David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave 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: and there were with him about four hundred men.
1 Samuel 22:1-2
The justice of the people--it is the name of the church in Revelation that Jesus addresses for its backsliding and corrupted witness. So what connection is there between that church and the story of David in the cave of Adullam? They share a name! Adullam is the Hebrew equivalent for "the Justice of the People." By looking at Jesus at the door of an organization bearing His name and looking at David in the cave called the justice of the people we can draw several parallels. In both narratives, the anointed King is not recognized by all, both are the outsider, and both can take those who understand they, too, are outsiders in a corrupted church and make them men and women of renowned in God.
Saul was still the anointed king of Israel, but God had sent His prophet, Samuel, to anoint David after Saul's unrepentance. However, most of the people seemed to prefer Saul over the man after God's own heart. Yet, even Israel's enemies knew who the proper king was. The servants of King Achish of the Philistines confirmed this knowledge in the prior chapter. "And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?" (1 Samuel 21:11) Is it not the same today? Many bearing the name of Christ do not know Him nor recognize His Lordship, but the liberal, God haters know exactly who their anointed enemy is.
How many times have I heard a preacher use Revelation 3:20 to witness or give an altar call (I have used it this way myself). "Jesus is knocking on the door of your heart. Won't you invite Him in dear sinner?" However, in context, this verse is not directed towards sinners. It is directed towards a lukewarm church that does not fully understand His anointed Lordship. See for your self--He is standing at the door of a church and knocking to get in. Like David in the cave, Jesus Christ is seen as the outsider, the reject, the forgotten. What an awful thought! The Lord of Glory who died for the right to rule the hearts and lives of believers is outside of the human organization bearing His name and He is knocking to get in and be recognized as the only remedy for a sick church. It is a shame!
When David was in the cave, rejected and alone, many who were dissatisfied with the world and the fleshly reign of Saul came to him. It says that they were the distressed, the discontent, and the debtors. All "spotted lambs" like the herd that Jacob gathered from his father-in-law, Laban. Jesus is the same! He cares for spotted lambs just like you and me! He calls them to come out of a worldly organization and bids them to have a deep and longing relationship with Him. He promises rest, providence, wisdom, and protection to those who choose to fellowship with Him.
Like those who joined to David, it takes us to see that there is nothing here for us in the present world. We also need to see, as a local church has on their sign, that "the best things in life are not things." The best thing in life is a personal and ongoing relationship with Jesus. We need to see our inadequacy and realize that Christ came to this world to empathize with us "rejects" by being one Himself as Isaiah reminds in 53:3, "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not." We need to choose to make Him Lord and master. We need Him to be captain over us.
Recently, I shared a dilemma that I had when I was first saved and still in the military. In scripture Jesus is often painted as "Captain of the Lord's Host." This term always bothered me--why a captain? Why was Jesus not the general or one of higher rank? It was then that the Holy Spirit brought it to my attention that it is not the generals nor high ranking officials that lead in the fight. It is the captains who lead troops in the battle. Jesus is not out there standing aloof--He is at the door waiting for an invitation to come in so that He can lead you from victory unto victory in Him. Will you open the door? That is Him knocking. Do it quickly--He is Soon2Come!
Prophetic Headlines--Israel and the Middle East
Signs of the Times
Pope meets with Israeli Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News
