(All Scriptures NIV unless otherwise stated)

"David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and his father's household heard about it, they went down to him there. All those who were in distress, in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader." (1 Sam 22:1-2)

The story of David, fleeing for his life, presents a sobering truth for the church today. In the cave of Adullam there is a warning, and a picture of the kind of church God is building. It contains remarkable parallels with Christ's own life and the sort of men who gathered to Him. We would do well to take note of the cave of Adullam and the army gathered with David, as it speaks of the staff of the end-time army. Do you know anyone starting a church? The cave speaks prophetically of the kind of church we can expect Christ to form in the midst of apostolic flow.

David in Adullam is a message not welcome by those who want a church mesmerised by mammon, playing whore with the world and entertaining the unregenerate. David's ways speak of apostolic church and apostolic ways, not encrusted with gold, but dusty from disuse; not pampered with pillows, but the fierce way of fighting; a pathway to both palaces and prisons. An Adullam church will attract the likes of David's Mighty Men - but we must be prepared for them. Such an army welcomes persecution, rejection and even risk of death.

The cave of Adullam

Imagine young David running from a jealous and angry king Saul. From time to time he sees his persecutors, a hunting party with dogs and horses. He is hungry much of the time. As Gene Edwards eloquently puts it, "His food came from the fields, roots from the roadside_ he drank the rain... caves were his castles and pits were his home." Without weapons he convinces the high priest in the town of Nob that he is on a secret mission from king Saul. The priest allows him to take bread and weapons from the shrine. He has lost Jonathan's sword and bow, lovingly wearing his robe to stay warm. He still has Jonathan's the tunic and belt. At the last minute David remembers Goliath's sword - hidden in cloth behind the altar. He takes it and continues his journey.

From Hebrew soil David seeks sanctuary among Israel's foremost enemies. Descending from the highlands of Judah he comes to Gath of the Philistines and nearly looses his life. The King of Gath - Achish - becomes suspicious of the famous giant killer. To escape, David pretends to go insane and runs like a madman. Achish is disgusted at the champion of Israel and allows him to escape. Stumbling across the wastelands he travels a full 10 miles to Adullam.

This ground had always been deserted. Here David makes a fortified camp. He maintains a steady watch in this natural fortress cave. The cavern is cut into barren rocky cliffs that are dotted with nooks and hideaways. On the steep heights, with an adequate water supply and many other places of concealment, jealous Saul will not easily surprise him. For a moment, for a season, he is safe. He sharpens and tends to his weapons and surveys his possibilities.

The gathering of an army

What sort of people do you think God is going to bring to your revival? What sort of people will come, like moths to the flame of your 'apostolic church'? What sort of folk is the heart of God beating for? Perhaps we want the rich to finance our ministry. Perhaps the famous to add prestige. Perhaps mighty men to assist us in battle. Many Adullamites became 'David's Mighty Men' but that is not how they began. Forget the panelled houses of the TV evangelists, forget the crystal cathedrals, forget the gold Mercedes. David was in a cave among a breed of men most of us have no familiarity with at all!

Before his flight began, David held high rank in the army. His courage and battle prowess were a pleasure to many of Saul's officers (1 Sam 18:5). Some of these men gathered to him in Adullam. Here in this cave, the armies of king David the giant killer make a rugged beginning. This dank, damp dwelling became the home of other exiles who trickled in to be with him. To join David was to go into voluntary exile. He was a wanted man, pursued by the king. Others fled from Saul's growing insanity and rage. One by one, two by two they searched for safety.

His family came to meet him here. The cave must have been rather large as it became the house and training centre for about 400 men - an outlaw army of rejected refugees. But what kind of people flocked to this place? There were repulsive and rejected ragamuffins, discontents and malcontents. David's 'army' attracted a sorry and worthless lot: thieves, liars, faultfinders, deserters, complainers, debtors and doubters.

The scene was not dissimilar from the shepherds and men from the East seeking baby Jesus in the manger. They had to pursue the king and they found him in a lowly place. The environment was stale and damp, the atmosphere of the region bristling with hostility and the echo of children dying filled the valleys. In both cases the God of Heaven chose to start something worthy in a worthless place - a place to stumble those after the plush atmosphere of a swank hotel!

Rejected

Imagine how David felt_ the pain of suffering, the indignity of apparent defeat, the rejection suffered at the hands of friends and enemies alike. Once again the parallel with Christ is clear. David knew rejection. Jesus also knew rejection. As author Phillip Yancey has remarked, "Christ's life was defined by rejection. His neighbours laughed at him, his family questioned his sanity, his closest friends betrayed him, and his countrymen traded his life for that of a terrorist. Throughout his ministry Jesus gravitated toward the poor and the rejected ones, the riffraff."

Riffraff - refuse, dregs, the poor and the rejected. It sounds a little like the apostles of the New Testament. Paul spent long hours behind bars 'a prisoners in chains for the gospel'. His neighbours were drunkards, tax collectors, thieves and murderers. What was it he proudly said? "We are fools for Christ: weak, dishonoured, hungry and thirsty, in rags, brutally treated, homeless, cursed, persecuted and slandered. We have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world" (1 Cor 4:10-13 abridged). That's an attractive resume isn't it! But that is the road to an apostolic church, and the cave of Adullam is the home of soon-to-be mighty men and women.

David's mighty men - Christ's mighty men

The 12 disciples of Christ were hardly men of renown and prestige before they served with Christ. But it was to the sick and wounded, the poor and rejected he ministered. He ate with them, slept near them, prayed with them and healed their sick. Christ ate with sinners, sat with tax collectors and defended prostitutes. Have you ever wondered who the 120 were, in the upper room? It stands to reason that they were drawn from those Christ ministered to. We know the kind of people who were in Corinth. Paul describes them as - the foolish, without influence, the poor and downtrodden, the weak, lowly and despised (1 Cor 1:26-28). Sounds distinctly like that first band of 400 men in Adullam!

But reflect for a moment of what God did with such people. They changed the world! Likewise David, one way or another, took this band of men and turned them into a fighting force to be reckoned with. Cast your eye across the band of men first gathered to David in Adullam. If you look carefully, (with the benefit of hindsight!) you will see many of his Might Men. Review the parade. Two of David's nephews - Abishai and Asahel are forever honoured in the account of Scripture. Abashai: Commander of the Three, raised his spear against 300 men and killed them all! Asahel: the fast runner, became one of the monthly commanders of the divisions.

Among the Mighty men in the dank and dusty cave sat a Samaritan, a Philistine, several Hivites, a Hittite, several Syrians, an Aramean, a Canaanite an Ammonite and a couple of Moabites. David trained and warred with men from the 'forbidden tribes'! Many of his best men had no background to speak of. Some of the men who became strong in battle have no fixed address, others are of no repute - nothing is known about their past or origin. David took truly unworthy, unknown nobodies.

There were some fairly amazing men among the Mighty Ones. Men such as Zalmon, the dark one; Shammoth (whose name means frightful); Elika - son of terror; Hepher (whose name means well of shame); Azamaveth - strong as death; Zelek (whose name means cracked earth) and Ithmah the orphan. They all became valiant warriors serving the king of Israel and his God - the King of kings.

Conclusion

David's mighty men willingly risked their lives in service and warred against the enemies of the realm. Likewise, if we can love and nurture them, God will bring us such people to train and discipline. And we can take the heat of having "those who are in distress, in debt or discontented" gathered to us then we, like David, will reap the rich rewards. When you love the unlovely they become your irrepressible friends. When you care for the orphans they will serve you and your King even unto death. The question is, are we up to it?

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