The Cave of Renewal

Introduction

When we last left David, he was in Gath, the heart of the Philistines. He thought he could run there for safety, foolishly thinking that no one would recognize him. As we know, that was not the case. Achish’s men recognized him almost immediately. To escape Achish’s wrath, David pretended to be a madman. In the end, Scripture records the following.

1 Samuel 21:14–15 KJV 1900

14 Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me? 15 Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?

If you look at the title of Psalm 34 it reads as follows.

A Psalm of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech (Achish); who drove him away, and he departed.

From there, David flees to the cave of Adullam.

The Cave - A Place of Renewed Fellowship with God

Listen to David’s words as he penned them in that cave.

Psalm 34:4 KJV 1900

4 I sought the Lord, and he heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.

He then goes on to say in verses 6-7 the following.

Psalm 34:6–7 KJV 1900

6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the Lord encampeth Round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

Now, we see David making the turn back to God. If you read the first three verses of that same Psalm, he begins by praising the Lord and noting that it is only the humble person that God hears. David learned valuable life lessons in this short time of doing things his way instead of God's.

Psalm 34:11–14 KJV 1900

11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 12 What man is he that desireth life, And loveth many days, that he may see good? 13 Keep thy tongue from evil, And thy lips from speaking guile. 14 Depart from evil, and do good; Seek peace, and pursue it.

However, it is the last verse that speaks to his change of heart.

Psalm 34:22 KJV 1900

22 The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: And none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.

What do you see in that last sentence? I see a man who is learning to live God’s way. It is a lesson far better learned early in life than later. And yet, even though David has found his way back to the Lord and enjoys God’s sweet fellowship, God still has not awarded David his throne. Nothing has changed. Why is this? There were still many valuable lessons to be learned personally and privately in walking with the Lord before David could sit on the throne of Jerusalem.

1 Samuel 22:1 KJV 1900

1 David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father’s house heard it, they went down thither to him.

This cave is interesting. Jewish historians believe this cave rests very close to Bethlehem. Recently, I have been listening to the audio reading of Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christwritten by Lew Wallace. Lew Wallace did a lot of historical and cultural research as he wrote this remarkable novel. Much of what he wrote and described is very relevant to the life and times of the Jews during Christ’s birth and ministry. Wallace seems to think that Christ was born in this very same cave. I have no idea if that is true or not. However, it is not beyond impossibility. Of a truth, David lived in this cave of Adullam for some time. Later, Christ was born in a stable with a manger. During the days of Christ, it was not uncommon for these stables to be caves housing livestock. And, for certainty, we know that the inn there at Bethlehem was complete with no room, forcing Joseph and Mary to spend the night of Christ’s birth in a stable, which might have been this same cave. If so, what a wonderful place! A cave housing two very different kings - King David and King Jesus!

Another exciting thing about such an unimportant place is this. God often did things in places of unimportance. He used Joseph in prison, Daniel in a lion’s den, Jonah in the bell of a great fish, and Paul in a shipwreck. The lesson for us is that no matter how simple or mundane our lot in life may be, we belong to the King and are simply waiting for our mansion in Heaven.

The Cave - A Place of Renewed Commitment to Helping Others

Now note that when David was in the cave, many heard and came to him.

1 Samuel 22:1 KJV 1900

1 David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father’s house heard it, they went down thither to him.

One thing that often comes of trials is finding out who your true friends are. David’s brethren, his father’s house, and a whole host of others came to him in his great hour of need.

‌Considering this part of David’s story, we begin to see some striking resemblances between David and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We see these comparisons in the people drawn to David.

1 Samuel 22:2 KJV 1900

2 And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.

Now note the people who came to Christ in Matthew 4.

Matthew 4:23–24 KJV 1900

23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. 24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.

Who came to them? Those in great need. Considering that both men, David and Jesus, were hated by the government, we see an even more extraordinary comparison. Remember, King Saul is still hunting David to kill him. The Pharisees sought to do the same to the Lord Jesus. Yet, as they were being hunted, they did not turn away those who came to them for help and comfort.

APPLICATION: The practical application for us is this. Despite our trials, we must still take the time to help others in need. We are better positioned to help them when we are going through those trials. That seems like an oxymoron, but it isn’t. We can relate and sympathize with those in similar situations when we are down and out. Additionally, we can lead by example. If we maintain our faith and hope in the promise of God, others will note, take heart, and do the same. Remember, as men, we are leaders. We lead not just by word but also by example. Therefore, we must heed the words of James 1.

James 1:2–4 KJV 1900

2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Now, go back to our text and note the people who came.

They were distressed, indebted, and discontented.

1 Samuel 22:2 (KJV 1900)

2 And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.

Are not these terms ones that also describe all those in need of Christ’s help? By the way, such were all of us.

