Our Text today is straightforward. “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. 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.” 1 Samuel 22:1-2

David here may be a type of Christ, even if only faintly so. He has been rejected by the King of his nation, Saul. In fact, Saul at the very time of our Text has assassins out looking for David!

Jesus was rejected by the Leadership of His nation, the chief priests and scribes and Pharisees and Sadducees! They also sought to kill our dear Lord, successfully so!

But look! David has drawn a crowd!

So did Jesus, by the way! The “common people” loved Him, and the masses followed Him many a place!

David’s “men,” what a motley group! “In distress, in debt and discontented!” But from these unlikely candidates came many a hero, many a valiant warrior!

And Jesus?

He too has drawn a host (innumerable to human minds) of old sinners; distressed, indebted, and discontented and a whole lot worse! And our Lord, in a far deeper and more permanent way that David could have ever hoped … CHANGED, SAVED, REDEEMED His followers and made them fit to do battle against the hordes of Hell, led by the devil!

Wow!

Thank you, Lord Jeus!

For I am one of those!

Changed by Grace!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

By the way, Jesus is our Captain too! (According to Hebrews 2:10.)

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I am merely reading through the life of David, writing on “ideas” the Lord gives me for the various Bible Texts.

Our “thought” today comes from another Paragraph in 1 Samuel chapter 21.

“10 And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. 11 And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands? 12 And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 13 And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard. 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?” And the next verse … “David therefore departed thence and escaped …”

David thought he could flee (from Saul) down into Philistine territory and remain incognito, unnoticed. See in verse 10 above that he is motivated by fear, seldom a good impetus. (Philistia in the Bible is often a picture of the world!)

David, even there, was humble enough to still think he was a “nobody.” But after all, he did kill the Giant of the Philistines, Goliath. (Gath is a chief Philistine city!) David’s fame and reputation were greater than he imagined!

In verse 12 I notice that David was a “thinker.” He meditated on the issues of life. (His Psalms prove that!) He realized danger … immediately upon hearing the local “gossip.” He decided on action, though bazaar action.

He acted like a crazy man!

Writing nonsense on walls!

Slobbering, drooling on his facial hair, beard!

That’s an “abnormality,” and we all have some.

In that ancient day the presence of a crazy person was an omen of “bad luck.” A harbinger of dark days ahead.

So … Achish the Philistine King dismissed David who promptly escaped!

Escaped to sit on the Throne of Israel as her glorious King!

Now, one lesson I draw from this event …

If I go somewhere I ought not to be, the Lord has a way of driving me back into the right paths! Even if by way of a cave, which is exactly what next happened to David!

Folks, do not move to Gath!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

In the world a Christian soon loses his dignity!

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There is an old spiritual song that says:

” Yield not to temptation
For yielding is sin
Each victory will help you
Some other to win.”

While not inspired, as is the Bible, H. R. Palmer certainly expressed a Bible Truth here!

Past victories do build our faith for future battles!

I use as an illustration an event in the life of young David, the future King of Israel. With the emphasis on “future.”

He was being chased by King Saul. The wicked Monarch wanted to David, considering him a threat.

David has fled to a city known as Nob, northeast of Bethlehem. There resided a Priest named Ahimelech. David is running, hungry, and defenseless. In the Old Testament of course, 1 Samuel chapter 21 tells the sad story.

By a special dispensation of God, the Priest gives David bread to eat, the very shewbread, hallowed bread, from the Sanctuary! Jesus referred to this event in Mark 2:25-27.

But also, David has no weapon! Neither does the Priest or anyone around him!

Now our Text … “And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me.” 1 Samuel 21:9

David knows this sword!

Remember the slaying of Goliath?

“Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.” 1 Samuel 17:51

This particular (large, heavy) sword was a part of one of David greatest victories!

Now … he needs it again!

And he leaves Abimelech, sword in hand, never to be unarmed again!

And what a mighty warrior David became!

