PASSIONATE PURSUIT...TRUSTING THE LORD'S PROCESS

1 Samuel 21:10-15

And David arose and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands? And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath. And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard. Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me? Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?

David, the servant of the Lord, had been on the run from his predecessor Saul and he ran to the house of God among the priests. After having been fed and given a weapon, he fled to Achish. Achish was in the midst of Philistine territory, amongst the enemies of the Israelites. The servants of Achish asked, Is this not David, king of the land? Even Achish and his servants knew spiritually that David was anointed to be king in the land. These known adversaries could have taken David prisoner or held him for ransom. David, being intimidated, changed his behavior and played as a mad man amongst Achish and his servants. Seeing he was unstable, they sent him on his way unharmed.

1 Samuel 22:1-5

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. 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. And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab: and he said unto the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother, pray thee, come forth, and be with you, till I know what God will do for me. And he brought them before the king of Moab: and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the hold. 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.

David, still on the run from Saul, does not take time to inquire of the Lord, but continues to operate in intimidation and fear. He escapes to a dark cave called Adullam. David starts fearless, bold, and courageous. He approaches affliction as a child would. He knew that it wasn’t in his own strength or might that he would overcome the giant, but that the battle belonged to the Lord. However, circumstances and the issues of life have David shaked with intimidation. He has taken refuge, but not into the spirit of God. He runs from one enemy to another. He doesn’t run back to the prophet Samuel, who was used to anoint him in the midst of all of his brothers. This reminds me of a similar account with the holy prophet Elijah. He was hiding because he was in the midst of a corrupt society and the prophets were being killed. Obadiah hid the prophets in caves by fifty and fed them. Elijah himself took refuge in a dark cave and the Lord sent an angel to ask, Why are you here? Why does it seem to be a consistent theme of the Lord’s anointed being pushed into a corner or a dark place, while it seems like the mockers and workers of iniquity seem to prosper in their way? David was anointed! He inquired about warfare often to confirm the Lord was with him, but the simplicity of matters like instruction concerning what he was anointed to do, we do not witness. He didn’t ask about being king or getting instructions concerning his calling. We often hear the words, “Shall we go up?” or “Will they deliver us up?” He has been an armor bearer to Saul. Saul has given him a wife, then took her back and gave her to someone else, and is on a mission to kill David. So David is in a cave. He’s in a spiritually dark place. He didn’t ask to be chosen. The people asked for a king, and the Lord sought him out. A servant after God’s own heart. The Lord’s servant who loves the Lord with all of his heart and all of his spirit and his might is in a cave. When his brethren heard of it, they went to him. They began to search for their king. He was ordained and anointed, and had once delivered all Israel from the hand of the Philistines. Although David wasn’t walking in his calling, everyone that was distressed, in debt, and discontented with their circumstances drew near to him, and he became captain of about four hundred men.

 The meaning of Mizpeh (watchover) and the meaning of Moab (of my father). David was not ready to walk in his calling, and although they had appointed him captain, he left the cave and journeyed to the land of another known enemy of the children, Moab. He requested for the king to take in his flock until he knew what the Lord would do. Even then, he has a heart of a shepherd that he wants to be sure they are cared for even though he is not in a position of trust or surrender. So, he left his people with the kind, and he abode still in the stronghold.

What Is A Stronghold?
A hiding place. It is interesting that although the name of the town meant “watchtower of the father.” David didn’t go there to watch, to pray, or to prepare to overcome his adversary. He was anointed, called, and had fought several other battles. The Lord had shown himself to be a rock and fortress, but David goes to abide in the hold. Sometimes, we can abide in a place that is comfortable to the flesh, but it is not a place that we have been spiritually led to be. Although we know that the Lord is always with us, sometimes we choose a spiritual short cut for things. He could have taken the four hundred and trained them. He could have made a place for the Lord and came into unity and prayed for instruction, or for the Lord to intervene in regards to things. Instead, David chose to put the people in the hands of another leader and run for cover. The Lord then sends a messenger angel through the prophet Gad to intervene. He came with a simple word to encourage David and said do not abide in the hold; Get out of your place of comfort. I’m calling you to a higher place. Depart from here and get to the land of Judah. He gave an instruction. When I think of Judah, praise comes to mind. When we get to our own father’s house, and get to a higher place of praise, we start to see things clever. We elevate above problems and circumstances. Deliverance starts to take place. Spirits have to flee. Cleansing and a renewing of the mind begin to take place.

He departed to the forest of Hareth, meaning a place of good provision and protection. The wilderness is often a place of divine encounter. There is always an appointed time and purpose for all things. This was the time for David to really learn of the Lord and learn of the operation of the spirit of God within him. Sometimes, we can start out so well. We love the Lord. We get saved. We receive him with joy and go forth with zeal of the initial testimony of his healing, deliverance, or how he mended our brokenness. Then comes the wilderness training for survival. You are led there to learn his will. You learn the expectations of your spiritual father. That’s what the Lord’s design was, nevertheless, some people when they receive the orders or instruction don’t want to train for endurance until the end; to stay the course. We must be taught how to be king. The Lord uses the Apostle Paul to confirm this in his letters to the Romans.
Romans 10:1-3
Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
We must be diligent to seek the face of God, seek after his Holy Spirit and to stay on the potter’s wheel. We must trust in his process and inquire always about what the Lord’s will is.
#KEEPTRUSTING #KEEPPRAISING #OBEDIENCE #WATCHANDPRAY