1 Sam 22:1-2 The Cave Adullam CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
Three kinds of people went to join David in the cave Adullam as he separated himself from Saul. They were those in distress and in debt and those who were discontented. Where would have been in David’s day with a narcissistic, delusional king like Saul. Would you have sided with David? Listen, some of what these men were experiencing in their day, we are experiencing in our day. I find myself in:
Distress – stress and distress are usually things you try to avoid and manage [2 Cor12:10]. You do that to protect your body from heart problems and the effects of cortisol. But some distress is the result of the bad spiritual condition of the country or of the world or maybe even of your family. And you’re going to end up living with that stress and what you do about it isn’t going to necessarily relieve it. It’s going to be there. Distress over:
- The lost – Eph2:12, lost people have no hope – are you distressed enough to seek the grace of God and to try to win them to Jesus?
- Missions – Acts 1:8 – heard Chas. Stanley preach on this subject on the radio this weekend. You need to go, give and pray. But you won’t if you are not distressed about the opportunity that you have to affect others for Jesus Christ by getting involved in missions, and I mean in a big way. The number one investment in our lives is and has been missions. That’s where the bulk of our retirement is going [Matt6:19-21].
- Children – The children in our churches are being picked off by the devil through multiple means. Education is getting many of them [Prov19:27]. Lust is enticing and drawing away many [Jas1:14-15]. Peer pressure is a factor [Prov13:20]. Music is a huge problem [Is14:11-12, Ezek 28:13-14]. And so isHollywood [Ps 101:3, Deut8:26]. There is no way that 1 hour of church a week or even 4 hours is going to be able to counteract these influences. The voice of the Spirit will be drowned out completely.
Debt – Salvation is certainly free, but you are indebted to the Lord for redeeming you [1 Cor 6:19-20]. You and I owe him our time, our money, and our very lives for what he has done for us. In the Old Testament, when a bondservant completed his seven years of service, he was free to leave. But if he loved his master he could agree to stay with him for life [Ex 21:1-6]. The law concerning this was the first law that followed the 10 commandments. We should come to the Lord like these men came to David and tell the Lord, “We are indebted to you and will serve you forever.” That’s what Jesus did with God the Father and look how it turned out for him. Same with Paul. And it will be the same with you if you will recognize that you are truly indebted to him.
Discontented – That’s somebody who is fed up – you’ve just had all that this world can dish out and you don’t want any more. You have sided with the Lord against the world [Jas 4:4, 1 Jn 2:15-17] and can’t wait for him to get down here to clean up this mess and start running it right [Is 9:6-7]. Look at the difference in these two types of people and ask yourself, “Which one am I?” Tit 2:12-13 and 2 Tim 4:10. Both of these passages deal with a view of “this present world.”