1 Samuel 22:1-5

Saul's Reprisals Against David and His Friends, 1 Samuel 22:1-23.

The Prophet Gad and David. 1 Samuel 22:1-5

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.

2 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.

3 And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab: and he said unto the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth, and be with you, till I know what God will do for me.

4 And he brought them before the king of Moab: and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the hold.
5 And the prophet Gad said unto David, Abide not in the hold; depart, and get thee into the land of Judah, Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hareth.

1.

Where was Adullam? 1 Samuel 22:1

Adullam is one of the Canaanite towns whose kings are said to have been conquered by Joshua (Joshua 12:15). It is mentioned in the Shephelah, between Jarmuth and Shocoh (Joshua 15:35); in 2 Chronicles 11:7, it comes in immediate connection with Shocoh; and in Nehemiah 11:3; Nehemiah 11:30, it is one of the towns of Judah. These indications point to a location on the western edge of Judah and favor the identification with the present Aid-el-ma, twelve miles west by south from Bethlehem. David probably had friends there, and he was joined by his own clan. With David outlawed, they would not feel safe. At this time also a large number of malcontents gathered around David. These numbered about four hundred men, and David became their leader. Here is evidence that Saul was oppressing his people, causing some of them to sell themselves to others as servants (Leviticus 25:39; 2 Kings 4:1).

2.

Why did David flee to Moab? 1 Samuel 22:3

His ancestress Ruth was a Moabitess. Mizpeh means literally a watch-tower or mountain height commanding a very extensive country. It is probably used here in reference to a mountain hideout on the high land which bounded Moab on the eastern side of the Dead Sea. As David came to the king of Moab, the Moabites had probably taken possession of the most southerly portion of the eastern lands of the Israelites. We may also infer this from the fact that Saul had also made war upon Moab.

3.

Who was the prophet Gad? 1 Samuel 22:5

The prophet had probably come to David from Samuel's school of prophets; but whether he remained with David from that time forward to assist him with his counsel in his undertakings cannot be determined. In 1 Chronicles 21:9, he is called David's seer. In the last year of David's reign he announced to him the punishment which would fall upon him from God on account of his sin in numbering the people (2 Samuel 24:11 ff.); and he also wrote the acts of David (1 Chronicles 29:29). In consequence of his admonition, David returned to Judah and went into the wood Hareth, a woody region on the mountains of Judah, which is never mentioned again, and the situation of which is unknown. According to the counsel of God, David was not to seek for refuge outside the land; not only that he might not be estranged from his fatherland and the people of Israel, but also that he might learn to trust entirely in the Lord as his only refuge and fortress. David had said that he would wait until he knew what God would do to him. He was assured of the justice of his cause as contrasted with the insane persecutions of Saul, and he confidently hoped that God would bring his flight to an end. Now he was to trust implicitly in Jehovah.