1 Samuel 22:1-5
Verse 3 From there David went to Mizpah in Moab and said to the king of Moab, “Would you let my father and mother come and stay with you until I learn what God will do for me?”
David left his gig in Gath and headed off to another place to hide, a cave in Adullam. At about 10 miles southeast of Gath and 17 miles southwest of Jerusalem it seemed like a great location and for a guy that was running for his life, a lot of people were able to find him. David was likely excited to see his parents and maybe a little shocked to see his brothers who were soldiers in Saul’s army and had seemed to despise the youngest brother for many years.
His family isn’t the only people that came to join David at the cave. There were many people who had troubles of their own and saw being with David as a good solution in their situations. About 400 hundred men would be a good deterrent for any debt-collector and being with others in similar situations would have made them feel like a real community and let’s be honest, David could use some fighting men on his side.
Having a large army brought David to the realization that as much as he enjoyed seeing his parents, it was in their best interest to not be near him at the moment. With that he takes them to Moab and asks the king of Moab if he would allow Jesse and his household to live there until God shows him what to do. There are a few interesting thing about this request. First, the king of Moab must have been at odds with King Saul and so he seemed like a safe choice. These people were also distant relatives of David as his great grandmother was Ruth who was from Moab. This made him feel like this was a safe place to show honor to his parents. A place he could know they would be safe. It may not have been easy but it was necessary.
The third interesting thing about his plea to the king of Moab is that he asks that they be able to stay there until he learned what God would do for him. This points to him getting his focus realigned. While he had moments of taking his eyes off of Christ it appears that David was on track to be back in focus with God in the center. This wasn’t him blindly following, it was him revealing he trusted God to do as He had said. David was trusting that he would be the king of Israel at some point.
Making It Personal
Do feel more comfortable with people who are in similar situations? What do you struggle to trust God about? What would it take for you to fully trust Him?
Making It Personal Kids
Do you feel comfortable in a group with people who are different than you? Do you struggle to trust others? Do you trust Jesus?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for being someone we can fully trust. Help us know when we are not trusting You fully and help us learn to always trust You and Your will. In Jesus’ name, amen.