Daily Bible Reading: Joshua 10, Psalm 142, 143, Jeremiah 4, Matthew 18
A Cry From the Cave
The story of David is riddled with adventure, some good and some not so good. Saul had brought David into his palace after David killed Goliath. (I Sam. 18) Whatever Saul sent David to do he did successfully and Saul gave him a high rank in the army. However, David’s successes soon stirred up jealousy in Saul; especially when the women came out to greet the returning army after battles singing “Saul has slain his thousands and David his tens of thousands.”
Often an evil spirit would come upon Saul. When David played his harp and sang for Saul it eased his depression. One day as David was singing and playing for Saul, Saul took up a spear and hurled it at David, trying to kill him. So David fled. Saul chased David here and there and was unable to catch him. David eluded Saul and ended up hiding in the cave of Adullam. About 400 men joined him there and became his army. These weren’t just every day men. They were all those who were in distress, in debt or discontented. But as they joined forces with David they became powerful.
Psalm 142 was written while David was hiding in that cave. It was a prayer unto the Lord. David lifted up his voice and called out to the Lord. He told his troubles to the Lord. He recognized that when his spirit grew faint within him that the Lord was aware of it. He said, “When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who know my way.” Verse 3. David felt like no one cared for him, that he had no refuge to turn to. Then he said “I cry to you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my refuge, my portion.’” He felt desperate.
David was a powerful influence on those cast-off men that gathered themselves to him. I wonder if he was referring to them in the last verse of this psalm. “Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me.” Those 400 men who came to David when he was in the cave did become key figures in David’s regime when he finally became king and were known as “David’s mighty men.”
Have you had a “cave” experience? David learned important lessons while he was running from Saul. He learned to trust God and learned much about God’s faithfulness. If we turn to the Lord during our “cave” experiences, we too can learn to trust God more; learn to rely solely on him experience God’s provision and goodness. You don’t have to be running from someone, or have someone pursuing you as David did to have a cave experience. It can just be a time in your life when you feel alone, that no one really understands what you are feeling or dealing with. Those are times to lean heavily upon the Lord.
The Gaithers wrote a song that says, “Through it all I’ve learned to trust in Jesus, I’ve learned to trust in God.” If we learn those lessons the things we experience will have eternal value. The Lord will hear and answer when you cry from the cave.
Tomorrows Bible Reading - Joshua 11, Psalm 144, Jeremiah 5, Matthew 19
God is good all the time,
Naomi Brinkman
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