On The Brink Of The Breakthrough
From Adullam to Mizpeh, a place of recovery and restoration in rest.
Rest is not a passive thing like physical rest where we just let go but it is an active thing where we place our trust in God. We don’t yield by giving up. We yield by moving our confidence from ourselves to the hand of God to let His word prove itself true.
The Joshua generation learned to war from a place of rest!
“David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. 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. Then David went from there to Mizpah of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and mother come here with you, till I know what God will do for me.””
I Samuel 22:1-3 NKJV
Consider this moment in time for David. An extraordinary promise had been spoken over his life which at this moment could not seem more impossible! How bizarre it must have felt to have 400 men join him, for what purpose? He was hiding in the wilderness, why would so many join him? He didn’t need an army. This must have been confusing. David was becoming who he was called to be without even realizing it. He probably thought “why are You sending all these people to me? How can I help them?”
The length of David’s waiting period was a specific prescription from Heaven for the healing that was required in his heart before he could be raised up to the leadership role God had for him. David had been wounded by his own father not considering him a valid choice to stand before the prophet, his brothers were constantly putting him down, and even his king not only rejected him but was hunting him! We think we’ve experienced wounding by leadership? Saul threw a spear at David trying to kill him while he was worshipping God! Then later saw him and said “is that you my son David?”
The enemy saw David’s honor of authority and sought to wound him so deeply through his leadership that he would emerge as an ineffective leader himself. If not for this time alone with God he would’ve been just like Saul.
These are some serious wounds from every type of leadership over David’s life. If he rose to leadership too quickly without being healed there’s a risk of him becoming an insecure leader that catered to what the people wanted, like Saul, instead of listening only to the Lord.
Experiencing a lengthy waiting period enabled David’s wounded heart to be reshaped by the hand of God. He learned not to make any decisions without first seeking God. He spent so much time alone with God in the quiet of the secret place that the confidence of his youth was restored.
This scripture has captured the period of time where David was being crafted into one of the greatest kings the world has ever seen.
In this story, David moved from Adullum to Mizpeh.
Adullam = “justice of the people” this is where David’s call to lead was validated though he did not realize it.
Mizpeh = “watchtower” place of strength
He reached a point where he was so validated in God’s love that though he was the youngest he was able to help and care for his entire family. Then the Lord began to send the most gifted people in various areas to join David. Strengthened by the confidence of the hand of God on his shoulder king David was not threatened or jealous of the talent around him but instead as a true leader he put each person in their place so that the kingdom may be strong.
Dear friends, I’m asking the Creator, the Miracle Worker, to cause us to become “unoffendable”. That we would rise up to high levels of spiritual maturity in Christ. Allowing us to become oily under His anointing that offenses just roll off and instead of recoiling in pain we lean forward to help.