Christ Our Refuge

David wrote Psalm 142 when he was at a low point, and many believe it was penned when he hid in the cave Adullam.  He had been anointed by the prophet Samuel as king, had experienced the victory and fame over the giant Goliath, yet danger dogged him at every turn.  King Saul (his father-in-law) sought to murder him, Doeg the chief herdsman was glad to betray him, and there was no help to be found from Philistines who remembered him.  The threat upon David's life drove him to leave his home, the company of his wife (who was given to another), and his best friend Jonathan.  During this season of David's life he undoubtedly felt alone, and in his distress he may not have had even the company of sheep.

Here are the words of Psalm 142: "I cry out to the LORD with my voice; with my voice to the LORD I make my supplication. ² I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare before Him my trouble. ³ When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then You knew my path. In the way in which I walk they have secretly set a snare for me. ⁴ Look on my right hand and see, for there is no one who acknowledges me; refuge has failed me; no one cares for my soul. ⁵ I cried out to You, O LORD: I said, "You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living. ⁶ Attend to my cry, for I am brought very low; deliver me from my persecutors, for they are stronger than I. ⁷ Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise Your name; the righteous shall surround me, for You shall deal bountifully with me."

David feared the LORD and walked uprightly, yet enemies sought his ruin.  David spent seasons hiding in caves, but it was in God he took refuge.  His troubles overwhelmed him, so David poured out his heart before the Almighty God who hears and answers the prayers of His saints.  There was no help or deliverance for David through his strength or power, for he was brought very low.  Do you have a sense how David felt, that no one was able to know the depths of his suffering?  Fear and loneliness were a prison David desperately sought release from, and the psalmist prophetically praised God for the end result he had not yet seen with his eyes:  "...the righteous shall surround me, for You shall deal bountifully with me."

I do not know how long David was alone, but it seems the answer from God came quickly to supply David's need for help and companionship.  He would have been happy to have one man who stood by him, but God sent many.  1 Samuel 22:1-2 says, "David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him. ² And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him."  These men ended up being David's closest friends and mighty men, valiant fellow warriors, and many righteous men who feared God were numbered among them.  David's family and men who were distressed - perhaps by the king's poor treatment of him - rallied to his side.  People who were in debt and looking for a new life came; men who were bitter with their lot came to him and humbled themselves before God's anointed.

I am reminded of a quote attributed to Dan Crawford a missionary of Central Africa:  "There is no high hill but beside some deep valley.  There is no birth without a pang." (Tilsley, Colin B. C. Through the Furnace. Outreach Book Service, 1979. page 91.)  Seasons with his father's flock and experiencing loneliness in the cave were formative events in the life of a man after God's heart who would be Israel's beloved king.  David learned to draw near to God, to pour out his heart, and to trust God to answer in His time and way.  In the depths David did not drown in his misery, but turned his eyes to the God of heaven who loved, called, protected, and provided for him.  How good it is to know we can rally to the side of Jesus Christ, being the man of his right hand who love and serve Him faithfully.  My name means "son of the right hand" and reminds me of the privilege it is to follow Jesus and to support others in this earthly pilgrimage.  Jesus has brought our souls out of prison, and may we praise His name now and forever!