For example, there would be no Jerusalem today had David not conquered a group of people known as the Jebusites. (“Jebus, which is Jerusalem.” Judges 19:10)

David slew so many enemies that God (respectfully) called him a “man of war.” (1 Chronicles 28:3)

That past victory (Goliath and the sword) helped bolster David to fight future skirmishes, wars … and win victory after victory for the Glory of Giod!

Our song again …

” Yield not to temptation
For yielding is sin
Each victory will help you
Some other to win.”

Think today of a past victory God has given you!

And build upon that!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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King Saul has tried to kill David, repeatedly.

“18 So David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth. 19 And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah. 20 And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the Spirit of God was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. 21 And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also.” 1 Samuel 19:18-21

David literally had nowhere to turn!

To go back home to Bethlehem, to his family, might have endangered his loved ones there.

So he resorts to Samuel, who after all is the man God had chosen to anoint David to be the next King of Israel. Probably the two shared some sweet time around the things of God.

From Ramah the two gravitated to Naioth, the nearby location of one of the “Schools of the Prophets.” The name Naioth means “dwellings, habitations” … and might have been so called because of the barracks or dormitories where the young Preachers lived.

Soon Saul, with an intricate spy network in place, learned of David’s whereabouts. So the wicked King sends a death squad to eliminate young David!

But when the arresting party arrived, they were overcome by what they saw and heard! Preaching, praying, shouting, worshipping, all under the influence of the Holy Spirit of God!

Actually the Holy Spirit came upon Sail’s envoys as well. And they began to “prophesy” or praise God! They certainly were hindered from harming David!

This happened two more times also! Read the Paragraph of Bible Text at the top of the Lesson, please.

Each time thre Holy Ghost protected David by moving upon Saul’s people … moving them to praise God as well!

This reminds me of the time the Pharisees sent men to arrest Jesus. But the sheriffs returned empty handed! Why? After listening to Jesus, they concluded … “Never man spake like this man.” John 7:46, the Holy Spirit protected Jesus!

Just as He protected David long ago.

God has some unusual ways to care for His men, His women. And we have just studied one of the most unique!

Remember Proverbs 16:7 … “When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.”

Oh Lord, may we always please Thee!

Spend time with godly men like Samuel … and the Holy Spirit well may protect you too.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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King Saul, the more he disobeyed the Lord, became increasingly erratic in his behavior. He would love young David one day and hate hm the next. For example: “And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David.” (1 Samuel 19:1) Of course Jonathan, being David’s lifelong friend, does not harm his cohort, but rather warns him of the nefarious plot!

Yet in this “usure” environment … Israel was attacked once more by the Philistines, perennial enemies of God’s people. And Verse 8 of 1 Samuel 19 tells us: “And there was war again: and David went out, and fought with the Philistines, and slew them with a great slaughter; and they fled from him.”

Immediately upon returning from battle, David resumed his “musician” job, playing for Saul when beckoned. Now read this: “Saul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand: and David played with his hand. And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin; but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence, and he smote the javelin into the wall: and David fled …” 1 Samuel 19:9-10

Wow!

See what I mean?

My point today?

David remained faithful as a solider in Israel’s army, no matter the circumstances he faced in his personal life!

Faithful under fire, even javelin fire!

And watch how God blessed David’s efforts!

Again, our Text verse … “And there was war again: and David went out, and fought with the Philistines, and slew them with a great slaughter; and they fled from him.”

I charge each of us today, which happens to be a Sunday, BE FAITHFUL in the Cause of Christ Jesus our Lord!

1 Corinthians 4:2 … “Moreover it is required in stewards (servants), that a man be found faithful.” 

Caution … it is so easy to “talk” about faithfulness, then to “exempt” oneself from its rigors!

Many a time I have heard a Christin criticize unfaithfulness in a fellow church-member … only then to miss three weeks of church for himself, for herself … of course for “personal” reasons!

Perhaps in that case Matthew 7:1 would justly apply … “Judge not, that ye be not judged.”

Just a thought.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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