1 Samuel 22
Charles Spurgeon · Citado em PreceptAustin
1 Samuel 22
Spurgeon say, “Had David prayed as much in his palace as he did in his cave, he might never have fallen into the act which brought such misery upon his latter days.” We trust the spiritual reader will, at this point, turn to and ponder Psalms 57 and 142. In them he will perceive something of the exercises of David’s heart. Hebrews 11:38 (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.
1 Samuel 22
Spurgeon on Adullam - where he found huge caverns capable of affording shelter and concealment for large numbers of persons. There David was in his right position, and might look for prosperity. He was in the place of separation, where believers should be found: Brian Bell - David must have felt like Noah’s Dove as is told in Gen.8:9, But the dove could find no place to set its feet...; so it returned to Noah in the ark. He reached out his hand and took the dove and brought it back to himself in the ark. 1. David unable to find rest, tossed on a sea of trials, ready to drop into the helpless waves. Then the ark presents itself, & a hand graciously reaches out & rescues! The Cave of Adullam has been discovered about 2 miles south of the scene of David’s triumph over Goliath. At this place is a hill some 500’ high pierced with numerous honeycombed caverns. Some of these caves are large enough to hold 200-300 men. 1. At least now he’s in friendly territory. 15 miles from Bethlehem(hometown). We learn that being a person after God’s own heart doesn’t mean never experiencing the darkness of the cave. Rather it means being able to trust that God’s light is there & that He is the God of all Hope. Here he composed Ps.142. Read all w/intro [note esp Ps 142:4 No one cares for my soul] But what happens is that this cave becomes David’s Holy Tabernacle where faith could find shelter under the wings of the cherubim in the Holy of Holies. Ps.57:1 1. What looked like a cave to others was a divine sanctuary. a) David said in Ps.142:5 “You are my refuge & my portion”. and when his brothers and all his father's household heard of it, they went down there to him - Somehow David gets word to Bethlehem (about 12 miles from the cave) and his family flees, fully aware I am sure, of the irrational behavior that Saul was capable of. When jealousy and anger inflame a man's heart, the results are often disastrous and many are "burned!" Eliab, Abinadab, Shammah and sons 4, 5, 6, and 7, plus Jesse and the rest of the household, came down to the cave of Adullam to join David there. The same brothers that stood ahead of David to receive Samuel’s anointing, now lined up behind him, supporting him moment of his greatest need. A W
1 Samuel 22
Spurgeon say, 'Had David prayed as much in his palace as he did in his cave, he might never have fallen into the act which brought such misery upon his latter days.' Slowly but surely our patriarch is learning to acquiesce to the appointments of God. Practical subjection unto to the Lord is only learned in the school of experience. The theory of it may be gathered from books but the actuality has to be hammered out on the anvil of our hearts. Of our glorious Head, it is declared, 'Thou He were a son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered' (Hebrews 5:8). This word of David's also indicates that he was beginning to feel the need of waiting upon God for directions. How much sorrow and suffering would be avoided did we always do so." Easton's Dictionary - Adullam - The Cave of Adullam has been discovered about 2 miles south of the scene of David's triumph, and about 13 miles west from Bethlehem. At this place is a hill some 500 feet high pierced with numerous caverns, in one of which David gathered together "every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented" (1 Sam. 22:2). Some of these caverns are large enough to hold 200 or 300 men. According to tradition this cave was at Wady Khureitun, between Bethlehem and the Dead Sea, but this view cannot be well maintained. 