In this passage of Sacred Scripture the phrase "the Lord being near" is used. In the Hebrew format, these words not only reflects God is willing to listen to our words and heartfelt cries, He is equally ready to hear the words we choose in describing the painful feelings resounding within our hearts. His response to us is written by the prophet Isaiah a few centuries later in the Old Testament, addressing the people of Israel by saying: " Come and sit down, let us look and find a solution to all this struggling you find yourself in...and let us do it together. Yes I am aware the ways our friendship has been damaged by decisions that has brought you harm. I see the depths of your pain through a color, this deep scarlet red that so permeates your life at the moment. Yet I can honestly tell you even now if you will spend time with Me and deal with the painful hurts it has caused you and your relationships with one another, and return to our commitment to friendship, I will cause the wrongs you have done toward Me and to others to be forgiven and make your lives as clean and fresh like new fallen snow. I will do as I have promised." ( A Gleaning format from Isaiah 1:18 )
Often we hear the words "broken heart" interchanged with "contrite spirit", yet in the ancient language this was not so. A broken heart describes the present agony you might be in while a contrite spirit extends a hope in a painful state you might find yourself in life, through the help of His favor, grace, and mercy.
Two other words which are used interchangeably yet have different definitions that offer more support to this train of thought are: 1) guilt and 2) conviction.
The Oxford Dictionary describes guilt as having a feeling of done wrong or sense of failure. