David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there. 2 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 22:1-2
So here's the backstory: Samuel shows up at David's dad's house and after rejecting all of David's brothers anoints David as God's man to be king. Only problem the previous king is still there and he was also anointed by Samuel as God's man to be king. So in honoring God David refuses to harm the king and serves him instead. Oh and he also goes back to tending the sheep instead of packing his bags for the palace. The king is being tormented by evil spirits so they send for David. He calms the king with his music. The king throws spears at him. David kills Goliath. The king's jealousy continues to grow and he plots many ways to kill David. So now David is on the run from the king and his henchmen and they are hot on his trial. Finally David runs from Gath to hide in the caves of Adullum.... and then the cranky guys show up.
His brothers come out to him. You remember the brothers right? They taunted him and mocked him just before the whole Goliath thing. So we've got mockers, those in distress, those in debt, and those who were discontent, and not just one or two but 400 of them. I can tell you honestly I have been in the midst of those. I have been a mocker, I've been in distress, I have been in debt (way in debt)and I have been discontented. I was not a happy girl and I wasn't hiding in a cave. I've also been amongst people in that circumstance and they are not happy people.
Also if you are a reader of books about self improvment and growth, they tell you to surround yourself with "up people". You know the glass is half full kind of folk. These were not them.
I love this story because it doesn't end with cranky guys in a cave. As hopeless as it looked - running for their lives, running from sorrow, pain, misfortune, bad mistakes, wrong choices, and running from the belief that they were complete failures - God comes into their chaos and somehow these broken and defeated cave dwellers become a mighty king and his mighty men. Individaully and united they become God's men - they will still fall and fail in areas of their lives, not perfect - but their names forever recorded in a book that will not disappear even after this world is gone that they were mighty men of THE KING.
I don't know who needs to hear this today but I wanted to encourage others with this story - it might be dark, you may be running from a spear throwing king or have made some bad choices or are buried in debt, you might feel like you have utterly and completely failed. The platitudes are not working and you can barely pick your head up but God is mighty and this circumstance will change... God is in the midst of your chaos and it may not feel like it, you might not even know it but he's starting to change you and your circumstance so that your name will appear in a book that will remain long after this world is gone.
He is not angry with you. He is not disappointed with you, your failures, poor choices, out and out rebellion have not caused him to turn his back on you or give up on you. He is unchanging and he has always loved you and always will. He calls you his delight... he's unchanging so you still are no matter what, no matter where you are his child and he loves you more than you know or can imagine.
Wait I think there may be the faintest glimmer, a small light in a dark cave... It Feels Like It Might Be Hope!
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