Life In the Valley
That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath. But the servants of Achish said to him, “Isn’t this David, the king of the land? Isn’t he the one they sing about in their dances: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands?”
David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish King of Gath. So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands, he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gates and letting saliva run down his beard.
Achish said to his servants, “Look at the man! He is insane! Why bring him to me? Am I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on like this in front of me? Must this man come into my house?”
David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam...All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander. About four hundred men were with him.
David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish King of Gath. So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands, he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gates and letting saliva run down his beard.
Achish said to his servants, “Look at the man! He is insane! Why bring him to me? Am I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on like this in front of me? Must this man come into my house?”
David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam...All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander. About four hundred men were with him.
I Samuel 21:10-22:2
Who can understand the ways of God? Why would God allow His anointed servant and future king to go through so much turmoil before ascending to the throne? Why would “a man after God’s own heart” face such daunting trials and tribulations?
David had done nothing evil. He was humbly serving as a shepherd when God had him anointed to be king. From that point on, his glorious feats in the battle against Goliath and the enemies of Israel were laced with pain and sorrow. The last thing he said to his covenant friend Jonathan before escaping from Saul was: “...as surely as the LORD lives and as you live, there is only a step between me and death.” Those were words of distress. He felt death!
Here was David, anointed and yet deeply afflicted: pretending to be a madman just to escape from the hands of his enemies; deprived of the comforts of home and family; living in caves; surrounded by four hundred distressed and discontented men. The Psalms he wrote, which is pretty much a journal of David give us a glimpse of the struggles he endured. We see David pouring out his pain and struggles in some of the Psalms. Sometimes, he had questions for God
What could David have been thinking about as he experienced many years of life in the valley?
How did he feel as the commander of four hundred discontented men instead of being the king God had anointed him to be? This wilderness and valley experience lasted for eight years before he finally became king over all Israel. He experienced the valley before the mountaintop.
I believe there is a valuable lesson here: When God chooses and anoints you for any purpose, He will put you through some difficult valley experiences which will severely test your faith. God will reduce you to a zero in the valley before He elevates you to the mountain top. Don’t ever become bitter in the valley because God will shape your character in the valley so that you can survive on the mountain top. Life in the valley is unpleasant but extremely useful. Just hang on!
David had done nothing evil. He was humbly serving as a shepherd when God had him anointed to be king. From that point on, his glorious feats in the battle against Goliath and the enemies of Israel were laced with pain and sorrow. The last thing he said to his covenant friend Jonathan before escaping from Saul was: “...as surely as the LORD lives and as you live, there is only a step between me and death.” Those were words of distress. He felt death!
Here was David, anointed and yet deeply afflicted: pretending to be a madman just to escape from the hands of his enemies; deprived of the comforts of home and family; living in caves; surrounded by four hundred distressed and discontented men. The Psalms he wrote, which is pretty much a journal of David give us a glimpse of the struggles he endured. We see David pouring out his pain and struggles in some of the Psalms. Sometimes, he had questions for God
What could David have been thinking about as he experienced many years of life in the valley?
How did he feel as the commander of four hundred discontented men instead of being the king God had anointed him to be? This wilderness and valley experience lasted for eight years before he finally became king over all Israel. He experienced the valley before the mountaintop.
I believe there is a valuable lesson here: When God chooses and anoints you for any purpose, He will put you through some difficult valley experiences which will severely test your faith. God will reduce you to a zero in the valley before He elevates you to the mountain top. Don’t ever become bitter in the valley because God will shape your character in the valley so that you can survive on the mountain top. Life in the valley is unpleasant but extremely useful. Just hang on!