Before we get started, let's
go to the Lord in prayer. Our gracious and merciful Heavenly
Father, thank you for this day. Thank you for bringing us to
this place. Lord, make us aware of who we are. that we can't
see or understand anything from your word except by the grace
and strength of your Spirit. Lord, we beg for your grace now.
Fill us with your Spirit. And those that you've brought
here to listen, give them ears to hear, hearts to understand. And Father, we ask this in your
name. Amen. Before we, I'll probably try
to look at about four verses of 1 Samuel 22, but I want to
go back and begin reading in chapter 21, verse 10, because
it's been a couple of weeks since we were together, looking at
the life of David. Remember that David is being
hunted by King Saul, who is the rejected king. David is God's
anointed, the man after God's own heart. But he's not on the
throne right now, but he's still king. But he is chased by King
Saul, and it says, David arose, verse 10 of verse Samuel 21,
and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achash king
of Gath, who was of the Philistines. And the servants of Achash said
unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? Someone said
that he was in the priest's house He was with Jonathan, and no
one mentioned this right here. He had to go to his enemies before
they reminded David who he is. David, the king of the land.
He's not only king of Israel, he's king of the Philistines,
because you remember that when he defeated Goliath, that's what
Goliath said. He said, if you defeat me, then
we'll be your servants. And he did. So he's king over
it all, and they recognize it. Did not they sing one to another
of him, and dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and
David his ten thousands? And David laid these words up
in his heart." Can you imagine what he thinks? Now, he's gone
to the Philistines. These are the very enemies of
God. You would have thought if he went anywhere, he'd went anywhere
but the Philistines. This just shows. Now, David,
he is a real man. We know he's a picture of Christ,
but he's a real man. He's a picture of the believer,
and it's untelling what we'll do and where we'll go if God
leaves us to ourself. This is the one that slew the
God. This is the one, the anointed King of Israel. But he's still
a man. Still a man. And God records
these things for our learning and for our admonition. I receive
comfort from this, because I've caught myself many times and
said, how in the world did I wind up in this place? We read about
Peter, who said, Lord, I'll never deny you. Everybody else may,
but not me. Then we read, before the night
was over, he's over there warming himself by the enemy fire. And
these people said, I know who you are. You're one of his disciples.
He said, no, I'm not. David laid up these words in
his heart, and was so afraid of Achish the king of Gath. And
he changed his behavior before them, and famed himself mad in
their hands, and scrabbled on the door of the gate, and let
his spittle fall down upon his beard. Is that really saying
what I think it says? Yes, it is. Acting like a madman. Then said Achish unto his servants,
Lo, ye see, this man is mad. Wherefore then have ye brought
him to me? Have I need of madmen, that ye
have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? Shall
this fellow come into my house? He is running, running from Saul. And now we come to verse one
of chapter twenty-two. David therefore departed thence.
and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brethren in all
his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him.
And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt,
and every one that was discontinued, gathered themselves unto him.
And he became a captain over them, and there were with him
about four hundred men. And David went then to mispath
of Moab. And he said unto the king of
Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth and be
with you, till I know what God will do for me. And he besought
them before the king, and he brought them before the king
of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the while that David
was in the hold, or the whole time that David was in this cave.
Can this be David? Here he is now. It says, he departed
thence and went to the cave of Dolom. Now, what I can understand,
the cave of Dolom is actually in Judea. It's in Judah. And it's not that far, really,
from Bethlehem. So, basically, it's like he's
going back home. He's king. But he's hiding. He's hid in
a cave. And while he's there, his mama
and his father and his brethren come to him. And other people
come to him. It says 400 people came to David
while he's an outcast here in this cave. I tried to do a little
research on this cave, and I couldn't find a whole lot about it, but
to me, I believe David probably knew where this cave was at.
I believe he'd probably used this cave when he watched his
father's sheep. I can picture that. I can picture him if a
storm's coming up at night, him gathering those sheep in there.
He knew this was a place of refuge. He knew it was a place he could
hide, and he would probably not be found. Do you see the similarities
there? Our Lord Jesus Christ in this
world in which we live today, he seems like he's hid. And there
is times that he is hid. And when he don't want to be
found, you can't find him. You can't find him. And this
is where David's at. But while he's here as an outcast,
he's king, but it doesn't look like he's king. It looks like
he's hiding. But these people came to David
and identified themselves with David. Now, do you see the picture?
Our Lord's King. The world may not recognize it,
and it may seem today like King Saul was sitting on the throne.
He's a pitcher of religion that thanks their God, who need no
mediator. They thank their own mediator.
