Difference between revisions of "Sermon for June 28th, 2015"

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1 Samuel 22:1-2

1David left there and escaped to the cave of Adullam; when his brothers and all his father’s house heard of it, they went down there to him. 2Everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him; and he became captain over them. Those who were with him numbered about four hundred.

Give Us A King: Adullam's Cave

Last week's scripture passage was a really long one--almost an entire chapter of the Bible--and yet it covered only one brief episode in the life of young David. Today's scripture passage, by contrast, is short. Just two verses, and yet it summarizes a long period of time--several years in the rise of King David.

I say "King" David, but David is nowhere near being king yet. In fact, at the beginning of this passage, he is nothing more than a refugee, on the run from a raving and jealous king Saul, who has tried many times to have David killed. The reason David's brothers and all his father's house come to him in hiding is probably because their lives are in danger too, on account of their connection to David.

This is a low point in David's career, once filled with so much promise, but now so much uncertainty: He was the one anointed by the prophet Samuel as God's chosen King. He was the one who defeated the giant, Goliath. The one who once led the armies of King Saul to victory after victory, as his fame and fortune grew.

Now, he has lost everything. He has no country. No Kingdom. No army. No resources. Just a cave, near the ruins of Adullam, overlooking the valley of Elah, the site of his victory over Goliath. I can imagine David sitting at the mouth of the cave, watching intently for any sign of those who are hunting him. Looking... and thinking... and remembering... and wondering...

If you are wondering what David was wondering about, interestingly, there are two Psalms which actually say in the title, "Written by David in the cave." They are Psalm 57 and 142.

Psalm 57 begins: "Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, until the destroying storms pass by. I cry to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. He will send from heaven and save me, he will put to shame those who trample on me."

Psalm 142 begins: "With my voice I cry to the Lord; with my voice I make supplication to the Lord. I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him. When my spirit is faint, you know my way. In the path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me. Look on my right hand and see—there is no one who takes notice of me; no refuge remains to me; no one cares for me.

Like I said, this is a low point in David's life. But low points are not without purpose, or meaning, or even hope. As David watches from the mouth of the cave, begins to see people approaching. They are not his enemies. Of course, they probably don't exactly seem like the answer to his prayers, either. After his family arrives, we read of three different types of people who converge on the cave of Adullam: "Everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him."

The first of these in Hebrew are the מָצ֜וֹק (matzoq). This word means more than simply "distressed" It means those who are hunted, oppressed, in trouble, refugees.

The second category are the נֹשֶׁא֙ (n'sheh). It means those in debt, but the root is the same as the Hebrew word for deceived, swindled, taken advantage of. Robbed by legal means.

Finally are the מַר-נֶ֔פֶשׁ (mar-nephesh), the discontent. The Hebrew literally means "bitter souls," those who have given up on life, those who are broken and despondent.

So David prays for a mighty army, and what does he get? The rejects. The dregs of society. The ones no one else wants. The ones who, like David, are at a low point in life, who have nothing, and nowhere else to go.

But David doesn't turn them away. Instead we read he "became captain over them." All 400 of them. And in the verses and chapters that follow this one, something begins to happen. David may not have an army, but he has a purpose, and a people, there in the cave of Adullam.

Adullam is an interesting word. No one knows quite what it means, and there really aren't any other words like it. But in trying to figure it out, I came up with three different possibilities:

The second half of the word, "am" means "people." The first half, "Adul," is the real mystery. Depending on whether it's related to similar words in Arabic or Assyrian, it could mean either "refuge," "justice," or "substance." That's where it gets really interesting. I wonder if it could mean all three?

For the מָצ֜וֹק (matzoq), the oppressed, the cave becomes the "refuge of the people," a safe place, a shelter from persecution.

For the נֹשֶׁא֙ (n'sheh), those in debt, those who have been legally robbed, the cave becomes the "justice of the people" where I imagine resources are shared fairly, equitably among all.

For the מַר-נֶ֔פֶשׁ (mar-nephesh), the bitter souls who have nothing to live for, the cave becomes the "substance of the people," their purpose, their reason to live.

If I'm right (and I admit this is pretty speculative) then that's quite a cave.

In the world of Philosophy, Plato's famous allegory of the cave tells the story of several individuals in a cave, facing the back wall, only able to see the shadows formed by the sun's rays coming through the cave opening behind them. For years, this is the extent of their reality, all they can know and perceived. But eventually they emerge from the cave into the light of day, and true reality. The cave becomes a metaphor for darkness, and for the womb. Coming out of the cave into the light is a metaphor for rebirth, or awakening.

In all of our lives, there are times of darkness. Wilderness times that threaten to devastate and overwhelm us. Lonely times where we feel distant from God, from our loved ones, from our calling and purpose.

• Wilderness times in our lives, times of retreat and growth, expanding our vision and forming our values

Leadership principles:

• When God calls you, usually the cave comes before the palace.
• When God calls you, he doesn't send you the professionals. He sends the broken rejects.
• But God uses the Cave. God uses the people. Read a few chapters later to see how David's "mighty men" turn out.