QT 7 Nov 13, We don't have to be what we are

1 Sam 22:1-5 (ESV) David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him. 2  And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became captain over them. And there were with him about four hundred men.

3 And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab. And he said to the king of Moab, "Please let my father and my mother stay with you, till I know what God will do for me." 4 And he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold. 5 Then the prophet Gad said to David, "Do not remain in the stronghold; depart, and go into the land of Judah." So David departed and went into the forest of Hereth.

NOTE: After a brief foray in Philistia as a madman, David ends up in the wilderness. David is visited by his family and he finds a place for them to stay while he awaits God's direction. Again, it will be ten years before Saul dies. David also attracts a number of malcontents. This must have been a very difficult group, especially for a melancholy like David. I'm sure God taught him a lot during these days. One of the lessons was what a malcontent looks like when viewed from the outside. There is no evidence that David was a bitter or discontented person, but his psalms do reveal the emotional struggles of his heart. In fact, his psalms may have been the healthiest thing that he did during those years. He expressed his struggles to God in writing and they became a sort of "ebenezer" (a reminder of God's working) to him during those days. They probably also helped to build the servant-leader characteristics that started as a shepherd. David cared for the down-trodden and lost. God gave him that ministry during those days. His skills as a warrior, as a man of God, and as a musician / worship leader probably helped to transform these malcontents into men who would later be called the mighty men.

We are not what we have to be. We can change. People are not what they will always be. They can change. We can be a catalyst in that change. There is nothing wrong with emotions, in fact, emotions are created by God. But anything abused or misused can be a hindrance to change and growth. Learning to emote and yet not to be controlled by emotions is a mature skill. It is important for people to see in our lives the importance of emotions and the importance of wisdom (knowledge from the scriptures applied to daily life). That is my calling too, like David -- to change people by living the example of an emotional man governed by the wisdom of scripture.