Remember, that's why God rejected Saul, took the kingdom from him. Not only Saul, but all his children,
took it from all of them. and raised up David, who's a
picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is king. Whether the world
recognizes it or not, he's king. But even while we live in a world
like we do today, he's still bringing people to be identified
with him, that outcast, rejected, hated king. And what David wrote
when he wrote in Psalms 34 while he was at Gath, he said, Psalms
34, 18, the Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart,
and save us such as be of a contrite, humbled spirit. Many are the
afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth them
out of them all. He keepeth all his bones, not
only the bones, none of the bones of Christ were broken, but none
of the bones of his people will ever be broken. That's his mystical
body. Not one of them is broken. While Saul was a rejected, rebellious
king, he's the one that sits on the throne. But David's rightful
king. David's rightful king. Let me
tell you this. One day, the Lord Jesus Christ
is coming back. He is coming back as king of
kings and Lord of lords. And you know what he's going
to do? He will actually, literally sit upon the throne of David.
as rightful king. That means he's sovereign. He
has the sovereign right to do with every man as he sees fit.
He's king. He's coming back. He's king. Get a hold of that testimony.
He's king. He rules. He reigns. And all
this, all this was in the purpose and plan of Almighty God. If
God had wanted to when he came the first time, he could have
set him on the throne. But he didn't. They came by force one
time and wanted to make him king, and he said, I'll have no part
of it. My kingdom's not of this world. My kingdom's not of this
world. But while he was here in his
humility, in his humiliation, while he was rejected and hated
of men, he brought some to him. They came to him, and they recognized
who he was. Even the thief on the cross,
when he's dying, Looked like in his weakest point in his life,
you know what he said? Would you remember me when you
come into your kingdom? That man recognized that this
man's a king. He don't look like no king. That doesn't change the fact,
he's king. What did it write above him? What did it write the inscription
above him? This is Jesus Christ the king. of the Jews. Hated, outcast, despised. God could have brought David
to the throne at any time. At any time, God could have removed
Saul off the throne. At any time. Any time He wanted
to. But He didn't. God had a purpose
in all this. God's ways are not our ways,
and His ways are past finding out. But what God is doing, He
is allowing the evil of King Saul and of Israel to show itself."
And this time, God is teaching his servant David to depend upon
him and him alone, not on anyone or anything else. He went to
Jonathan. Remember, he depended upon Michael,
his wife. He went to Samuel. He went to
the priest. Remember, he went to the priest,
and he got the showbread, and got a glass sword, and got direction
from the priest? Then he goes down to fill his
things, and there's nowhere else to run. God will remove from
you, and he will remove from every believer every prop which
you lean on. And he will strip you, and he
will humble you. Isn't that right? That's what he did, and that's
what he does. And you know what he'll do? He'll put you in a
cave. He will put you in a dark, damp cave. Spurgeon said, if David had prayed
as much in the palace as he prayed in the cave, he may never have
done what he done. And I can see that happening. Habakkuk 2.3 says, For the vision
is yet for an appointed time. But at the end it shall speak,
and not lie. Though it tarry, wait for it,
because it will surely come, it will not tarry." Here David
is a fugitive, running from King Saul. And can you, wouldn't you
like to think, what's going through David's mind? What's he thinking
while he's in this cave? I remember Samuel coming to me,
and I remember Samuel anointing me and telling me that I was
going to be king. He told me that. Why am I in this cave? Listen, he wrote Psalms 142,
and it says in Psalms 142 verse 1, if you want to turn there,
it says, Matthew of David, a prayer when he was in the cave. And
here's how he began that psalm. I cried unto the Lord. with my
voice. Now to understand this, now remember,
this is not only just applying to David in the flesh, this is
applying to the Son of God, the Son of David. And if you read
those words like it's the Lord Jesus Christ praying this prayer,
it takes on a total meaning, a total different meaning. Now
remember this, we can't even begin to imagine what went on
in our Lord's mind while He walked upon this earth. Well, he was
rejected and despised of men. Everywhere he went, he was hated. Everywhere he went, he was despised. Everywhere. I cried unto the
Lord with my voice. With my voice unto the Lord did
I make my supplication. I poured out my complaint before
him. He said it's just like he emptied
his soul to God. I showed before him my trouble,
when my spirit was overwhelmed within me." Someone said he did
not see how he could escape from his troubles, and he had no heart
to make any effort. I think they hit that on the
head. He said, when my spirit was overwhelmed within me, he
said, it was just like more than I could bear. That's what he's
saying. thou knewest my path. In the
way wherein I walked, have they privily laid a snare for me? I looked on my right hand, and
beheld, but there was no man that knew me. that would know
me, refuge fell me, no man cared for my soul." Can you not picture
our Lord Jesus Christ praying that as He hung on the cross?
