A Kingdom in a Cave

1 Samuel 22:1, 2

A Kingdom in a Cave

David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became captain over them. And there were with him about four hundred men.[1]

ho dares make light of small beginnings [Zechariah 4:10, NET Bible]?  Great churches usually have humble beginnings.  When considering what makes for spiritual greatness, we are easily distracted by grandeur and wealth.  We tend to forget that days of purity and power are frequently associated with penury and poverty.  The days of purity and power for David were those days in which he was utterly dependent upon the Lord.  During those days in which he was forced to rely on the Lord, he wrote some of the sweetest Psalms.  Among those Psalms that the Psalmist wrote are the 18th Psalm, the 34th Psalm, the 57th Psalm, and the 142nd Psalm.

Though a congregation may never grow to be great in the eyes of man, each church can nevertheless be great in the heart of God.  Each Christian can aspire to be great in the sight of the Lord; and when we are great in His sight, we will accomplish great things in His Name.

Perhaps we need to adjust our estimate of what greatness is.  Perhaps we will benefit from an assessment of the second King of Israel, a man who was great in the sight of God long before he became great in the eyes of people.  To do this, I invite you to review the beginning of the Kingdom of David, by looking at a Kingdom in a Cave.

The Humble Surroundings — Kings must rule from a palace.  Right?  Wrong!  David was anointed as king [1 Samuel 16:13].  However, due to Saul’s madness and consuming jealousy, David was forced to seek refuge in a cave.  Had you met David at this time, inquiring as to what he was doing, you might have received an answer to the effect that he was fleeing for his life even though he was the king.

David’s claim to royalty would have been cause for laughter, were it not so serious.  Kings rule from palaces, exercising immense power; kingdoms are administered from halls hoary with grandeur and revealing unimaginable wealth.  Each of us almost intuitively reject, even despise, people that appear to be pretentious and that which is humble.  However, it is from situations that are lowly, situations that are bereft of human power and people lacking in worldly wisdom that God raises up leaders and movements designed to change the course of human history.

God acts in this fashion so that He alone may be glorified and have the honour.

I am the Lord; that is my name;

my glory I give to no other.

[Isaiah 42:8]

I was privileged to serve in the First Baptist Church of Dallas before coming to Canada.  At any given service, thousands worshipped in the stately buildings.  At the time I left, more than twenty thousand people were members.  People focus on the size of the congregation and the multiple ministries provided through the church.  However, in their awe at the immensity of the congregation, people forget that the congregation began with but eleven people gathered in the Masonic Lodge on July 30, 1868.  The church consisted of a few people with a vision, though they had no building and had no pastor when they first met for worship.  That church became great with the blessing of God who was pleased to honour the faith of those few people with His presence.

The Humble Sovereign — Review the history of the Kingdom Israel.  Saul was appointed as king [1 Samuel 10:1]], and then, because of his self-willed way, he was rejected as king [1 Samuel 15:22, 23].  Following his rejection, David was anointed as king [1 Samuel 16:6-13].  David became a mighty warrior [1 Samuel 18:6-9].  Saul, increasingly jealous of David, attempted to kill him repeatedly [1 Samuel 19:1, 2, 9-16].  Ultimately, his recurring efforts to kill David drove the young warrior to flee in terror.  What happened as he fled in terror of losing his life is that David was crushed.  Every crutch was removed, and he was utterly cast down, save for his faith.

David lost everything that we would imagine to be necessary for self-esteem.  He lost his position.  David had been a leader in the army and a counsellor to the king.  He lost a good job; he had been well provided for.  He lost his wife; Michal appears to have placed her own interests ahead of those of her husband [1 Samuel 19:11-17].  David also lost his mentor [1 Samuel 19:18-24].  Like David, Samuel also fled because his life was in jeopardy.  David no longer had anyone to whom he could turn for counsel and advice; he was on his own.  In fact, his presence with anyone endangered that person.

Friendships at first strained were destroyed, and friends became increasingly rare as David was progressively isolated.  At last, harried and hunted to the point of exhaustion, David lost his best friend [1 Samuel 20:41, 42].  It is not so much that Jonathan terminated the friendship he and David had shared, but it was no longer possible to maintain that friendship.  Fleeing for his life, David would never again see Jonathan.

A man can stand against a great host of enemies, if only a friend stands with him; but alone, any of us are susceptible to crumpling and to crumbling in the face of such fierce opposition.  At last, the harried king lost his self-respect [1 Samuel 21:10-22:11].  David was forced to feign insanity in order to escape danger.

