In Thursday's text David attempted to live among the Philistines to hide from Saul but his identity was discovered. While under arrest he pretended to be insane, causing the king of Gath to become thoroughly disgusted and to have him thrown outside the gates. Now David reenters the borders of Israel and hides in a cave at Adullam in the hill country just inside the territory of Judah. "David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam." (1 Samuel 22:1a)
Though David's circumstances are not what he wants them to be, he is not discouraged, for he penned these words after making his escape from Gath: "I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; He saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them. Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him." (Psalm 34:4-8) This is just an excerpt from the psalm David wrote in thanksgiving to the Lord for helping him to get away from the Philistines. You might like to read the entirety of it along with today's text.
While at Adullam, word reaches David's family that he is the cave and they make an encouraging visit to him. "When his brothers and his father's household heard about it, they went down to him there." (1 Samuel 22:1a) The Lord created us not only for fellowship with Him but also for fellowship with each other. It's wonderful to know that the Lord is with us and is for us, and He is certainly enough if no one else stands by us. But having some of our fellow human beings come alongside us to offer their support is a blessing too. David's family comes to him at the cave of Adullam to let him know they love him and are putting all their support behind him. They are on his side, not on Saul's.
A group of men come to throw all their support behind him too. They are unhappy with Saul as their king. They feel unseen, unheard, and disenfranchised under Saul's government. They are outraged by how wickedly he has treated David who has done nothing but be a faithful subject to him and who has been a mighty warrior on behalf of all Israel. "All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander. About four hundred men were with him." (1 Samuel 22:2)
The fact that some of these men are in debt need not be taken as a sign they are scoundrels who refuse to pay their bills. They could have been taken advantage of by a cruel scam or they could have fallen on hard times for a while, perhaps due to an injury or illness, and been shown no mercy in regard to getting behind on payments. They could have been assessed much higher taxes by Saul than was lawful according to their income level. We don't know what caused four hundred men to become completely disillusioned with the current king or what caused some of them to owe more money than they can pay, but in joining up with David they are declaring, "David is my king, not Saul!" Whatever befalls David will now befall them. His hardships will be their hardships. If he is on the run, they will be on the run. If he is fighting a battle, they will be fighting a battle. If he is victorious, they will be victorious.
David's brothers who were formerly quite scornful of him are now firmly on his side. The three oldest brothers were soldiers in Saul's army earlier in 1 Samuel but they come to the cave of Adullam to show David that their allegiance lies with him. David's parents are behind him all the way too, but he's concerned for their safety. He will put up a fight if Saul's soldiers show up but he may not be able to fight the enemy and protect his parents at the same time. Saul might kidnap David's parents to force him to turn himself in or Saul might have David's parents put to death. He arranges for them to be given shelter in the land of Moab, which is the homeland of David's paternal great-grandmother Ruth. "From there David went to Mizpah in Moab and said to the king of Moab, 'Would you let my father and mother come and stay with you until I learn what God will do for me?' So he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him as long as David was in the stronghold." (1 Samuel 22:3-4)
David's parents are now out of the reach of Saul. They are outside of the borders of Israel and are under the protection of the soldiers of the king of Moab. This relieves David's mind and allows him to concentrate on all the other problems at hand. He knows the Lord intends for him to be king someday but he doesn't know what he will face between now and then, so he asks the king to protect his parents "until I learn what God will do for me". It's not that David doesn't believe the Lord will keep His word; it's that he doesn't want to subject his parents to the troubles and trials on his long journey to the throne. He doesn't want them to be endangered for his sake. Out of his love for them and his love for the Lord, David beautifully obeys the commandment that says, "Honor your father and mother."
As we conclude today's passage we find a prophet of the Lord telling David to move out of the borderland hill country down into the lower lands of Judah. Although this puts him within reach of Saul and Saul still seeks his life, the Lord is on David's side. And if the Lord is for him, who can be against him? "But the prophet Gad said to David, 'Do not stay in the stronghold. Go into the land of Judah.' So David left and went to the forest of Hereth." (1 Samuel 22:5) David has a greater stronghold than any cave or fortress: the Lord. He must place his trust fully in Him and go wherever He says to go, even if that means he must live closer to his enemy. David learns this faith lesson and will later say, "The Lord is my light and my salvation---whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life---of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1)
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