1 Samuel 22 Cave Man David was stuck in a cave (Psalm 142). Some Bible commentators think this was when he was running from King Saul, who wanted to kill him (1 Samuel 22:1). Trouble and troublemakers hounded him. Hemmed in by his circumstances and smothered by danger, he turned to God for help. David was frightened, so he poured out his complaint to God (1 Samuel 22:2). He felt alone and uncared for, so he cried out to God (1 Samuel 22:1,4-5). His situation was desperate, so he pleaded for rescue (1 Samuel 22:6). David was trapped, so he begged for freedom (1 Samuel 22:7). What cave surrounds you today? A cave of despair brought on by grief or illness? A cave of difficulties caused by your own poor decisions? Are you stuck in a cave of questions or doubts that rob you of joy and confidence? Here's what David did when he was trapped in his cave: He asked God for mercy, he sought refuge in Him, and he promised to use his eventual freedom as a way to praise God. In the end, he looked forward to the comfort of fellow believers. Complaint followed by faith. Desperation followed by praise. Loneliness followed by fellowship. We can learn a lot from a cave man.—Dave Branon When we experience suffering, God's comfort will abound; For tribulations teach us where True comfort can be found. —Sper In every desert of calamity, God has an oasis of comfort. Psalm 142 Note: David was in a cave while fleeing for his life on 2 occasions, here in 1Sa 22 in Adullam and in1Sa 24:3 in Engedi. Expositors are divided as to the occasion to which this psalm refers. 1 Maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer. I cry aloud with my voice to the LORD; I make supplication with my voice to the LORD. 2 I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare my trouble before Him. 3 When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, You knew my path. In the way where I walk They have hidden a trap for me. 4 Look to the right and see; For there is no one who regards me; There is no escape for me; No one cares for my soul. 5 I cried out to You, O LORD; I said, “You are my refuge, My portion in the land of the living. 6 “Give heed to my cry, For I am brought very low; Deliver me from my persecutors, For they are too strong for me. 7 “Bring my soul out of prison, So that I may give thanks to Your name; The righteous will surround me, For You will deal bountifully with me.” Spurgeon's Treasury of David NOTE - For all of the notes on Psalm 142 (Quaint Sayings, Hints for Preachers, etc) click full commentary. The following focuses on Spurgeon's expository notes. TITLE. Maschil of David. This Maschil is written for our instruction. It teaches us principally by example how to order our prayer in times of distress. Such instruction is among the most needful, practical, and effectual parts of our spiritual education. He who has learned how to pray has been taught the most useful of the arts and sciences. The disciples said unto the Son of David, "Lord, teach, us to pray"; and here David gives us a valuable lesson by recording his own experience as to supplication from beneath a cloud. A Prayer when he was in the cave. He was in one of his many lurking places, either Engedi, Adullam, or some other lone cavern wherein he could conceal himself from Saul and his blood hounds. Caves make good closets for prayer; their gloom and solitude are helpful to the exercise of devotion. Had David prayed as much in his palace as he did in his cave, he might never have fallen into the act which brought such misery upon his later days. SUBJECT. There can be little doubt that this song dates from the days when Saul was sorely persecuting David, and David himself was in soul trouble, probably produced by that weakness of faith which led him to associate with heathen princes. His fortunes were evidently at their lowest, and, what was worse, his repute had fearfully fallen; yet he displayed a true faith in God, to whom he made known his pressing sorrows. The gloom of the cave is over the psalm, and yet as if standing at the mouth of it the prophet poet sees a bright light a little beyond. EXPOSITION. Psalm 142:1. I cried unto the LORD with my voice. It was a cry of such anguish that he remembers it long after, and makes a record of it. In the loneliness of the cave he could use his voice as much as he pleased; and therefore he made its gloomy vaults echo with his appeals to heaven. When there was no soul in the cavern seeking his blood, David with all his soul was engaged in seeking his God. He felt it a relief to his heart to use his voice in his pleadings with Jehovah. There was a voice in his prayer when he used his voice for prayer: it was not vox et praeterea nihil. It was a prayer vivo corde as well as vivâ voce. In his lonely wanderings he made the woods and caverns echo with his prayers. “The calm retreat, the silent shade, With prayer and praise agree, And seem by thy kind bounty made For those who worship thee.” A W
1 Samuel 22