No man cared for my soul. He's rejected of men, He's despised
of men, and He's even left alone by God the Father. No man cared for my soul. Every disciple forsook him and
fled. You know why? Because the next
time you wind up in a cave, he is able to be felt with the feelings
of your infirmities. David's in the cave. in that
cold, dark, lonely place. And that's what he prayed. I cried unto thee, O Lord Jehovah. I said, thou art my refuge. Thou art my refuge and my portion
in the land of the living. Attend unto my cry, for I am
brought very low. Deliver me from my persecutors,
for they are stronger than I. Bring my soul out of prison,
bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name. The
righteous shall compass me about, for thou shalt deal bountifully
with me." He almost ends in praise. He's unburdened his heart to
God. Let me tell you this, when you
wind up in a cave, it's not if, but when, you get along with
your God and you unburden your soul unto Him. Do you ever feel
overwhelmed? Is there not a time when you
don't? When you don't. David at this time was unpopular
in the eyes of men. It was not like this way back
in 1 Samuel 18. It says, ìIt came to pass, when
he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the Saul of Jonathan
was knit with the Saul of David. And Jonathan loved him as his
own Saul.î And in verse 16 of the same chapter, ìBut all Israel
and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before
them.î Whereís all those people at now? Where are they at now? There's many that followed our
Lord when he fed them with the five thousand, with the loaves
and the fishes, didn't he? But where are they at now? Where
are they at now? Now was the time for devotion
to David to be clearly manifested. Only those who truly loved him
will throw in their lot with his hated outcast. Only those
who loved him. Only those who loved him were
going to go down in a cave and be identified with him. Let me
tell you this, if you ever loved him at any degree, it's because
he first loved you. It was not in you, never in you. But if he loves you, he puts
a love in your heart for him, no matter where he's at. He turned
one day, he offended a whole lot of people. And he made a
man, and they turned and was walking off one right after the
other. And he turned and looked at Peter, and he said, Will you
leave me also? Will you leave me also? And he
says, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal
life. There's nowhere else to go. Nowhere else to go. David might, in the eyes of the
world, be a disgrace. But that made no difference to
those who loved him. It didn't matter. He might be
in a cavern, but that was all the more reason why they should
show their loyalty unto him. I didn't know when I was going
to bring this up, but I'm going to mention it right here. Some of you may remember
the story. I don't remember exactly the
chapter. It talks about these men. These people have came to David
while he was in the cave. Now, they identified with him.
And it talks about David's mighty men. And one day, David, he's
just like he's daydreaming out loud. And he said, boy, I wished
I had a drink of water from that well over there at Bethlehem.
Remember the story? He didn't command anybody to
do it. He's just thinking out loud. And these men heard it. And you know what they did? Those
three men. Now Bethlehem was surrounded
by the Philistines. They broke through all that crowd
to get that water. to bring it back and risk their
life to bring that water back for their king. And why would
they do that? I'll tell you why. They loved
him. And that loving it said when
David got it back, when they brought the water to him and
he saw what they'd done, he wasn't even drinking. He poured it out
as a drink offering unto the Lord. He said there's only one
worthy of all this honor and that's somebody else. That's
Christ. But what I want you to see, they
did what they did because they loved him. Paul said, the love
of God constrains me. It's not beating somebody over
the head, making them do something they don't want to do. They do
it because they willingly want to. They heard that David's in
the cave, and you know what they said we're going to do? We're
going where David's at. And let me tell you a little
secret. Everybody that loves David and loves the Lord Jesus
Christ, they're gonna be where he's at. I don't care where he's
at. It doesn't matter if he's in a cave or wherever he's at.
It doesn't matter if he's hated by the whole world. It doesn't
matter if your whole family turns against you. That doesn't matter.
