“David therefore departed thence, and escaped unto the cave of 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.”—I SAM. xxii. 1, 2.
AS David was a type of Christ, many events in his history may be taken as typical in their character, and this event may be taken as one of these. First, let us consider David himself as representing Christ. This typical position he filled inasmuch as the Lord made choice of him to reign over His people Israel, and for filling this honourable position and high rank He commanded Samuel to anoint him and set him apart for the office of king, and at the same time declared that he was a man according to His own heart, who would do all His will.
Thus, we read, was Christ chosen to be the King of His Church—of God’s redeemed people; chosen because He was found fit for the office, one in every respect according to God’s heart, and who should do all His will; not like Adam, who transgressed His covenant, and by this utterly failed to do God’s will. David did not at this time come to the throne, and was only king-elect, which drew upon him the wrath of Saul, whom the Lord rejected as king. He had to flee for his life, and take up his abode in the wilderness, and take shelter in the cave of Adullam, one of the munitions of rocks which were in those deserted regions. This condition in which David was may typify Christ’s humiliation, or the wilderness condition of the Church. Though He is the anointed one, the King of the Church, and King over all, yet He has not as yet taken unto Him His great power to subdue all under Him, and therefore, according to the words of Scripture, we do not see all things put under Him. They are, of course, de jure (of right) put under Him, but not de facto (actually). The Church, then, from the beginning of the Gospel dispensation till now, is in the wilderness, and the witnesses prophecy in sack-cloth; and the powers that oppose His kingdom and His cause bear sway, and Satan is permitted to rule in the children of disobedience. And as Christ identifies Himself with the Church, He, as her King, may be said to be in circumstances somewhat analogous to those in which David was here in the wilderness. I do not mean actually and really, but mystically. Actually He is exalted far above all principalities and powers and dominions, but mystically He dwells in the Church, and from what He said to Saul of Tarsus, we learn that in the latter sense He identifies Himself with His people. I refer to what He said: “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?”
Those who are said here to have gathered themselves unto him may be taken to represent such as are made a people unto Christ. They were his brethren and his father’s house—his near kindred and relations, who knew him and were aware of his being appointed to be king over Israel. I do not think that it is anything fanciful to suppose that these may be taken for the people Christ called from among the Jews (of whom He was, according to the flesh)—the apostles, and evangelists, and the primitive Church; and that the other classes mentioned may represent those called from among the heathen. Should this be so, we are not to suppose that by nature there is any distinction between Jews and Gentiles, as all have sinned and come short of God’s glory. Evidently, however, the Jews are still treated as heirs of the Abrahamic covenant in some of its aspects, and are not to be cast off. Thus they are beloved for the fathers’ sake, and are kept a distinct race, for which great things are still in reserve, for they are to be restored, and their restoration will be to the Church as life from the dead.
In the circumstances of the other classes of persons that came down to David, there is something typical of the condition in which all are by nature, and of the state of mind in which men betake themselves to Christ. There were such as were in distress, in debt, and discontented or grieved in spirit. Man’s sins are compared to a debt, and the claims of the law are compared to the creditor’s demand for payment.
Man owes obedience to the law; it is right and proper that he should obey God, love Him, and do with alacrity and delight all that God commands him to do. This is right in itself, and also a duty, because nothing is imposed except what is reasonable man should do. It is as reasonable as that a man should pay his creditors, as reasonable as that a child should obey his parents, or that a wife should obey and honour her husband. The creditor does not act unjustly when he sues the debtor; neither does the parent when he chastises his child for disobedience or disrespectful conduct towards him. If these things be right and proper in human relations, surely they are right in our relations towards Him who created us and who supports us. They are so, and therefore men are responsible to God. To deny His right is to rebel against Him; to withhold from Him the honour and obedience are crimes against Him. Man may say that he cannot pay the debt because he has nothing; but the question is, “Does he owe the debt?” No one denies this, for all acknowledge they are sinners, and that is as much as to say that they are debtors. And when the debt is acknowledged, must it not be acknowledged that it is right to discharge it? And if not discharged, it must be acknowledged that the creditor may enforce the law—may exact satisfaction. If so, must not God enforce it? Must He not obtain satisfaction? “The wages of sin is death.” This is written; this is the law of the righteous Jehovah. All who profess to believe that Christ came to save sinners, confess the justice of this punishment. For He died; and if it be not just to punish sin with death, it was not just that Christ should die. Christ Himself acknowledged this by taking the cup given Him by the Father.
