MARCH 28

David is now completely separated from Saul’s court and is
considered an outlaw and a rebel.
Psalm 34 grew out of his narrow escape from Achish and perhaps best
expresses David’s trials and triumphs during his exile period.

David assembled a loyal band of followers at the Cave of
Adullam, a crowd of 400 men that eventually grew to 600. His
experiences in the cave are found in
Psalm 57 and
Psalm 142. David would want to protect his brethren, since Saul
might want to slay them as well as David.

This period of persecution in David’s life was a part of his
preparation for the throne. He was a great soldier, but he needed to
suffer in the wilderness to learn not to trust men and how to trust
the Lord. All of us need wilderness testings to bring us closer to
the Lord, and to make us better equipped to serve Him.

It was important that David live, for it was he who would
deliver Israel, establish the kingdom in glory, and become the
father of Christ in the flesh. Satan used Saul to seek to kill
David, but God was too strong for the enemy. As long as David sought
the mind of the Lord, God gave him protection and victory.

In chapter 23 we see how God guarded David’s life and gave
him victory at Keilah (verses 1-13), victory in the wilderness
(verses 14-18), and victory over the Ziphites (verses 19-29).