The Cave of Adullam II
A Gathering Place

by Ric Vargas

e have been considering the way of the Lord in a day of transition, a time in which the church currently finds herself. It is a day when we must understand His way, and thus give ourselves to it fully, not kick against the pricks or say, "What doest thou?" Let us take another look at 1Sam.22:1-2. When we last saw David, he was alone, experiencing the process of death in his ‘tomb’ of Adullam. The principle of the seed that Jesus declared in Jn.12:24b is now being realized in David's life, "but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." In Ps.142:7 he proclaims, "the Righteous would compass me about." Out of this death experience, he was able to look ahead and see the fruit of the Lord's way. It was not a solitary life that the Lord had ultimately purposed for him. No, it was a gathering; a joining of a people unto David, and he to them.

The scripture tells us when David’s brethren heard where he was, they went down unto him. How ironic that King Saul and all of his army could not locate David, but those that ‘heard’ were able to find him. Jesus spoke this truth: "No man can come to me, except the Father, which hath sent me, draw him." It is the work of the Father that marks this gathering. It is a drawing of lives, to bring them first into fellowship with His king, and then with one another. Notice that the record says, “they went down unto him.” This is similar to the account in Jer.18:1-6. The prophet was instructed to go down to the potter’s house. When God forms a people, it is a humbling experience. It requires submitting to His sovereign hand and a willingness to be brought low before Him. Those that came to Adullam were in distress, in debt, and discontented. This continues to be the plight of precious lives serving under mad leaders such as Saul.

Today the land is littered with souls that have become overly burdened by oppressive leadership who make greater and greater demands upon the people, only to exalt their own names and ministries (Matt.23:4-5). It is littered with souls that have exhausted all their resources, both monetarily and emotionally, for the building of man’s kingdom; souls that are left only with their bitter stories to mock and haunt them; lives that have been used and discarded by the present leadership. The strength and the ways of man, as seen in Saul, will always, eventually, produce this kind of fruit in the lives of its followers. And yet, all is not lost. The Father is still calling, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." This rest is what his brethren would find as they made their way to David.

"The Father is still calling, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." This rest is what his brethren would find as they made their way to David."

Notice that this gathering is unto Him! We are not to confuse this with today’s meaning of gathering. Much of the ‘gathering’ now is around charismatic personalities, or power-filled leaders, with extraordinary gifts or talents. We know that it doesn’t take much to draw a crowd of onlookers--a car accident or house fire can do that. Our entertainment-saturated culture has influenced the church, until it, too, is after the latest, biggest, loudest, or the most relevant. People merely meeting under the same roof do not constitute a gathering; not the kind of which the scriptures speak. No, these were not gathering unto a personality, but rather unto what David represents of the purposes of God. They were gathering unto the will of God, the promise of God's coming kingdom in their generation. They had paid a price to be there. They had left everything behind.

They would now also become the enemies of Saul, with no turning back. What great faith was at work in these hearts! There was nothing in the natural that would convince anyone that the way they had chosen was the right way. It was a spiritual decision that guided their choice. How foreign is this way of thinking in our day. We choose our gathering places with self at the center. How this place affects us: its closeness to our home, the style of worship, length of the meeting, decor, children's ministry and youth group, and programs, there’s no pressure to participate, or, “hey, I can function there!” David did not take a seeker sensitive poll by which to build a church. There was nothing convenient about the cave of Adullam, nothing attractive to draw these lives to such a place. They were there because David was there! They were there because of a conviction and commitment to the Lord's purpose, though it was not yet visible. How much we can learn from these humble souls when it comes to our choice and reasons for gathering.

As a result of this kind of gathering, David was now made captain over them. This was a place where his will now became theirs. No longer living unto themselves, their lives would now be lived for and unto him. They were willingly subjecting themselves to the Lord’s king--no coercion, no prompting, was needed on David’s part. Is this not how true unity is to be attained in His body? Many have exhausted themselves in man-made attempts to bring about such unity. Their citywide campaigns, with banners boldly declaring how the gathering is fulfilling John 17:21, “that they may all be one,” only diminish as the banners fade. Such tactics will never accomplish the kind of unity that is on the Lord’s heart. Until each member has truly submitted to Him and has made Him his Captain, man’s building will continue to be of “wood, hay, and stubble.”

David was now their head, as Paul states in Col.1:18, and Eph.1:22. No longer would man have his way. No longer would man be exerting his energy. But from David’s life would come all that these hungry souls needed. It is only as we are joined to the Head, as Paul says in Col. 2:19, that we will find nourishment, be knit together, and be increased with the increase of God. We are surrounded by the bold claims of growth and expansion being proclaimed by today’s mega-churches. What they are experiencing is far removed from what Paul describes as “the increase of God.” How my heart yearns for a true increase in His body. Is this not to be the purpose of our gatherings? Are we willing to go down, gather unto Him, and make Him captain over us? Let us take heed to the Lord’s fateful words over Jerusalem, “How often would I have gathered thy children…and ye would not!” that they not be repeated to our generation. May the Lord draw each of us to our own Adullam…to His true gathering place.