When one that is convinced of sin sees that he has acted wickedly against a righteous God, dishonoured His holy name, and withheld from Him the obedience and homage due unto Him, and is convinced of the righteousness of the punishment declared to be due to sin, then he finds himself in a position analogous to that of a debtor pressed for payment, but who has not a mite to meet the claims of the creditor. Justice he sees to be in pursuit of him; the law is set before him, and he sees that he never fulfilled it, and that he cannot fulfil it. He is afraid of the creditor, of the judge, of the prison, and of death. This puts him in distress. He is self-condemned; his conscience accuses him and takes no excuse. It cannot be appeased; that is, it thunders in his ears that nothing he does or can do will satisfy justice, and that in all things he sins and comes short of God’s glory. He hears the law, and its only voice to him is:—”Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” He believes this to be the Word of God, to be His purpose with regard to the transgressor. And how can he bear this curse? How can he endure the death threatened? How can he live for ever under God’s anger and wrath? How can he endure the outpouring of the vessels thereof? How can he endure the drinking of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath? The apprehension of this distresses him. Satan, by his temptations, may also assail, and the intention of this great enemy is to drive unto despair, to lull asleep, or to deceive. Sin itself revives, and may cause more distress, because the sinner is ready to believe that he is indeed forsaken and abandoned to all evil. It is natural for man when he finds himself in any distress to seek deliverance, and consider how he may escape from what distresses him, or whither he shall betake himself from impending danger.
The Israelites, who went down, were also discontented, grieved, or bitter in spirit; they were in debt and distressed, and, discontented as they were, they were not pleased with Saul nor with his reign. They paid tribute unto him; they gave their sons to be soldiers, and all else demanded of them, but as a nation they were not benefited; they were not delivered from their enemies; they had not the divine countenance and blessing. They perceived Saul was tyrannical, overbearing, and self-willed, and failed to do what was commanded him. They knew David was anointed, that he was to be king, and that Saul’s treatment of him was unjust and cruel, yet they believed the Lord was with him, and would defend him and make him king over Israel. They therefore left their homes and their inheritances, and braved the power of Saul. Thus the taught sinner understands under what dominion he is by nature, that he is under the reign of sin and of Satan, that he is a slave and must continue so, if he be not delivered, if he change not his state, his king and ruler. He becomes discontented and grieved in spirit; he feels unhappy, restless, and miserable. He hates sin and its dominion; he looks upon Satan as his great enemy, in whose service he has gained nothing but what he now sees to be full of sin and misery, and exposing him to eternal misery. He sees the evil of sin, and sees how degrading, how abominable is its servitude, and feels it to be most wretched.
The Gospel brings to his ear tidings of Christ, the Son of God, who came to save sinners, to destroy the works of the devil, to bruise his head, overthrow his dominion and kingdom, and set up a kingdom where liberty and freedom from sin is to be obtained, and where righteousness, holiness, and love are to reign. To believe these truths puts the sinner in the same relation to Christ as the distressed and discontented Israelites were towards David when they resolved on leaving their homes, and joining themselves to the son of Jesse. Some such might thus reflect and resolve: “I am brought into debt under this man’s reign. I have lost all I had. The creditor pursues me, and I have nothing to pay. I see the oppression, the cruelty, the unrighteousness of this man’s government, and that by remaining here nothing but ruin awaits myself and family. Of what avail is it to have a house and inheritance when there is no peace, no comfort, no hope of improvement? I have heard of the son of Jesse having been anointed by Samuel. I hear he is a man of God; that he is kind, liberal, just, wise, and a first-rate leader of men. I shall therefore arise and forsake all here, and join myself to him, and will follow him to death.” And so the Israelite arose, and went down to him and offered his services. He might question, or feel doubtful, as to his being admitted into the company, yet, like the lepers at the gate of Samaria, he ventures, thinking anything better than to remain as he was. Thus the sinner who is effectually called reflects and resolves, under the saving teaching of the Holy Ghost: “I am in my present condition undone. I have destroyed myself and all God bestowed on me in the service of sin and Satan, who is my great enemy. I hear of the Son’s coming to set up His kingdom; He sends ambassadors to invite men and call upon them to leave the kingdom of His enemy. If I remain here, death must be my lot. I will arise and forsake my father’s house and my people, and go and cast myself on the mercy of this great and glorious King, of whose clemency and goodness I hear so much.” Thus sinners are made willing to forsake sin and its ways and thoughts, and return unto the Lord. And all who come He receives, and casts none out, but blesses them, makes them His people, His friends, good soldiers to fight His battles. For as David became the captain of those that went down unto him to the cave of Adullam, so Christ is the Captain of His people, their Leader; and all who come unto Him must