A Friend of Debtors

Reflections on 1 Sam. 22:1-5

At Adullam David began to see God fulfill his promise to give him the kingdom. Despite killing Goliath and marrying Saul’s daughter, David had secured neither social advancement nor the kingdom. Instead he had become an outcast who even had to pretend madness in Gath to save his life. After fleeing Gath, David hid in a cave near the town of Adullam in the western foothills (Josh. 15:33 , 36) about 13 miles SW of Bethlehem. The territory was near the valley of Elah where David had killed Goliath. While hiding there, those who were “in distress” or “in debt” or “bitter in soul” began to gather around him. They became the nucleus of his army.

DAVID SYMPATHIZED. Actually, David’s experiences prepared him to sympathize with the unfortunate. His willingness to take up their cause demonstrated that he had the heart of God:

But the LORD sits enthroned forever;
he has established his throne for justice,
and he judges the world with righteousness;
he judges the peoples with uprightness.
The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.
-- Psalm 9:7-10 (ESV)

DAVID SET AN IDEAL. His compassion for the poor and oppressed established an ideal for following kings (Psalm 72:1-19), but they never lived up to the expectations. Isaiah foresaw that ideal being fulfilled by the Messiah who would restore the kingdom:

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
and faithfulness the belt of his loins.
-- Isa. 11:1-5 (ESV)

JESUS FULFILLED THE IDEAL. Jesus came up from the stump of Jesse. He fulfilled the prophetic ideal for a Davidic king. He rebuked the rich and influential religious leaders who put heavy loads on men’s shoulders but were unwilling themselves to lift a finger to move them (Matt. 23:4). When they rejected his message, he told them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you” (Matt. 21:31). As with David, the oppressed, the weary, and the discontented formed the nucleus of Christ’s kingdom. They found refuge in Him. He said to them, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28-30).