Key Verse: Verse 2 - “And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men."
Key Words: and he became a captain over him
The cave of Adullam was certainly no Holiday Inn. Huddled in this dark cavern were 400 losers. I guess you could say they were a mob of miserable humanity. You can read about these 400 losers in I Samuel 22, but in verse 2 of this chapter it gives us a brief description of these 400 malcontents. “And everyone that was in distress, and everyone that was in debt, and everyone that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him [David], and he became a captain over them; and there were with him about four hundred men.”
These were tough guys. They would have been the Israeli Mafia. Now here is David, their leader, who turns this mob of madmen 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. There are over 400 of these hard-luck hooligans.
Shortly thereafter the group grew to 600, and David was the den mother for these desperados. He was the general, master sergeant, and the chaplain all rolled up into one. David, the little shepherd boy; David, the sweet psalmist of Israel, became their captain. David pulled off unifying this band of renegades and they became a great fighting machine. These were David’s mighty men and many of their names are listed in the Bible for heroism and dedication.
So what’s the point? All of us face challenges – for some of you, it’s finances; to others, it’s your children; to still others, it’s your business and still others, it’s your marriage. Be encouraged by David who, by God’s grace, pulled together 400 malcontents. You can as well, by God’s grace, overcome whatever challenges in life you may face. It will take inner strength, wisdom, discretion, and self-discipline. Ask God for it because God gives special attention to cries which come from the dark places in life.
What to do:
✞ When in a dark place, don’t despair, call out to God
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