follow Him, and He leads them and brings them unto glory, and will make them kings and priests unto God and to His Son. In following Him they have to fight against sin, Satan, and the world. They are armed not with carnal weapons but spiritual ones. Sometimes the battlefield is within, where the world cannot see the conflict. The flesh is to be mortified, and many a battle it at times gives—many wounds are given on both sides. There is healing for the wounds of the soul, but none for those inflicted by the sword of the Spirit and by the Cross of Christ on the body of sin. Satan at times appears on the field both as a cunning serpent to deceive, and as a roaring lion to devour. Their Captain is never far off, and becomes their shield and their strong tower, to which they are ever to resort. Through Him they sustain the battle; through Him they are kept and defended in the day of sore battle and great danger. Through His blood they conquer. This defends them from the curse; this gives power to crucify sin; this defeats Satan in tempting to despair or in alluring by sin. Now, it may be asked, “Does the blood enable them to resist and overcome the enemy?” The love of Christ, as seen in His death, has a power that destroys all Satan’s dominion in the soul. He cannot show anything like this love to draw the soul to him. In it also there is a triumphant answer to all the reasonings by which he would force the poor believer into the pit of despair. Thus Christ’s followers pass through great tribulations, and out of these He will bring them all, with their robes white as light, and bring them to the city of God, the new Jerusalem, whose walls are precious stones, clear as crystal, whose gates are pearls, whose streets are fine gold, where they shall join myriads of holy ones, all redeemed and saved, and whose walks are through this city, as if it were a sea of glass, each having a harp on which he most skilfully and most sweetly sings the song of Moses and the Lamb—songs of triumph over their enemy, who is cast into the depth of the Red Sea of wrath, and whom they shall see no more; songs of deliverance from all dangers, from the evils that surrounded them; from all their iniquities, from death and the grave; songs of gratitude for His love, for His goodness, mercy, and truth, that shall endure for ever, and for His making them priests and kings unto God.
Contemplate them in the various views in which they are represented, first poor, blind, naked, clothed in filthy garments, drowned in debt, slaves of sin and of Satan, and under the curse of the law. Look at them brought unto their right mind, and anxiously looking about them for help and pity, but none to know them. See them divinely guided unto the hill of Zion, where dwells Zion’s King. See them graciously received, all their sins pardoned, the filthy garments taken off, their bodies washed and clothed in the garments of righteousness and in the robes of salvation, and their heads anointed with ointment. See them setting out to follow their King. See them going through fire and water, but still preserved and brought through; see them at times in the dark and sadly weeping, or in prison and filled with the fear of death, at other times fighting and wounded. See them at last on the happy shore in the land of promise, crowned with crowns, palms in their hands and harps, reigning with Christ in glory. Is there not here a change? The poor raised from the dunghill and out of the ashes, and set on high with the princes of His people, and He not ashamed to call them brethren.
You who are yet far off, who have not come to Christ, to the King of Zion, consider what is your condition. You are in debt, and the law in pursuit of you, and if you flee not unto Him, there is no deliverance for you from the creditor, who at last will cast you into prison. Are you distressed and grieved in spirit, believing this and feeling your bondage under a hard taskmaster, under sin, the world, and Satan? There is One who receives such and saves, protects, and raises them up. If you doubt His willingness to receive you, come and put Him to the test. He calls you; He has a kingdom; He would have subjects; He would have soldiers of the cross; He carries on a warfare against sin and Satan, against all the sins and vices that prevail among men everywhere; He has raised up a standard against them, against the kingdom of darkness. They are legions, such as ignorance, carelessness, unbelief, covetousness, uncleanness, and drunkenness. All these are crying evils in our day, in our land. Christ is opposed to them, and calls on men to join His standard, to join His ranks. Who then is on the side of David, the son of Jesse? Who is on his side? Let them pass over to Him and fight His battles. Would you not be on the side that is yet to have the victory? The house of David is certain of waxing strong. To the eye of sense, His cause may appear to lose at times, but actually it does not so lose. The house of Saul must wax weaker and weaker.
You who have enlisted then, follow Him, keep near Him, do not be moved by the boasts of the enemy, suffer not yourselves to be disheartened by the apparent increase of the enemy’s power, by the seeming success of his cause, for he shall not prevail finally over any believer. This King is almighty; He is the Lord of hosts and strong in battle, and, therefore, He yet shall be seen returning from Edom with dyed garments from Bozrah, travelling in the greatness of His strength, not faint nor weary, after overcoming all His enemies, and making them His footstool.
Corrections.—We regret the following printer’s errors in last issue: In title of opening article, “Pools” should have been “Pool”; on page 5, “respect,” “expect.” Other slips were: “Downellan” for “Donnellan” on p. 28, and “Wryhland” for “Wright” on p. 38.