The Cave

Men gathered to David in a place called Adullam. There is little said about that time, but 1 Sam 21:1-2 describe it briefly. There are other things like Psalm 57 that could be a result of David’s trials during this time. He may have been motivated by remembering what God had done in the past (1 Sam 17:45-47). At any rate I hope you enjoy this embellished account at the Cave of Adullam.


He gripped the stone in his fist. His hand trembled slightly as he tightened his fingers and imagined it crushed by the force. Teeth clenched and brown furrowed, David finally released the pressure. Opening his palm; there sat the oblong sphere intact. It had been smoothed and rounded by hundreds, maybe even thousands of years of running water. A curious red line ran through the middle of the grainy brown rock. Several days ago David had stooped at the edge of the brook to retrieve it; the same brook, that of Elah, where he had taken five similar stones not so long ago. Pondering his present situation he fingered the pommel of the sword lying at his side and closed his eyes.

“Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me,
for in you my soul takes refuge.
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings
until the disaster has passed.

I cry out to God Most High,
to God, who fulfills {his purpose} for me.

He sends from heaven and saves me,
rebuking those who hotly pursue me;
Selah
God sends his love and his faithfulness.

I am in the midst of lions;
I lie among ravenous beasts—
men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.

They spread a net for my feet—
I was bowed down in distress.
They dug a pit in my path—
but they have fallen into it themselves.
Selah

My heart is steadfast, O God,
my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and make music.

Awake, my soul!
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.

I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.

For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.”

As the song drifted from his lips the crunching of pebbles under feet echoed down the gorge. David sprang up and hefted the large sword in both hands. He wished he had his own sword, but Goliaths would have to do. In his haste, this was the only weapon he had been able to collect on his journey to the valley.

Several figures rounded the boulder. The bearded faces reflected the dusty chore of travel. David broke into a broad, toothy smile.

“Eliab my brother, you are a sight for sore eyes,” David belted out as the men approached.

“What, am I chopped liver now,” piped up Shammah from behind Eliab. “Just cuz I’m not first born – I get no respect…” He gave a look of shallow hurt and shrugged his shoulders. A smile broke through finally as he couldn’t pretend any longer. The brothers traded several jubilant embraces.

Jesse, David’s father stepped forward and placed a hand on his cheek, “My son…”

“Get the boy some food,” his mother goaded as she shooed the men out of the way. “He’s withering down to the bone.” Taking him in her arms she wept between kisses and laughter.

As the sun slowly melted into dusk, they headed into the cave David had chosen for shelter. The clay bricks framing the entrance crumbled slightly with the battering of armor and equipment while the men passed through. The women quickly organized the hill dwelling to accommodate several dozen people. Soon the smell of bread wafted into the hideout from a cooking fire close to the entrance.

“A lot has happened since Pas Dammim,” reflected Eleazar. He wriggled his fingers in the fading light; the fingers that had never fully recovered from the battle. They were still prone to locking up when fatigued. “When Goliath toppled to the ground at your feet, I never imagined we would be hiding out in a cave, rejected by our own. I’m with you heart and soul my king. When none would stand for Israel, you did. I am yours to command.”

“Eye,” echoed the voices around the chamber.

David looked from face to face – Brothers, cousins, comrades, and all the downtrodden of Saul. They had come to him. Why? He had nowhere to go, no land to call home. Had Samuel been mistaken? His kingdom was a hole in the rocks.

His lips quivered, and his eyes filled with frustration’s dew. How could he lead these men to victory when he refused to kill his own king, or think to take on the Philistines with a small band of outcasts?

His own voice drifted from the past – “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

Seeing the needy depth in the eyes around him, David found resolve. He didn’t have to lead these men. God would lead them. He had been carried thus far by his Lord’s strength, and he would continue on.

They were mighty men – God’s mighty men.

Vacation

Ahhh, the pillow felt so good. I dozed comfortably, even dreaming of something comfy.

"Pool!" resounded off the bedroom walls.

I quickly swung my feet to the floor and swiveled my head to find the emergency.

"Pool, Pool!"

I found the source - my son. He gripped the pack-and-play wall and howled his heart’s desire, "Pool!"

It seemed that he wanted to go to the pool.

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The path of the righteous is level; O upright One, you make the way of the righteous smooth.
Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.
(Isa 26:7-9)

My son awoke with the single most important thing to him on his mind. There was nothing else that he wanted.

