## The Life of David - Part 5

## I Samuel 22:1-2

Last week we saw how God removed from David every crutch that he could have leaned upon. God wanted to get David to the place where he would only be leaning on Him. At the bottom of his life David crawled into a cave in the Judean wilder- ness. He was disallusioned, hurt, lonely, and no doubt afraid. But God had a whole new direction for his life. Tonight we want to look at his cave dwelling experience and watch God at work as He continues to mold and shape the new king of Israel.

I. The Cause: How it happened.

A. David had no crutches.

1. All of his major supports in life had been removed.

2. His position, his wife, his counselor, his closest friend, and finally his own self-respect.

B. David had no comfort.

1. Every person he knew became an enemy or was helpless to assist him.

2. His was running for his very life.

3. He had no security, no food, no one to listen, and no promise to he could cling.

C. David had no hope.

1. This was without a doubt the worst thing of all.

2. He had no where to turn except to the Lord, and that is exactly where God wanted him to be.

3. He was learning his lesson; he cried out to God as his only refuge from his persecutors.

4. God was using the cave as a training ground for David. The challenge of the cave would be one of being with others, seeing their needs, and accepting the leadership over them.

II. The Challenge: What it involved.

A. Being with others.

1. God first surrounded him with his own family members.

a. Somehow, word of where David was made its way back to the city of Bethlehem and to his family.

b. His brothers and all the house of his father came to where he was.

2. God also surrounded him with some strangers.

a. There was much discontent under the rule of King Saul.

b. He was given to rash and unwise decisions, as well as being given to moments of sudden insanity.

c. The 400 men who were drawn to David were seeking refuge from the problems of Saul's regime.

B. Seeing the needs.

1. "...in distress..." under great pressure and stress. page three

2. "...in debt..." owing money to creditors and perhaps to the government in the form of severe taxes.

3. "...discontented..." bitterness of soul because of having been wronged, abused, and mistreated.

C. Accepting the leadership.

1. David didn't walk away from these who had joined themselves unto him.

2. He became their captain, their leader.

3. Seeing their needs, David accepted this new assignment.

4. Later this group grew to 600, and they became the backbone of Israel when David assumed the throne.

III. The Change: Why it occurred.

A. He hurt enough to admit his own need. (David on his face)

1. God cannot help those who think they have no need of Him.

a. All too often people feel that they can handle whatever problems come their way.

b. Many turn to crutches in order to make it through these difficult times.

c. God wants us to turn to Him, just as He wanted David to turn to Him there in the cave.

2. When David found himself in the cave, he finally realized his need of God's help above all else.

a. David poured his heart out before God in Ps. 142:1-2

b. He could find no help or comfort from anyone. v3-4

c. His enemy was greater than he was, but he knew that God could deliver him. v5-7

B. He was honest enough to cry out for help. (David on his knees)

1. God wants us to ask for His help.

a. Some folks refuse to ask God's help, even when they realize that they need Him.

b. God never forces Himself upon us, but He longs for us to call upon Him.

2. When David realized how much he needed God's help, he was not too proud to cry out. cf. Psalm 57:1-3

C. He was honest enough to learn from God. (David on his feet)

1. Pride is a hinderance to learning.

a. To learn, we must first acknowledge that we do no know it all.

b. And we must be in subjection to our teacher.

2. The cave experience was a training ground for David.

a. Before he could learn the things God wanted to teach him he had to be humbled.

b. David learned his lessons well. cf. Psalm 34:1-8

Conclusion: Realize that all that was happening to David was within God's plan for him. God was at work chipping away at all that was in David's life which would hinder him from being the kind of king that the nation of Israel needed. Consider also that this maturing work was not necessarily an enjoyable experience for David. Change is always painful, but we must change if we are to become the kind of people that God wants us to be.