You're gonna be where he's at. Be where he's at. Just as Saul hated and persecuted
David, The scribes and Pharisees hated and persecuted the Lord
Jesus Christ. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief. The Son of Man hath nowhere to
lay his head. In John 7, verse 53, it says,
Every man went to his own house. And the first verse of the next
chapter says, Jesus went unto the Mount of Olives. Everybody
else went to their house. You know where he went? He went
to pray. He went to pray. None were willing to identify
with him and cast in their lot with him, with this one who was
despised and rejected of men. And let me remind you this morning,
in the world's eyes, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory,
the sovereign God of this whole universe, is despised and rejected
of men. Now, they may love another Jesus,
a little Jesus. But not the Son of God, they
don't love him. They despise him. And they hate
him. And he said, if they've hated
me, they'll hate you. These people knew what it was
going to cost them. We always, you know, talk about
somebody counting the cost, counting the cost. They not only counted
the cost, they paid the price. They knew what it was going to
cost them. You can't serve both kings. That's what I'm saying.
You can't serve King Saul and King David. You can't do it.
There's no straddling the fence. Joshua said, whose side are you
on? Who's on the Lord's side? Who's
on David's side? Both of them can't be king. The question is, which one do
we identify with? This one that sits in palace
and everything seems to be going well. Something is strange to
me. I'll give you something to just
think about. And this kind of bothers me. I don't ever read
of Jonathan ever eating, ever leaving his father's house. Do
you? Wouldn't that have been the time
to have left it all? He went down where David was
and identified with David. Who does it say came to David?
It said that those who were distressed, those that were in debt, and
those who were discontinued, they gathered themselves unto
him. I don't read of any mention of
the captains of the armies. The men of state, or the princesses
of any realm, they all preferred the court and the palace to the
cave of Dullam. None of them came. But in the
four Gospels, most of those who sought our
Lord were the poor, the needy, the leopard, the blind, the maimed,
and the haughty. They are the ones who came to Him. Didn't they? Why did they come out of need? What can this man in this cave,
what can he do for anybody? They saw something about him.
God help us to say like John did, we beheld his glory. You know that tabernacle in the
Old Testament? There was nothing outwardly about that tabernacle
that was attractive. Nothing. Made out of old goat
skins and badger skins. It wasn't what was on the outside
was beautiful. It was that Shekinah glory on the inside that dwelled
on that mercy seat. And there was nothing outwardly
about the Lord Jesus Christ that was attractive. I don't care
how many pictures they want to paint of Him. Oh, Rock Barnard
used to say, and I think he nailed it on the head, all those little
pictures they hang on the wall. Say, that's Jesus. He said, that
looks like Wild Bill Hickok. And that's right. Nobody knows.
It was not what was outwardly. Here's David living in a cave,
and these people are going to identify with him. And I tell
you, the only ones that ever will are those who are in debt,
distress, and discontented. Debt. Totally bankrupt. That's debt. Someone said, I
can see them. They say, well, let's borrow
a little money. Let's get us out of this pinch. So what do they do? They borrow,
hoping that things are going to turn around. People did that
a few years ago, back in 2008, when the stock market, they thought,
oh, it's going to turn around. It's going to turn around. And
they wind up deeper and deeper and deeper in debt. That describes
us. We think some way we're going
to get out of the mess that we're in with God, and it ain't going
to happen. But those who were in debt, debt,
and knew it. Go to David? How can this man,
this despised king, get me out of debt? He can, and he does. You see your calling, brethren,
how not many wise men after the flesh are called, that no flesh
glory in his sight. They were in debt and they were
distressed over it. This refers to those oppressed
to the point of anguish under a great deal of stress and pressure. They're distressed over what?
By sin. That's the worst stress they
are. It's not only seeing my debt, but being distressed over
it. It's not only seeing my sin,
but being grieved over it. Grieved, broken. Why did the
woman with the issue of blood come? She done tried it, brother
physician. There's nowhere else to go. She had spent all her living. She's in debt. If she could have
borrowed money, I guarantee she would have borrowed every dime
she could get. And she can't pay it back. And now she gets
worse. And she realizes it. Now she's
in distress. And that's why we come. And they're
the only ones who will ever come. I understand why men won't come.
They don't think they have any need to come. Now, if we painted
the Jesus and Like some idiots on TV who don't think anybody
should ever get sick, and it's healthy, wealthy, and wise everybody. Look at them! Everybody flaunts
to that! And they don't help anybody.
But if you really see what sin is, sin is not so much what you
do, but it's who you are. And you know it. And you know
there's not one earthly thing you can do to unchange it. That's
distressed. I wish I could find somebody
in debt and in distress. As I've already read, the poor
man cried. Who cried? The poor man, not
poor in purse, but poor spiritually. Blessed are the poor in spirit. The first one he mentioned of
the Beatitudes. Blessed are the poor in spirit.