I am challenged by this concept; in the place my heart is when I awake, and when I go to sleep. King David gives a convicting image of what a man's heart should be. After all he was given the title "Man after God's own heart"

I don't know how to attain that distinction, but I think the Spirit in me does. I need to feed that Spirit in any way that I can.

I'm on vacation right now at a virtual paradise. It is easy to just take what life is giving me. I hope to keep in mind each time I'm enjoying myself that I still want the Lord to be my desire and fulfillment.

Locked Out

The door is locked.

“Open the door,” I command.

No response.

I intensify my voice and repeat, “Open the door!”

A murmur of words can be heard inside; something to effect of, “Hold on a minute.”

Usually I just unlock the door with the secret key, except that this time it’s not an inside door. My son and I are stuck in the garage while my daughter is inside going potty. She has locked the bottom handle as well as the deadbolt. Fantastic!

We’ve talked about what happens when she locks the doors on Mommy and Daddy. This unfortunately does not speed up the process of getting inside.

“Open the door now,” My words start to sound like a broken record, or perhaps a scratched CD. I add some hard bangs with my hand for emphasis.

A couple minutes pass as I refrain from yelling threats through the locked portal. Finally the click of a lock releasing can be heard.

“The top , the top,” I point out when the bottom handle is unlocked. After a few more metallic sounds, the door swings open. She stands looking at me with her eyebrows raised and scrunched shoulders. It is obvious that she knows that an unpleasant discussion is coming.

I get them some juice and turn a show on for my son while I relax for a moment.

“Come on, it’s time for a talk…”

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Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (Rev 3:19-22)

I couldn’t help but think of this passage when reflecting on the event above.

It took some restraint and patience to wait while my lovely daughter got around to opening the door for me. While I sat in the garage waiting, she was briefly in control of the situation. She was inside with the power to unlock the door, yet she delayed.

It all seems pretty harmless on the surface. It was just a few minutes of time all alone inside our house, right? What if she got in trouble, hurt herself, got into something that was dangerous? I would have been hard pressed to help her. I could just see kicking the door in, or smashing through a window.

Sometimes I do this to God. I lock the door while I do something on my own terms and timeframe. The door always reopens at some point and there are consequences. Fortunately God is so much wiser than I in these circumstances. He always doles out the perfect discipline, love, and grace.

What if I am caught inside my own heart, locked up, and drowning in some sinful trap? God is all powerful, but when I lock the door I’m asking for big trouble. Not that he is going to discipline me, but the trouble that comes from not opening the door – Separation from “the light of life” until I do.

In Christ,
TD

Gate and Vision

The following his meant to be historical fiction. It takes place between Paul’s meeting with Jesus on the road and his baptism in Damascus. I have taken the liberty to imagine more than we could possibly know. I hope it is motivating and enjoyable at the same time. I have attached a picture of an actual gate Paul could have used to enter Damascus. (Book of Acts - 9)

The long road ended here; at the Bab Sharqi (east gate). Paul could feel the cold rough stone under his hand. Resting against the wall he imagined the majestic arch high above him. He raised his eyes as if to behold the ancient portal and the tower overlooking the coming and going of the people. Only darkness greeted his efforts to see. Soldiers called out, hustling the masses along. It was late in the day and the sounds of people passing filled his ears. Merchants and pack animals, peddlers and paupers, they all passed with the humming sound of business.

On the voyage here an impossible event had taken place. A flash, a visitation, and now he was blind. His mind was racing with the wonderment of the Lord’s words. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do,” was the command. Here he would find answers; at least that was his hope. Everything he had worked for had come crashing down like the walls of Jericho. How could he have been so far from the truth?

Three days later he sat waiting. It seemed that a long time had passed since the meeting on the road. How long would he have to wait? It was agonizing. Would he be punished for all the terrible things he had done? How could the Lord forgive someone like him? Again he wondered how he could have been so misguided.

A knock on the door rattled his thoughts. His attention was riveted as a voice requested to see him. Could it be Ananias? His body shook and his heart raced as the footsteps drew closer. What would he say and what would happen afterward?

Strong hands gripped him by the shoulders, “Brother Saul, the Lord – Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here – has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Abruptly his vision cleared. A man stood before him with eyes fixed on Paul. He looked as if he was waiting to learn the meaning of it all himself. Paul let his eyes take in a new world. The other men in the room shifted from one foot to another as they looked at one another. They did not see what Paul saw. The busy street outside the window was full of Damascans going about their daily routine. They did not see what Paul saw. He imagined all the places he had been and where he would go. He vowed to help everyone see what he saw now.

He could finally see.