1 Samuel Chapter 22 Verse 1

· There is a lot going on in this verse. David has been through a ton and he is still a very young man. Estranged from his wife, (marital problems…), boss hates him, (Saul)…, best friend, Jonathan, is unreachable, (has his phone on “Do Not Disturb,” HA), he’s not really and never has been close to his family so they’ve sort of left him alone…, and really all that he has experienced isn’t his fault…

· No where else to go, he goes to a cave. It’s a low place in the eyes of the world. Caves are where they buried people… But this is the cave Adullam which means, “refuge.” Proverbs 14:26 says, “In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and His children will have a place of refuge.” Psalm 144:2 says, “My lovingkindness and my fortress; my high tower and my deliverer, my shield and the One in whom I take refuge, who subdues my people under me!”

· Sixty-seven (67) times in the Bible we read of God providing refuge of some sort. Refuge is defined by Google as, “A condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble.” Webster defines it as, “shelter, protection from danger or distress. A place that provides protection. Something to which one has recourse in difficulty.”

· Of all the things that God is to me and to you, I want you to know that He desires to be, is, and will always be a Person and a Place of refuge for you. No matter the place, predicament or problem you are facing. Whether you caused it or whether it was caused upon you. The Lord is a refuge where you will be protected and sheltered and I encourage you to run to Him!

· May take a burying of something. A stopping of some sort of sin or a humbling regarding a sin of the past or even the present, but it’s worth it. Shelter, finally. Protection, strength, a return to confidence and a return to stability…

· While in this cave, David wrote Psalm 57, A Michtam of David when he fled from Saul into the cave, and there he writes, “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings, I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by. I will cry out to God Most High, to God who performs all things for me. He shall send from heaven and save me; He reproaches the one who would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth His mercy and His truth. My soul is among lions; I lie among the sons of men who are set on fire, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; Let Your glory be above all the earth. They have prepared a net for my steps; My soul is bowed down; They have dug a pit before me; Into the midst of it they themselves have fallen. Selah. My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise. Awake, my glory! Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing to You among the nations. For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens, and Your truth unto the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; Let Your glory be above all the earth.”

· He started with a cry for help, “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me.” He ended his prayer with, “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens.” From desperation to dynamism, determination, and dauntlessness. God is a refuge and a strong tower. And He strengthens those who run to him. And, God has a way of making those that run to him a strengthener of others…

1 Samuel Chapter 22 Verse 2

· This was a band of unexpected people. Including his brothers and all his father’s house. David runs to God and people come out of the woodwork to encourage him! It’s wild! Folks that hang their head and have no one there to uplift them, could it be that person has yet to run to the Father in humility and open themselves even to shame! (The anointed king is in a cave, with old bread, alone!)

· It is incredible how attractive humility is in a person! Not Eeyore Christianity but a person who is transparent, imperfect, humble, kind and one who truly gives preference to others… Not just posting about how humble they are but actually being described by others as humble! God brings people to you, sometimes the most unexpected, to encourage you and uplift you!

· David becomes captain over hundreds that God drew to him in his time of refuge. His time of humbling. And check this out, God has a way of making those that run to him a strengthener of others… They came to David in distress, in debt, discontented… But by being with David they didn’t stay that way!

· 1 Chronicles 12:8 reads that these men became, “Mighty men of valor, men trained for battle, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as gazelles on the mountains.” A true mark of the humble, a true reward of one who takes refuge in the Lord, is that they take folks around them and make them great! You say you run to the Lord? You say you are humble? I say show me people around you who are stronger and mightier and intensely more effective at life because you are there…

1 Samuel Chapter 22 Verses 3 – 5

· David seems to be finding himself a bit here. The man that has a heart after God’s. David is a descendant of Ruth the Moabite. David’s family, his parents, are probably in danger of Saul wanting to kill them, so he makes provision for his father and mother under the protection of the Moabite king.

· Sometimes it takes a season of complete failure, and then a flood of encouragement from God, to sort of get back on your feet mentally and spiritually. This is the David that we admire. The one that isn’t afraid of facing Goliath and the one that is preoccupied with taking care of others around him.

· And at the word of the prophet, David leaves his own safety and returns to Judah. This is David walking in his anointing! Look at what he said to the king of Moab, “Till I know what God will do for me.” Not until I know what Saul will do, or anything or anyone else… God alone is back at the helm!

1 Samuel Chapter 22 Verse 6

· That’s about the third or fourth time we’ve read that Saul is hanging out with his spear in his hand. It’s not a time of war. He’s surrounded by servants, people that want to serve him, not harm him, they’re not enemies. And yet, he has his spear. He’s somewhat known for this at this point. Ready at any moment to harm… I wonder, what I am known for…? What are you known for? Whatever it is, it’s your own doing.

1 Samuel Chapter 22 Verses 7 – 8

· You cannot both be the victim (in mentality) and the good leader. Saul doesn’t use David’s name nor Jonathan’s name. He has to make them lower than him… A sign of internal turmoil. And he is stewing over things people have done and have not done for him in days past. All marks of a hurt, sad, and suffering person. A person that is not filled and fortified by the Holy Spirit.

1 Samuel Chapter 22 Verses 9 – 15

· Ahimelech was essentially duped by David and really here expresses his loyalty to Saul. A good leader, a good man, a good person, upset and in inner turmoil, filled with emotion and in that moment in front of everyone, would be noble… Not Saul…

1 Samuel Chapter 22 Verse 16

· It really didn’t matter what Ahimelech said. Saul’s spear was in his hand…

1 Samuel Chapter 22 Verse 17

· Check this out! The servants of Saul served God instead of Saul when it came down to it! Let me ask you a thing and show you a thing. First, the ask. Do you think Saul appreciated them for doing what was right in the eyes of God? Absolutely NOT! He probably hated them in that moment for it! And so too one that is in the flesh, when you do what is right in the eyes of God, in that moment, they will stand against you for it!

· Now the thing. Saul is a terrible king. He’s a violent, self-centered, self-focused man fixed on the distraction of his own pride rather than ruling and leading well. AND, the servants that serve God first still serve him! Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:18-22, “Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth.””

1 Samuel Chapter 22 Verses 18 – 19

· Doeg turns out to be an extremely ruthless servant…

1 Samuel Chapter 22 Verses 20 – 23

· Was David responsible for Saul’s sin? In truth, he was not. Saul is responsible for Saul’s sin. But David is a man of character, depth, strength and anointing. And so, he takes the responsibility. Accountability is front of the line when it comes to following Jesus. If you are one to not take accountability then you still have much maturing to do…

· EVEN when it is not your sin. Jesus took accountability for my sin and that is the only reason I am saved. And most of us won’t even take accountability for our own sin…

· David says, “Stay with me, do not fear, and I will make sure you are safe.” Saul holds his spear. Ask yourself tonight, Christian, (because those that aren’t don’t care and those that are only Christian by name don’t care…,) ask yourself tonight, which are you?