DAVID STUDY #11- "THE CAVEMAN EXPERIENCE"-(1 Sam. 22:1-4)
or "It's so easy a caveman can do it"!-(but life was NOT easy for this caveman!!!)
*caveman--n : "someone who dwells in a cave" 
Anthropologists claim that at one time we were all cavemen...but according to God's word that is not the truth!  Man was made to thrive in an open garden in Eden; not to dwell in dampness, darkness, defeat, and discouragement...but that is precisely where we find David in this chapter!  In Psalm 61:1-2 David is telling us that he has become overwhelmed by life! [1] Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.  [2] From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.  (David would not have laughed at the GEICO commercials because he was living that life!)

"CAVES" are only mentioned in the bible 40 times.  Abraham purchased a cave at Machpelah to bury his family....Elijah fled to a cave on Mt. Sinai in fear of Jezebel, and God said to him "What are you doing here?"  David spent several years in the caves of EnGedi.

What David did not see at the time, but soon came to understand, was the fact that God was behind it all and in control of it all.  God was going to use his time in the cave to help David grow stronger in the Lord. The day would soon come when David would emerge from that cave far stronger than he was when he entered it!
If you are one of those people who feel alone and depressed, I want to remind you today that just as surely as God is behind all the blessings of life; He is behind all the burdens as well, Isa. 45:7; Psa. 37:23; Rom. 8:29-29.
(1)-(v. 1)- THE DIFFICULTIES OF THE CAVE
A. The Hardship Of Sorrow -His friend Jonathan is not in this picture!  The companionship of his wife is absent....instead of the kings palace he is forced to lay his head on the uncomfortable rocks of a dark cave! ( Ill. Psalm 142 was written during this period of time.)
B. The Hardship Of Suffering – God allowed David to come to this cave, as we learned last week, so that David might learn not to lean on the props of family, friends, finances, fame, the flesh or the future. David was taught, through his sufferings, to wholly lean upon the Lord. 
C. The Hardship Of Separation – David has been cut off from his family, his friends and his followers. He is in a place that prevents fellowship with nobody but God!  The saying goes "You'll never know God is all you NEED until you discover that he is all you've GOT"! 
We fear those times, but they often precede the times of God’s greatest blessings in our lives!  For example: David alone in the cave; Jacob was alone in his tent; Elijah alone by the brook; Job alone surrounded by his friends; Moses alone on the backside of the dessert; Jesus alone in the agony of Gethsemane and Calvary. Each of these experienced their greatest triumph after that time of being shut up and shut off by the Lord.  You see, there are lessons that are learned in the dark that cannot be learned in the light.
(2)-(v. 1b-4)- THE DISCOVERIES OF THE CAVE
A. He Discovered His Call -After a while, people began to show up at David’s cave. First, his family came; then the defeated and downtrodden men of Israel began to show up. David’s family came out of fear of Saul; the rest came because they believed David was God’s man for the future. They all cast in their lot with David. God used this "motley crew" of people to show David that He still had a plan for David’s life.....I THANK GOD FOR THE MOTLEY CREW AT CHURCH!   mot·ley-adj. "Having elements of great variety"! 

B. He Discovered His Character – When his family and the malcontents of Israel showed up, it probably added to David’s burden at first. But, David rose to the challenge and the truth of his character was revealed in what he did during those times. He took measures to care for his elderly parents and he rose up and led his men. In other words, instead of breaking under the pressures of the moment, David’s heart was revealed. The leader rose to the challenge and led! But, it took pain and problems to squeeze that out of him!  What comes out of you when you get squeezed? Do you get sour and bitter when trouble comes? Or, do you display integrity and keep on praising the Lord
C. He Discovered His Commitment -Nothing demonstrates our level of commitment to God than our continued obedience and faithful service, even when we are in one of the caves of life! 
(3)-(v. 2)- THE DELIGHTS OF THE CAVE
(Caves make for hard living, but they are not altogether bad! There are some delightful discoveries to be made in the caves of life.)  It seems that the caves of live have the potential to bring out our best.  (As a Pastor, I have seen many people make their entrance into the cave experience of Cancer, Divorce, Financial ruin, Bereivement, losing a lifetime career, or facing their own death!.....and even in those TOUGHEST OF TIMES they face the darkness discovering that it is NOT THE END OF THINGS; only the beginning!!!  (You see, it is not the storms you weather that define you; it is the way that you weather the storms!)
I am sure that David could not see in his life what his family and friends saw. At that time, David could only defeat and discouragement. While David could only see the cave; those who came to him could see the crown. They gathered themselves around him and believed in him, even when he was down!   God has a way of putting special people around us who can serve as encouragers in our lives!  I'm thankful for the people who looked at my life and saw potential there that I could not recognize. Today, there is a great need for that kind of ministry in our church!  There is always someone who stands ready to criticize and cut down; but there are very few who will come along side you during the hard times of your life and lift you up.
In that humble hide away, God began the process of transforming David into a great king. God took that rag tag band of men and, working through David, transformed them into “David’s Mighty Men.” These men, and their exploits, are named in 2 Sam. 23. Because God sent these men to David in that cave, David was able to get his mind of his problems and focus his attention on leading them and training them to be a fighting force. 
Caves experiences are GOOD FOR US in that they have the ability to make us focus on our priorities. When we go into a cave experience, we soon learn what is important and what is trivial.
One has said , "David entered his cave a broken and defeated man. He emerged as the captain of an army of might men. He went in running from a crazy king. He came out reaching out to take the crown. The cave refined David’s life and helped to prepare him for the tasks that lay ahead. He grew in that cave because he submitted to the cave."     What about you?