam and God is going to do something in his life that will change the direction of his life forever. 1. Cave of Protection. God is preparing David for the throne. Whatever God calls us to do, He prepares us to do.

This cave is going to be David's Spiritual Seminary. It is going to be David's Spiritual Bootcamp. If you join the army so you can go and fight your country's enemy, you do not join up and go immediately to the battlefield.

You go to bootcamp first. There you are trained for you to get physically and emotionally fit. You are instructed in a specific kind of warfare.

You learn how to use weapons and how to follow orders. We don't know exactly how long David was in that cave, but when he first got to the cave, he just wanted to be safe and protected from Saul. He was hiding. He didn't want anyone to know where he was.

He wanted to be alone; to get away from everyone. As he sat in that cave, David had plenty of time to think about his walk with God. Like the Prodigal son, “he came to himself.” After a short time, his family came to him and later 400 more came to be with him.

Who told?

How did the word get out? David told! He was no longer trusting in his own ability. Now he was trusting in God. David's family joined David at the cave for two reasons.

Support

What an encouragement to have his family with him and behind him. At the beginning the brothers were jealous of him.

He had been anointed as king instead of them. But those hard feelings have vanished, and they seek David out in the cave. Safety Saul not only wanted to kill David, but he also wanted to kill David's family as well. Add to that the fact that his brothers had been in Saul's army.

They had to desert Saul's army to join David and desertion meant death.

1 Samuel 22:3-4, Then David went from there to Mizpah of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and mother come here with you, till I know what God will do for me.” 4 So he brought them before the king of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the time that David was in the stronghold.

What great example of honouring one's parents! I Timothy 5:8, But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. David knew his elderly parents could not hold up to the rough cave life, so he took them to Mizpah of Moab.

Why Moab?

As you study the Book of Ruth, you learn that Ruth was the grandmother of David's father, Jesse. There were some strong ties there and David got the King of Moab to personally care for his parents. 2. David becoming leader.

1 Samuel 22:2, And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him.

What an incompetent group of people? These were all the malcontents in Israel. King Saul had most likely levied a heavy tax on the people of Israel and now these 400 go to join David. Again, this is going to be a boot camp for David. Dealing with these 400, which are going to grow to 600, he is going to learn how to rule over the twelve separate tribes of Israel.

He is also going to learn how to train an army, and these men will become the best army in the history of Israel. – God is preparing David for his future.

God deliberately sends these types of people for David to work with and deal with and train.

What kind of people were they?

Distressed

They were under pressure and stress. They all had troubles of one kind or another, probably with Saul and in just making it in their daily lives.

Debt

They had too many credit cards. It was illegal for a Jew to charge another Jew interest, but the implication is that King Saul was lending them money with high interest rates. The people could not handle their monies and Saul thought that would ensure that they would be loyal to him since they owed him. Instead, these just skipped out on their debts.

Discontent

They were deeply resentful, bitter, and hostile because they had been wronged and mistreated by King Saul. David rallied these men to his side.

As time progressed, these men became different, stronger, renewed, and transformed in their mind, body, and souls.

• They became like David in a sense.
• They took on his character, strength, and faith.
• They were like an image of David himself.
• They were no longer weak men they were now David's Mighty Men and ready to serve their leader and his people.

I believe David also needed these men. God was using these men to shape him into the king that God promised. This trial and challenge was needful for him. Truly, there would be no people for him to rule without first serving those broken men in need.

No palace without Cave! No kingdom blessing without the cave experience.

3. Faith in God

What did David do while he was in that cave? We would not know if God had not led him to record what he did and how he felt while he was in the cave.

Three Psalms were written by David that gives us key insights into the life of David while in the cave. Psalms 34- David is on his feet. Psalms 57 David is on knees praying. Psalms 142 David is on his face down crying to God.

Part of the maturing process in the life of any Christian is learning how to cope with the dark, dreary, depressing and discouraging times in our life. Those times when we may have faltered, failed, or been foolish. We are able to see the condition of David's soul in Psalms 142.

He was Disoriented.

Psalms 142:3, When my spirit was overwhelmed within me,

Then You knew my path. In the way in which I walk They have secretly set a snare for me. David's spirit was devastated. The pile of heavy trials are crushing in on him. He is overwhelmed by fear, and he felt helpless. He was hunted by King Saul and his men.

The enemy had secretly set a trap for him.

He was surrounded by 400 hurting men who were burdened with problems themselves and who were hoping that David could help them. He was burdened with guilt because he felt responsible and guilty over the unintentional deaths of everyone at Nob – 85 priest and their families.

We are told that he was “brought very low” and he felt so weak. He was ready to give up! You can almost imagine him sitting in a cave, his face resting in his upturned hands, with despair in his soul. We have all felt overwhelmed by our problems and with what's expected of us.

He felt Deserted.

Psalms 142:4, Look on my right hand and see, For there is no one who acknowledges me; Refuge has failed me; No one cares for my soul. David had been the darling of the nation just a few years earlier, but now he felt all alone. His feelings were not an accurate assessment of the truth.

Many people cared for David, but because they were not in his presence, he felt forsaken. Sometimes when we are in a “cave experience”, we cannot accurately sort out our feelings. Feelings can be a little like our laundry. Sometimes, we can't sort them until we dump them out.

The great truth is that when the believer is alone, he is never alone. He may be isolated from people, but he is never isolated from God. He may live by himself, but he is never unaccompanied. The Lord is always with the believer.

What a wonderful source of strength and comfort! He felt Depressed.

Psalms 142:6, Attend to my cry, For I am brought very low; Deliver me from my persecutors, For they are stronger than I. David felt like giving up.

But he did not stay in that low spot. But something happened in that cave that changed David's whole perspective. What was it?

What did he so?

HE PRAYED! He did draw himself closer to God. James tells us all to do.

James 4:8, Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners;and purify your hearts, yo u double-minded. David began to commune with God! He Cried Aloud.

Psalms 142:1, I cry out to the Lord with my voice; With my voice to the Lord I make my supplication.

It is a prayer from a man who has come to the end of his rope. He found himself running not only from man, but from God Himself! This scene touches my heart as I imagine this young man sobbing in that cave. Caves make good prayer closets.

I wonder how much he wished for the old days when he was unimportant and content as he kept his sheep. He had not asked God to anoint him and, yet, he has had nothing but trouble since that day.

“Crying aloud” helped David – emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Sometimes there's nothing like a good cry. David was a real man by anyone's standards, yet the best outlet for him was to cry aloud to his God. When you feel overwhelmed, cry aloud to the Lord! He can take it!

Psalms 57:1, Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until these calamities have passed by. He rehearsed his trust in God and offers Him his praise!

Psalms 142:5 &7, I cried out to You, O Lord: I said, “You are my refuge, My portion in the land of the living. 7 Bring my soul out of prison, That I may praise Your name; The righteous shall surround me, For You shall deal bountifully with me.” David moves from Problems to Praise! Psalms 57

His praise involved music about the Lord.

Psalms 57:7-9, My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise. 8 Awake, my glory! Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn. 9 I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing to You among the nations. Mercy from the Lord.

Psalms 57:10, For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens, And Your truth unto the clouds. Magnifying the Lord.

Psalms 57:11, Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; Let Your glory be above all the earth.

Conclusion

Gad begins a long career as prophet with David. In fact, he and two other prophets, Samuel, and Nathan, write David's biography. Gad instructs David to leave the cave of safety and go back to Judah, to the very place King Saul is waiting.

Why? How will David ever learn to trust God with all his heart if he is safe in his cave?

God is calling David to be a man of faith and trust in God.