1 Samuel 22:2: “And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him.”

May 31st, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

David became the leader of a formidable group of men, drawn together by adverse circumstances. Those who gathered around him were not what we would call the pick of the crop, but they would ultimately become mighty men. There are 3 things we see in these men’s lives that made them become men of God, and the same things cause us today to become men and women of God.

Distress: First, when we are in distress over life, we begin to look for help; and it’s only when we come to God that we find peace from stress and a solid foundation.

Debt: Secondly, when we see our debt before God, we realize that we owe everything to Him and we stop trying to rely on others or ourselves and become completely dependent on Him.

Discontented: Thirdly, when we are discontent with the conditions of the world we live in, we begin to look for real contentment. It is then that we realize there isn’t enough of anything this world has to offer that will bring us contentment. No matter what temporal thing we try to use to feed the flesh, it will never satisfy. Only God offers contentment because he deals with issues of eternal consequence.

This was the situation in the lives of the men who came to David during his time of exile. King Saul was a tyrant who had become a mad man. He had moods of deep depression and a dangerous, vicious temper that allowed him to destroy even the innocent. Those truly upset with the way the current kingdom was going, began to gather to David, forming a core group that would later help govern when David finally took over the kingdom. They looked to the exiled shepherd-king for protection, training, and a delayed reward. Satan is still the same kind of tyrant trying to rule men’s hearts in the world today. King Jesus is gathering together his core group for the day when he sits on the eternal throne, ruling and reigning forever. Like them, we must submit all our lives to the King, and allow him to make the decisions we face.

“LORD, reign in our hearts and minds today we ask, in Jesus’ name.”

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1 Samuel 22 KJV

¹ David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father’s house heard it , they went down thither to him. ² And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that wasdiscontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men. ³ And David went thence to Mizpeh 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. ⁴ And he brought them before the king of Moab: and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the hold. ⁵ And the prophet Gad said unto David, Abide not in the hold; depart, and get thee into the land of Judah. Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hareth. ⁶ When Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with him, (now Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him;)  ⁷ Then Saul said unto his servants that stood about him, Hear now, ye Benjamites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, and make you all captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds; ⁸ That all of you have conspired against me, and there is none that sheweth me that my son hath made a league with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you that is sorry for me, or sheweth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?  ⁹ Then answered Doeg the Edomite, which was set over the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. ¹⁰ And he enquired of the LORD for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine. ¹¹ Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests that were in Nob: and they came all of them to the king. ¹² And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitub. And he answered, Here I am , my lord.  ¹³ And Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast enquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day? ¹⁴ Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, And who is so faithful among all thy servants as David, which is the king’s son in law, and goeth at thy bidding, and is honourable in thine house? ¹⁵ Did I then begin to enquire of God for him? be it far from me: let not the king impute any thing unto his servant, nor to all the house of my father: for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more.  ¹⁶ And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father’s house. ¹⁷ And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the LORD; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD.  ¹⁸ And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod. ¹⁹ And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge of the sword. ²⁰ And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David. ²¹ And Abiathar shewed David that Saul had slain the LORD’S priests. ²² And David said unto Abiathar, I knew it that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father’s house. ²³ Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: but with me thou shalt be in safeguard.