Spurgeon - In this he became a type of our Lord Jesus, of whom it was said, “This man receiveth sinners and eateth with them.” David’s followers had been rendered desperate by the oppressions of Saul, but though they were bold and warlike men, they do not appear to have been evil in character; rather from their sympathy with David, and their general conduct, we may believe them to have been the best men in the kingdom, who, from that very cause, had been impoverished by Saul’s spiteful treatment. Those who side with Jesus must expect to be treated as he was, and if this drives us into closer fellowship with our despised and rejected Lord, so much the better. It was at this time that some of his boldest followers joined him. Brian Bell - 400 men who looked to David for leadership. His own little Tea Party Movement! 2. Distress - some were staggering under great pressures & stresses. a) Spiritually no self-satisfied man ever comes to Christ. Matter of fact in Rev.3 Jesus stands outside the door of the church that saw themselves as rich, increased w/ goods, & in need of nothing. It was sheer distress that drove the prodigal son back to his father. 3. Debt - others were drowning in debt due to Saul’s heavy taxation. a) Spiritually we also are bankrupt wretched people, & apart from grace we find ourselves bankrupt, insolvent, desperately in debt & helpless to meet God’s judgment. Therefore, our only hope is to fly to the wounded side of the Lord. 4. Discontented - still others sought out the national hero who had been similarly abused. a) Spiritually today many are embittered, disappointed, frustrated, & restless yet instead of running to Christ they gather around the worlds broken cisterns trying to satisfy their thirst for they know not what. Yet, if any man thirst, let him come to Jesus & drink, then out of his life shall flow rivers of cool living water. b) Well, David welcomed these men & provided the godly leadership they needed. c) He said, Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Ps 34:11 God may not bring 400 people to your doorstep, but he may bring someone who is in a similar situation to say, “I understand”. 1. As...Cancer patients find a new reason to live by reaching out to other cancer patients; Alcoholics, the strength to stay sober by helping other recovering alcoholics; Victims of abuse, the hope to endue by ministering to other victims of abuse. (Swindoll) In David’s darkest hour, God gave him a ministry of helping men like him who had been word down by injustice! 1. Their spirits could have easily soured like rotten milk, fermenting into calls for a violent revolution. 2. But David kept his eyes on God & instilled character & direction in their lives. He trained them to be mighty warriors(1 Chron.11:10-47) & their # increased from 400 to 600 strong. W. Wait! How did this take place? - From lonely desperation to God-entrusted leadership? 1. 3 Psalms clue us in: Ps.142,57,34 reveal the attitude that made change possible. Key: David is now undergoing a most essential part of his training, which will qualify him to pass on to us cave dwellers…“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts/takes refuge in him.” Maybe you find yourself in the Cave Adullam; Maybe you find yourself in Distress, or in debt, or discontent. Oh, taste & see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts/takes refuge in him Distress (04689))(matsoq from tsuq = to constrain, bring into straits, press upon, great external pressure) means anguish (= agonizing physical or mental pain; torment, misery), distress, stress, straits. Note in 4 of the 6 uses matsoq clearly refers to hardships and anxiety especially brought on from disobeying the Lord (Deut. 28:53, 55, 57; Jer. 19:9). THOUGHT - Oh to hear this truth and heed this truth, so that the next time we are tempted to commit flagrant, willful disobedience, we recall matsoq to our minds!!! But praise God for Ps 119:143 where the psalmist was in anguish (makes you think this was David writing Ps 119), but was relieved by delighting in God's commandments! The NLT paraphrases it "As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands." Amen and amen! Gilbrant - The masculine noun, mātsôq, is derived from tsûq, "to press upon." The verb has a number of cognates which connote "narrow," "tight." The KJV, therefore, often translates mātsôq as "straits" or "straitness," referring to a place of great distress. Mothers would be forced to eat their own children if they disobey and forsake his commands. In a time of "distress" that enemies would bring Israel when they