He's a blessed man. The poor man cried and the Lord
heard him and saved him out of all his trouble. The Lord is
nigh unto them that are of a broken heart. Broken hearted. brokenhearted, and save as such
as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the
righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all." So they
were in debt, they were distressed over it, and they were discontented. What does that mean? They were
not contented. At one time, we were contented to dwell in religion.
I don't know about some of y'all, but I was raised in religion,
and I was content to live there and die there. But something
happened one day. I got discontented. You ever
got discontented? I'm not content here anymore.
That's what it's saying. I realize my debt, I'm distressed,
and I'm discontented. This describes a person who is
made to feel the weight of his sin. fills the anguish of soul
over his sin and can no longer be content with where he is. You know what they said? I'm
not living in the palace anymore. I'm not living under the rule
and reign of Saul anymore. I'm running to where David is.
And until a person gets discontinued, they'll never leave. I heard
Henry say one time on a message, he said, how long will a man
go to a table where there's no food at? And how long will he
go to a well where there's no water at? Till he gets sick and
tired of it. Till he gets discontented. He'll
leave. He'll leave. The emptiness of the world to
a soul which God has smitten with a sense of sin. He now turns
in disgust from that which he had previously sought with all
his heart. Let me read that again. He now
turns in disgust from that which he had previously sought after
with all his heart. He makes you hate what you used
to love and love what you used to hate. He makes you willing. All these people that came to
David came willingly. Willingly. They willingly? Every one of them, I can see
if they had to crawl up the side of the cliff to get in the cave,
and I can see them one after another. I said, why are you
doing here? He said, I'm in debt. I'm distressed,
and I'm discontented, and I want to see David. Do you see the
picture? These are the ones, these are
the ones who sought out David. And they're the only ones who
did. It was out of a deep sense of need which drove them to him
in hope that he could relieve them. Now listen to what Arthur
Pink said. None but those who truly feel that they are paupers,
before God, with no good thing to their credit, absolutely destitute
of any merit of their own, will appreciate the glad tidings that
Christ Jesus came into the world to pay the debt of such people.
Only those who are smitten in their conscience broken in heart,
sick of sin, will really respond to that blessed word of His which
our Lord said, ìCome unto me, all you that labor and are heavy
laden, and Iíll give you rest.î Do you need rest? Are you heavy
laden with sin? Only those who have lost all
heart for this poor world will truly turn unto the Lord of glory. Only those. Here's what it says
in Hebrews 13, 3. Let us go forth, therefore, unto
him without the camp, bearing his reproach. Where is he at?
He's outside the camp. And they said, we're leaving
it all. We're leaving. This is these 400 men, 400 men. And you know what? This is a
ragtag bunch. Isn't it? David's going to take
this bunch. He's going to take this bunch
of people that's in debt and distress and discontented or
the nothings and the nobodies. Yeah. And you know what he did
with them? He made them mighty men. Didn't he? Our Lord took
despised fishermen and turned the world upside down,
didn't He? And He still does, that no flesh
glory in His Son. You read on, you read about those
mighty men of David, what they did. You said, oh, they were
just mighty in themselves. Oh, no. Paul said, I can do all
things through Christ who strengthens me. We're weak by nature, but
if God ever puts in you a zeal for Him, He puts a zeal. And
you do it for His honor, for His glory. I don't care what
the world thinks. It doesn't matter what they think.
It's all about Him. It's about Him. Being identified
with Him. Let us go forth, therefore, unto
him without the camp, bearing his reproach." It's because they
hate him. They're going to hate everybody
that identifies with him. Now, listen to me. Everybody
knows King Saul. If he finds out you're on David's
side, you've got a bullseye on your back. you'll destroy you. Let me tell you this and remind
you this morning, in this world, you'll have tribulations. But
he said, you'll be of good cheer. I've overcome the world. These
people, I think they not only just saw David in a cave, they
saw more than that. They could see with eyes of faith.
They could see this David. This David, this David sitting
on the throne. And God's people, by faith, we
see Him. We see Him. We don't see just
some despised. We see Him. We see Him in all
His glory. The world don't see any glory.
They see Him in disgust. Remember what Paul said, I can't
remember who he said it about, it was written to some church,
and he said, you remember this person? He said, they hazarded
their life for the gospel. These people, they came. Let me read it again. David therefore
departed thence and escaped to the cave of Dolem, and when his
brethren in his father's house heard it, They went down thither,
and every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt,
and every one that was discontinued, and I watch this word, they gathered
themselves unto him. For two or three are gathered
together in my name, I am in the midst. As a hen doth gather
her biddies under her wings, and you would not, he gathers
his people under his wings. He gathered them, and they gathered
to him.