At the lowest point of his life, the beleaguered king took up residence in a cave.  He had attempted to live with the ungodly.  He had been caught in a lie that resulted in death of good people.  Every crutch was removed, and the wearied man was left stand naked and lonely.  Circumstances had reduced David to utter destitution and desolation.

It is a dangerous thing for the ungodly to attempt to destroy the godly.  When every crutch is removed, the godly are left leaning on God alone.  Assaulting the godly man is a very dangerous thing for the ungodly to do.  When the godly are left leaning on God alone, they will be compelled to rely on Him, and God will shortly defend them against the ungodly.  During this dark hour, David was learning to pray.  Listen to a Psalm penned during that dark period of the Psalmist’s life.

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,

for in you my soul takes refuge;

in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,

till the storms of destruction pass by.

I cry out to God Most High,

to God who fulfills his purpose for me.

He will send from heaven and save me;

he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah

God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

My soul is in the midst of lions;

I lie down amid fiery beasts—

the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows,

whose tongues are sharp swords.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!

Let your glory be over all the earth!

They set a net for my steps;

my soul was bowed down.

They dug a pit in my way,

but they have fallen into it themselves.

[Psalm 57:1-6]

When Saul could not physically destroy David, he resorted to character assassination.  He slandered David and spoke abusively of him.  David detailed some of the harsh words in one of his Psalms.

Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me;

all day long an attacker oppresses me;

my enemies trample on me all day long,

for many attack me proudly.

When I am afraid,

I put my trust in you.

In God, whose word I praise,

in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.

What can flesh do to me?

All day long they injure my cause;

all their thoughts are against me for evil.

They stir up strife, they lurk;

they watch my steps,

as they have waited for my life.

[Psalm 56:1-6]

Saul ridiculed David constantly.  I believe that David repeated some of the taunts and slanders he had endured when he spoke to Saul on two occasions.  He referred to himself as a dead dog and as a flea when he had refused to harm Saul in a cave in the wilderness of Engedi [1 Samuel 24:14]; and when Saul pursued him on the hill of Hachilah David spoke of himself as a flea and also as a partridge that was hunted in the mountains, [1 Samuel 26:20].  One cannot help but conclude that Saul ridiculed David’s lack of strength and inability to protect himself.

Perhaps Saul spoke of David as a dead dog or a flea, but kings do not expend energy pursuing dead dogs or fleas.  Kings don’t concern themselves with nobodies.  Saul’s actions betrayed his words.  Either Saul had become utterly incapable of ruling the kingdom, or David was a “somebody.”  To the casual eye, David was a nonentity; but to the practised eye of Saul, David was a threat because he enjoyed the presence of the Living God.  To the natural man, the spiritual man is always a threat.  Therefore, the natural man fears the spiritual man and must always attack, because he is driven by fear.

The Humble Subjects — What happened in the cave?  When he came to the cave, David was alone.  Not even his family was with him.  In fact, you will recall that there was an issue of jealousy within the family circle!  David had taken supplies to his brothers at the request of their father, when Eliab, David’s eldest brother, exploded at the young man because of his queries concerning Goliath.

Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, “Why have you come down?  And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness?  I know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle” [1 Samuel 17:28].

Nevertheless, the first to come to David were family members, perhaps proving the adage that “blood is thicker than water.”  His family had no particular stature in Israel at this time.  In fact, his lineage included a Moabite heritage, since Ruth, the Moabitess, was in his lineage.  His was not a noble heritage, nor was his a family that would be sorely missed in the kingdom, should it be absent!  At the time of these events, none of David’s family was noted as warriors, as administrators, or as wealthy supporters of the kingdom.  And of the members of his family, David was the least likely to be advanced to a position of prominence.

In the account of David’s anointing, we read: Samuel looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.”  But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him.  For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”  Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel.  And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.”  Then Jesse made Shammah pass by.  And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.”  And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel.  And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.”  Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?”  And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.”  And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.”  And he sent and brought him in.  Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome.  Though he did not appear to be great in the eyes of his family, God commanded Samuel, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he” [1 Samuel 16:6-12].  David was overlooked and underappreciated—even in his own family!

