Focus Chapters:
- 1 Samuel 22:1-2
- Psalms 57
- Psalms 142
- 1 Chronicles 12:8-18
- 1 Samuel 22:3-23
- Psalms 52
- 1 Samuel 23:1-12
Standout Verse(s):
1 Samuel 22:1-2 NLT
So David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. Soon his brothers and all his other relatives joined him there. Then others began coming—men who were in trouble or in debt or who were just discontented—until David was the captain of about 400 men.
1 Chronicles 12:8, 14 NLT
Some brave and experienced warriors from the tribe of Gad also defected to David while he was at the stronghold in the wilderness. They were expert with both shield and spear, as fierce as lions and as swift as deer on the mountains.
These warriors from Gad were army commanders. The weakest among them could take on a hundred regular troops, and the strongest could take on a thousand!
Psalms 142:7 NLT
Bring me out of prison
so I can thank you.
The godly will crowd around me,
for you are good to me.”
Observation (s):
- God outfitted David with an army while David was in hiding in a cave.
So David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. Soon his brothers and all his other relatives joined him there. Then others began coming—men who were in trouble or in debt or who were just discontented—until David was the captain of about 400 men.
- Men of good reputation left their lives behind to join David who was hiding in a cave.
These warriors from Gad were army commanders. The weakest among them could take on a hundred regular troops, and the strongest could take on a thousand!.
- Even while hiding out in a cave, David acknowledged God’s goodness. That goodness caused other godly men to gravitate to David.
Bring me out of prison
so I can thank you.
The godly will crowd around me,
for you are good to me.”
Application:
David must have been quite a charismatic leader and influencer! Think about David’s current situation. He is on the run from King Saul and living in a cave. Yet men, some of who are also running away and others of good reputation, like army commanders, leave their lives and homes behind to join him in his cave. In the dark moments when David seeks a safe haven from Saul, he becomes a safe haven point for others. Through his willingness to be a safe haven for others, God provides him with a ready-made army!
Additionally, there must have been something special about David that inspired such loyalty and caused men to flock to him even when he was in dire straits! David, himself, calls that “special something” God’s goodness that is evident in his life, even in his dark situation. This goodness causes other persons to gravitate to him, despite his less-than-ideal situation.
Like the proverbial fire that attracts moths, the evidence of God’s goodness, in our lives, attracts others. Even in your dark circumstances, are you a haven for others? Are you attracting and influencing others?