found themselves under God's curse, such atrocities would occur (Deut. 28:53-59). When David hid from King Saul in the cave of Adullam, 1 Sam. 22:2 states that men who were in distress joined forces with him. (Complete Biblical Library) Matsoq - 6v - anguish(1), distress(5). Deut. 28:53; Deut. 28:55; Deut. 28:57; 1 Sam. 22:2; Ps. 119:143; Jer. 19:9 Deuteronomy 28:53+ “Then you shall eat the offspring of your own body, the flesh of your sons and of your daughters whom the LORD your God has given you, during the siege and the distress (Lxx - stenochoria = narrow place, figuratively, as the restrictiveness and pressures brought on by inner or outer problems) by which your enemy will oppress you. Deuteronomy 28:55+ so that he will not give even one of them any of the flesh of his children which he will eat, since he has nothing else left, during the siege and the distress Lxx - stenochoria = narrow place, figuratively, as the restrictiveness and pressures brought on by inner or outer problems) by which your enemy will oppress you in all your towns. Deuteronomy 28:57+ and toward her afterbirth which issues from between her legs and toward her children whom she bears; for she will eat them secretly for lack of anything else, during the siege and the distress Lxx - stenochoria = narrow place, figuratively, as the restrictiveness and pressures brought on by inner or outer problems) by which your enemy will oppress you in your towns. Psalm 119:143 (see commentary) Trouble and anguish have come upon me, yet Your commandments are my delight. Jeremiah 19:9 “I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh in the siege and in the distress with which their enemies and those who seek their life will distress them.”’ Discontent (bitter) (04751) mar is an adjective most often used figuratively to express the emotional response to a destructive, heart-crushing situation. It is used in a literal sense - bitter grape clusters (Dt. 32:32); bitter water (Ex 15:23); food in general (Pr 27:7). Although an adjective, mar can function alone as the noun bitterness (Isa. 38:15, 17) or as an adverb, bitterly (Isa 33:7, Ezek 27:30, Zeph 1:14). Mar can describe results of continued fighting (2 Sa 2:26). Figuratively modifies Esau's cry (Ge 27:34; Esther 4:1; Ezek 27:30); bitterness of death (1 Sa 15:32); or to describe a person discontented (1 Sa 22:2); provoked (2 Sa 17:8); anguished (Ezek. 27:31); ruthless (Hab. 1:6). Naomi's name for herself (Ru 1:20). Victor Hamilton gives a good survey of the figurative uses - Some of these situations are: (1) in the case of a woman, barrenness and sterility, 1 Samuel 1:10; (2) an unfulfilled death-wish, Job 3:20; (3) family turmoil, Genesis 27:34; (4) the exploitation and deprivation of minority peoples, Esther 4:1; (5) personal suffering and hardship, Job 7:11; Job 10:1; Isaiah 38:15; (6) a hostile and precarious situation, Psalm 64:3 [H 4]; grief over the apostasy of believers, Jeremiah 2:19; (7) the Lord's judgment on unbelievers, Zeph. 1:14; (8) discontentment with lacklustre leadership, 1 Samuel 22:2; (9) the thought of death, 1 Samuel 15:32; (10) the crumbling of dreams and aspiration, Ezekiel 27:30, 31. . (TWOT online version) THE CRY FROM THE CAVE - 1 Samuel 22:2 - Charles Swindoll (Borrow Starting Over page 42) points out that "The cave of Adullam was no Holiday Inn. It was a wicked refuge camp, a dark vault on the side of a cliff that reached deeply into a hill. Huddled in this clammy cavern were 400 losers, a mob of miserable humanity--the original Mafia. They all had one thing in common--a bad record. The place smelled like the Rams' locker room and sounded like an army barracks. You can bet not one of those guys ever heard Gothard's Principles on Handling Irritations. They were so tough, they'd make Al Capone sleep with a night light. They were gross. Except for David--that's right, David. It became his responsibility to turn that mob into an organized, well-disciplined fighting force, mighty men of valor. Talk about a challenge. These weren't the Filthy Five nor the Nasty Nine, nor the Dirty Dozen. Remember, there were 400 of these hardluck hooligans. Soon they became 600 and David was the den mother for these desperadoes. He was general, master sergeant and chaplain all rolled into one. David, "the sweet psalmist of Israel" became David the drill instructor. Needles to say, his battalion of 600 is not to be confused with the 600 who "rode into the valley of death" in Tennyson's Charge of the Light Brigade. The only place these guys