Who else came to David when he was in the cave?  The divine text does not impress us with great possibilities for building a kingdom with those who came to David.  Everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him.  Those gathering to the young king without a throne were primarily malcontents—people stressed out by the pressure of life and those who were so indebted that they had no future left and those who were discontented with things as they were.  Frankly, looking on those turning to David as their leader were losers in the eyes of the world.  There were no wealthy people among them.  There were no notable people among them.  There were no powerful men among those before David.

We don’t see as God sees.  We are impressed by stature and importance in the eyes of man.  God is impressed by commitment and spiritual perspicacity.  When we surrender ourselves to God for His service, He does not see what we are; rather, God sees what we can become.  As a Christian, God is not impressed by what you are now; He is greatly concerned that you shall be conformed to the image of His dear Son.  Our eyes are dazzled by what we can see; however, God looks on the heart.

Paul warns Christians, by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think [Romans 12:3].  Too many of God’s saints demonstrate ignorance of these cautionary words.  A pastor of one church in my community dismissed some of God’s choice saints by saying that his congregation, unlike the First Baptist Church of Dawson Creek, was “not an entry-level church.”  Imagine what Jesus must think of such an attitude!  I suppose a fine building and a massive mortgage created an illusion of greatness in that man’s mind.

That man’s view of the church is tragically shared by many otherwise fine Christians.  I pastored a church on one occasion that was populated with patricians.  At least those people thought they were aristocrats.  Irritated at the growth of the church and the attendant loss of control, one man in particular who designated himself as the “chairman of the church,” complained, “We asked this man to build our church.  And he has done a good job of bringing people into this church.  However, he brought the wrong kind of people to the church.”

Can you imagine such a statement being made by a supposed Christian?  Can you imagine such an attitude displayed by someone wishing to be a leader of the people of God?  The congregation had more than doubled in a brief time, and many people from the neighbourhood were now in attendance.  We were observing the ordinance of baptism weekly.  Wouldn’t you think that the people should have rejoiced?

When that man spoke, I felt compelled to respond.  “What’s wrong with these people?  For the most part, they have two eyes, two ears, hair on their head, two arms… what’s wrong with them?”

He responded, “They ain’t like us!”

Being young and somewhat insensitive to his feelings, I offered the rejoinder, “No, thank God, they’ve been saved.”

I am humbled whenever I read the words of James.  My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.  For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts [James 2:1-4]?

When Paul recalled his journey to Jerusalem to meet with Peter and James, he stated that he was not intimidated by their reputation.  Listen to the account he provides.  Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me.  I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain.  But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek.  Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.  And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me [Galatians 2:1-6].

We are challenged to review the issue of stature.  Brothers, consider your calling: not many are wise from a human perspective, not many powerful, not many of noble birth.  Instead, God has chosen the world’s foolish things to shame the wise, and God has chosen the world’s weak things to shame the strong.  God has chosen the world’s insignificant and despised things—the things viewed as nothing—so He might bring to nothing the things that are viewed as something, so that no one can boast in His presence [1 Corinthians 1:26-29, Holman Christian Standard Version].  God’s tool chest is filled with instruments of His grace that the world cannot recognise.

Thus, gathered with David were humble subjects—mavericks and malcontents, misfits within society.  David accepted leadership over this group of losers in the eyes of “decent society.”  However, David was not content to simply be their leader; he sought to transform them through investing himself in these men.  The numbers grew, and soon there were four hundred men.  The four hundred men grew to six hundred.  Then, the man of God began to see a transformation in the character of the men uniting behind him.

Those outcasts that were once despised were being transformed by the leadership of God’s anointed to become the Mighty Men whose exploits were recounted in later books of the Bible [2 Samuel 23:8-39; 1 Chronicles 11:10-47].  Those following David became men who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight [Hebrews 11:33, 34].

In the eyes of man, those who came to David were nobodies; in the eye of God, they were heroes.  These mighty men became the backbone of Israel, men who would build a nation and cause evil to retreat.  These mighty men were moulded by the hand of God, and the instrument He used was a shepherd boy who was the least of all the members of his own family.  How did David accomplish this great work?  The answer to this question is found among the Psalms David wrote during this time.

Applications from the Text — Several valuable lessons are suggested from the text.  First, I observe that humble beginnings cannot predict the impact of a ministry.  A mighty kingdom began in the Cave of Adullam.  There was nothing about the surroundings that predicted such amazing growth of the kingdom.  A cave is not a palace—there were no carved steps, no golden throne, no brilliant wall hangings.  Those gathered to David were not clothed in fine garments.  Speaking on one who was great in the sight of God, Jesus said, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings’ courts [Luke 7:24].  There was nothing about David’s first “palace” to predict future success of the kingdom.

