1st Samuel 22 ADULLAM David travelled back from Gath into Israel even though he was like a stranger and a foreigner in his own country. He must have known about the cave of Adullam from previous experiences in better days. Now it was of serious concern to his family that Saul would come seeking vengeance on David by attacking them. The insane king was by now openly opposed to David and it was known he would not rest until he killed his own son-in-law who had been a deliverer of Israel.
There may be times when a person who seeks to follow the Lord may find he is despised, forgotten or made an object of derision and jealousy by his own kinfolks. If that ever happens, do not act in haste and seek to retaliate. To argue and try to justify our call and actions to unreasonable people only exacerbates the problem. Just wait, and in God's own time and way, if He so desires, He will bring them to understand what you couldn't. It may be through circumstances in their lives, or yours, they will come to recognize the value of what you do and why you do it.
The coming of David's family may have comforted David somewhat, but he needed a place of safety for them to live where Saul would not reach them. The king of Moab allowed them to dwell at Mizpah where they wouldn't fear the persecution and oppression of Saul. Like our Lord who blessed those of His own who had belittled and overlooked Him, David, in grace brought them into a safe place. To many the outside place is belittled and overlooked as anything of importance, but we need to remember the object of our attraction isn't the place, but the Shepherd-King who is outside the camp, and we gather unto Him. He gathers His flock to Himself, not some great impressive edifice or huge organization. We are, and have been in a continuous sense, gathered together in His name unto Him alone.
According to the words of Psalm 142, David knew his only refuge and portion was the Lord Himself. The Lord heard his complaint, his supplication and knew his desperation, but also knew what David didn't know. We are perfectly within our rights as children of God to pour out our hearts to our Father in honesty and our frustration can be expressed to Him without fear of mockery or anger. But we also need to remember our wise, heavenly Father knows what is best for us and allows the difficulties to come on us that will best shape our character to be like Christ.
The cave of Adullam was for all those who joined David there, a place of separation. Those who were in trouble for one reason or another, and were outcasts of society, knew their only hope for the future was to associate with David. We do not belong in the world even though we live in it. There is no hope for the people of God in the systems of the world. We need to be where our Lord is and find our rest and joy in Him. For David to make a useful army out of discontented men, called for a special kind of leadership. They would have to trust his judgment, accept him as undisputed leader and yield to his leadership. Those of us who have experienced the blessings of the kingdom of God, are definitely discontented with the self- seeking, godless leadership of the world and the flesh underneath the authority of the god of this world.
Those who follow the Lord will find themselves in a place of reproach where most comments about what we do and who we are will be negative. To respond in a similar negative way is counterproductive. In some of those hard times we will find ourselves in a place where we have sweet fellowship in ways we wouldn't expect. When we are in fellowship with God, usually we will find people with whom we can have fellowship, even if we never knew them before. "No matter where on earth we dwell, On mountaintop or in the vale. In cottage or in mansion fair, Where Jesus is 'tis heaven there."
David may have had to listen to a lot of grievances from those who came to him in the cave. He would be able to say to them, "I know. I've been there. But God comforted me, and strengthened me to go through those difficulties, and 'what He did for me, He'll do for you.'"
The prophet, Gad, also came to the cave. God brought His word through His servant, right to the right place and at the right time. Saul didn't hear the word of the Lord as he sat under a tree in Gibeah with his spear in his hand and railed against his own son, the priests, and the Benjamite guards. In the outside place, the cave of Adullam, God's word revealed His mind and what His true servant was to do. We can expect God to make plain to us His will when we are willing to do it with our might "as unto the Lord."
Forms and flesh do not give a place for the word of the Lord. In contrast the Spirit of God made references to this very event years later in the book of Isaiah chapter sixteen. David's family could stay in Moab, but by the word of the Lord for His servant, David was led by Him back to the wilderness of Judah. While in that wilderness he wrote the words of Psalm 63. His soul was thirsting for God. His flesh longed for God. His lips praised God. His hands were lifted up to God. His soul was satisfied with God. His mouth praised God. His bed was the place he meditated on God in the night. His help was God. He rejoiced in God.
Sometimes when we are in the place of our hardest physical and emotional stress is when we rise the highest in our spiritual experience. Much blessing has been passed on to God's people through the hard times David experienced.
When Saul called the priests from Nob to come to Gibeah because of the resentful report of Doeg, the Edomite, Saul's mental and emotional state was such that he unleashed a terrible vengeance on the priests, all the people of Nob and even on the animals. He did to the people of God what he was supposed to do to the enemies of God, the Amalekites. They were idolaters of the worse kind and were enemies of God. He cut off the last tie with God the people of Israel had. The absolute evil of this act, reveals what his heart was inwardly like toward God and His people. Sometimes a bit of pressure against those who seem to be quite alright outwardly, reveals what they are inwardly and "the dirt gushes out." Only Abiathar escaped to where David was and he became the priest during the reign of David.
The traitor, Doeg the Edomite, did to the people of God the bidding of one who was under the domination of sin and Satan. A person may hold a position of trust in the world, but if there is no fear of God, and only a desire to cater to and please the flesh, that person should never be trusted, not should their counsel be accepted by those who follow the Lord. When wolves come among the sheep, it is the sheep that die.
God allowed evil to come on His people to teach them that when they get what they want, they have to accept the consequences that go with it. If what they want is not what God wants, evil will flourish. God has not promised to abolish all the evil men have brought on themselves with their willful actions. We have as a nation, removed God from schools, government, our holidays, our homes, our families and in many places, our churches. "Up with man!" is the big momentum now, and lawlessness and evil now prevail. When God's word is thrown out, authority, righteous rule, and spiritual service is destroyed ad evil gets worse and worse.