had ridden was out of town, chased by their creditors...which turned David's men into predators. Did he pull it off? Could a shepherd from Bethlehem assume command of such a nefarious band of ne'er-do-wells? Did he meet the challenge? INDEED! In a brief period of time he had the troops in shape -- combat ready. Incredible as it seems, he was doing battle against the enemy forces using strategic maneuvers before the year was up. These were the very men who fought loyally by his side and gave him strong support when he became the king of Israel. They were called "the mighty men" and many of their names are listed in the Bible for heroism and dedication. All of us face a challenge. For some of you, it's a business that has all the earmarks of disaster. For others, it's the challenge of schooling without adequate money, or a houseful of young lives to shape, or a wounded relationship, or a prolonged illness that lingers and hurts. Still others of you find yourself in leadership over a group of people who need constant direction and encouragement...and you're tired of the demands. Some of you endure employment in a company that lacks a lot. Be encouraged. If David could handle that cave full of malcontents, you can tighten your belt and take on the challenge in your cave. Do you need strength? Peace? Wisdom? Direction? Discipline? Ask for it! God will hear you. He gives special attention to cries when they come out of caves." Henry Blackaby - Attractive People Everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him; and he became captain over them. Now there were about four hundred men with him. 1 Samuel 22:2 (NASB) The dictionary describes an attractive person as “pleasing, charming, having the power to attract others.” Attractiveness goes much deeper than our physical features. We’ve all known some beautiful people who had personalities like rattlesnakes. They were either abrasive, obnoxious, self-centered, shallow, or all of the above. They may attract us initially with their good looks, but we are soon repelled by their personalities. David was a handsome man, but that wasn’t what attracted people to him. He had a large circle of close and loyal friends because of his personality. He was like a magnet for hurting people because he understood their situation. He had been mistreated and misunderstood enough himself that he was able to sympathize with others. He was kind and thoughtful of others, so they wanted to be around him. Hundreds of men followed his leadership willingly because they knew he cared about them. No doubt David could have been as ugly as a can of worms, and he would have attracted the same people. Do you have a personality like David’s? Do people know that if they are hurting you will listen to them and sympathize with them? Or are you unknowingly giving off the message that you have time only for those who can help you? If you’ve been more of a taker than a giver lately, ask God to soften your heart and make you aware of ways to be a friend to someone today. More than likely, you’ll receive a blessing in the process! (Borrow The experience : a devotional and journal : day by day with God) Robert Hawker - MY soul, was not this thy case when thou first sought after Jesus? Thou wert, indeed, in debt, under an heavy load of insolvency. Distress and discontent sadly marked thy whole frame. Unconscious where to go, or to whom to seek, and no man cared for thy soul. Oh! what a precious thought it was, and which none but God the Holy Ghost could have put into thine heart,—Go unto Jesus! And when I came, and thou didst graciously condescend to be my Captain, from that hour how hath my soul been revived. My insolvency thou hast taken away; for thou hast more than paid the whole demands of the law; for thou hast magnified it and made it honourable. My distress under the apprehension of divine justice thou hast removed; for God’s justice, by thee, is not only satisfied, but glorified. My discontent can have no further cause for exercise, since thou hast so graciously provided for all my wants, in grace here, and glory hereafter. Hail! thou great and glorious Captain of my salvation! In thee I see that Leader and Commander which Jehovah, thy Father, promised to give to the people. Thou art indeed, blessed Jesus! truly commissioned by thy Father to this very purpose, that every one that is in soul-distress, by reason of sin, and debtors to the broken law of God, may come unto thee, and take thee for their Captain. And truly, Lord, thy little army, like