IN DEBT - We were “in debt” in all things, for we all come short of God’s glory. Our thoughts, words, and actions failed to please Him, and many transgressions stood against us.

IN DISTRESS - All of us stood condemned already. Our life without the Lord was one of hopelessness and helplessness. We could not earn our way into God’s grace or Heaven for eternity.

IN DISCONTENT - Without a doubt, the things of this world never satisfy. They may bring some joy, but we are left with the same discontent when the effects wear off. There is always a sense of emptiness in the sin and wickedness of this world.

They sought out David.

1 Samuel 22:2 (KJV 1900)

2 And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.

Note that no one other than these “went down thither to him.” There was such an overwhelming sense of need that it drove them to David, hoping he could help them. It is no different spiritually. Only when a person understands that they need a Savior and that there is no one or nothing else that save them do they turn to Him. It is why Christ offered the following invitation.

Matthew 11:28–30 KJV 1900

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

They embraced David as their captain.

1 Samuel 22:2 (KJV 1900)

2 And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.

Note Colossians 2:6

Colossians 2:6 KJV 1900

6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:

One of the most important things we must do is accept Christ Jesus as LORD! If He is not Lord, then how can He be Savior. They are tied together in the same person. Therefore, just as these people accepted David as their captain, we must also accept the Lordship of Christ as our Captain. We are to “walk…in him.” Every day is to be a dutiful submission to His will and way. In fact, John 14:15 states.

John 14:15 KJV 1900

15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

They were a small group - only 400.

1 Samuel 22:2 (KJV 1900)

2 And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.

The number of people who commit to God and follow Him is often small. In fact, Christ is another great example of this. As He hung on the cross, how many friends did He have then? How many wept at His tomb? How many gathered in the upper room after His death? Even today, the number of people following Christ contrasted with the number living their way is small. That is why Christ said the following in Matthew 7:14

Matthew 7:14 KJV 1900

14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Conclusion

Now comes to the practical application of all this to us as men. There is only one path to get out of our funk of doing things our way.

We must first humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord.

James 4:10 KJV 1900

10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

It is interesting that the command here is for us to humble ourselves. It is far better that we humble ourselves than for God to humble us. There is no doubt that God often uses circumstances to humble us. We see this evidence in David’s life as well as many others. In fact, I am sure most of us can testify to moments in our lives when God humbled us. No matter who does the humbling, humility is always the starting point. We must put aside our pride and realize that living for the Lord and according to His commandment is wise.

James 4:6 KJV 1900

6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

We must renew our fellowship with the Lord and return to loving Him with all our heart, soul, and mind.

David, as we know, learned this lesson as well. David penned the words to three different Psalms while sitting in a cave - Psalm 34, Psalm 57, and Psalm 142. Think about that for a moment. In each of those Psalms, David noted the importance of returning to the Lord and loving Him with all his heart, soul, and mind.

Psalm 34:4 KJV 1900

4 I sought the Lord, and he heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.

Psalm 34:6 KJV 1900

6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles.

Psalm 57:1–2 KJV 1900

1 Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: For my soul trusteth in thee: Yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, Until these calamities be overpast. 2 I will cry unto God most high; Unto God that performeth all things for me.

Psalm 142:1–2 KJV 1900

1 I cried unto the Lord with my voice; With my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication. 2 I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble.

Note the turning point for David was coming to the reality that he needed to stop learning on his own understanding and that he needed God back in his life. God humbles him by landing him in a cave. Then, David realizes that only God can save him. He turns to back to God and recommits to doing things God’s way and living according to God’s commands. God is sitting in the captain’s seat where He belongs, and David is just along for the ride. We must do the same.

We must renew our commitment to helping others.

Too many times we are so focused on ourselves that we forget and neglect those in need around us. There is reason why Christ said the entirety of Scripture hangs on two spiritual principles. Remember we are to love the Lord our God and we are love others even as we love ourselves. When we lose that focus as men, we become self-centered and spiritually useless. We stop doing what God designed us to do: lead. Ultimately, we do not suffer alone, for no man is an island unto himself. Our wives, our children, and our church family suffer greatly. David ran and thought only of saving himself. In the meantime, people across Israel were suffering. They were distressed, indebted, and discontented. Here is a question for you? As a man, are you so self-centered that you cannot see others suffering because of your foolishness? What our families and our church need are men who love the Lord and love others! We need to be the men that God designed us to be. We need to lead by our words and our actions. We need not only verbally commit to the Lord, but we must also demonstrate that by our walk each day. What are you doing as a man to demonstrate to others that you love the Lord and love others? Or is it that others see a man who only serves himself and no one else?