We can make no predictions concerning the impact on society from a church that begins in borrowed facilities.  We can say nothing about the ultimate impact of a nascent ministry on the society in which that ministry is found.  The impact a ministry may have will be determined by other, unseen factors.  Do the people have a vision that honours God?  Do the leaders seek to build the people, or do they seek their own advancement?  Does the congregation have a heart to serve, or do they seek grandeur for their own sake?  These are the issues that matter and that will determine the greatness of the ministry.

I observe also that opposition is no indicator of the rightness of one’s cause.  David was opposed by a powerful man, and those allied with that powerful man endeavoured to destroy the future king.  Simply because others speak against a cause does not prove that the cause is wrong, nor that the cause advocated will not ultimately prevail.  Adherence to the truth, devotion to the call of God, these are the factors that determine whether a cause is worthy of support.

My plea to those who question the ministry proposed in this community is to consider the message presented.  If the message is true to the Word of God, if it builds the people of God and honours His Name, if the ministry presented strengthens His people, then consider me as a servant of God, and consider that God will bless the effort to establish a congregation to the praise of Christ’s glory.

David was wounded deeply enough to admit his need.  Certainly, he admitted his need to himself, but he first admitted his need to God.  The evidence for this is seen in the 142nd Psalm.

With my voice I cry out to the Lord;

with my voice I plead for mercy to the Lord.

I pour out my complaint before him;

I tell my trouble before him.

[Psalm 142:1, 2]

David did not whine about his circumstances; but he did present his injury to God.

David was honest enough to cry out for help.  He didn’t simply whine; he sought divine help.  His cry for help is recorded in the 57th Psalm.

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,

for in you my soul takes refuge;

in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,

till the storms of destruction pass by.

I cry out to God Most High,

to God who fulfills his purpose for me.

He will send from heaven and save me;

he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah

God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

[Psalm 57:1-3]

David became humble enough to learn from God.  What pride David may have had was stripped from him.  His humility is witnessed in the words of the 34th Psalm.

I sought the Lord, and he answered me

and delivered me from all my fears.

Those who look to him are radiant,

and their faces shall never be ashamed.

This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him

and saved him out of all his troubles.

The angel of the Lord encamps

around those who fear him, and delivers them.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!

Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,

for those who fear him have no lack!

[Psalm 34:4-9]

At last, David was hopeful enough to depend on God.  In the 18th Psalm, David writes these words.

I love you, O Lord, my strength.

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,

and I am saved from my enemies.

[Psalm 18:1, 2]

A final observation is that what you are need not determine what you can become.  Those gathered to David were not great in the eyes of the great people of their world.  They were nobodies; they were losers.  Yet, as already mentioned, these nobodies would become the mighty men of the kingdom; they were destined to be great because they were committed to a vision of God’s reign over their lives.

Have you noticed that every great movement seems to begin in humility?  Have you seen that God is well able to work in the midst of pain and seeming defeat to bring forth pure gold from lives that only show dross?  Then you have discovered that God is looking for people small enough to exalt Him, and great enough to stand with Him.  The question for you is, “Will you be such a person?  Will you be small enough to serve Him and large enough to be used by Him?”

Perhaps I am speaking to someone who thinks of herself or himself as insignificant.  Your life seems not to count for much.  I encourage you to commit that life to the service of the Living God.  He is well able to transform you into one of His mighty ones.  Where you now sit, I invite you to quietly commit your life to the cause of Christ, to be used, as He desires.  Here is a church that seeks to honour God.  There is a place for you to serve here.  Come, place your life together with others so that the cause of Christ will be advanced and His Name will be known.

You will have a difficult time serving God, however, if you have no faith in the Son of God.  You may be religious, but you need to be saved.  The call of the message is to believe the message of life—that Christ died because of your sin, that He was buried and that He rose to life on the third day.  The Word of God calls each of us with these words, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved…  That passage concludes by affirming that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved [Romans 10:9, 10, 13].

And that is our invitation to you.  To trust Christ for life, to receive the forgiveness of sin—come and be saved.  To openly identify as belonging to Him—come to follow Him in baptism as a believer as He commands.  To place your life in the fellowship of a church that seeks to advance His kingdom—come and join us.  May God encourage you and fill you with His love as you now obey His call.  Amen.

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[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.