David’s, is composed of none originally but distressed souls. None would take thee for his Captain whose spiritual circumstances are not desperate. None but the man whose heart hath felt distress, by reason of sin, and is sinking under the heavy load of guilt, will come under thy banner. Oh! the condescension of Jesus to receive such, and be gracious unto them. Oh! that I had the power of persuasion, I would say to every poor sinner, every insolvent debtor, every one who feels and knows the plague of his heart—Would to God you were with the Captain of my salvation, he would recover you from all your sorrow. Go to him, my brother, as I have done; he will take away your distress by taking away your sin. He will liberate you from all your debt by paying it himself. He will banish all discontent from the mind, in giving you peace with God by his blood. Yes! blessed, almighty Captain! thou art indeed over thy people, as well as a Captain to thy people. By the sword of thy spirit, which is the word of God, thou workest conviction in our hearts; thou makest all thine enemies fall under thee; thou leadest thy people on to victory, and makest them more than conquerors through thy grace supporting them. Lord, put on the military garments of salvation on my soul, and the whole armour of God, that under thy banner, I may be found in life, in death, and for evermore. Michael Andrus - Sometimes in the wilderness you meet weird people, people who are either escaping reality or running from responsibility. The men who gather around David at the Cave of Adullam include those who are oppressed, in debt, or otherwise bitter at the cards they have been dealt. I imagine David said to himself more than once, “What did I do to earn friends like these? I can hardly feed myself and my family, and then 400 needy people of every sort find their way to my cave.” I suspect he wanted to say, “Buzz off!” But he didn't. David seemed to have a unique ability to face a situation with the attitude, “Well, I'm not sure what God has in mind here, but he brought these people around me, so I'm going to make the best of it.” And David begins to introduce some discipline and responsibility into this rag-tag group. Before long he has a band of loyal fighters who are willing to lay down their lives for him–a personal army that becomes an important ingredient throughout his rule over Israel. Every one of us will enter the wilderness of difficult relationships from time to time. We may encounter what are sometimes called VDP's–very draining people, individuals who are emotionally needy and tend to drain every ounce of energy from us. We can blow them off, or we can tell them off, or we can say, “OK, God, I don't know why you brought this person into my life, but I'm going to make the best of it. Show me how to love these people well, as you do.” I know that I personally tend to give up on people too soon. I value hard work, discipline, and competency; I disdain laziness and carelessness. But what I have had to learn over the years (and I'm still learning it) is that these values of mine have a lot to do with the fact that I tend to be a perfectionist and a workaholic, and these are not necessarily godly characteristics. I have to give people a lot more leeway to be who God created them to be. If they don't measure up to my standards, they may yet measure up to God's, and that's more important. There is another Psalm of David whose superscription tells us it was written “at the time David fled from Saul into the cave”–Psalm 57. We cannot be certain this is the Cave of Adullam, because David lived in several caves, but there is much here that fits the Adullam experience. Look particularly at Ps 57:4: I am in the midst of lions; I lie among ravenous beasts– men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords. I have a feeling that David is not talking about the enemies who drove him to the cave in the wilderness, but rather about the motley crew that has gathered around him. And what is his response to being surrounded by these troubled relationships? He says in Ps 57:1: Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings. When surrounded by difficult relationships, David takes refuge in the mercy of God. He also finds strength in praise. Twice, in verse 5 and again in verse 11, he says: “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.” I think that's still the wisest approach for us to take when facing troubled relationships–appeal to God's mercy and find strength in praise. G Campbell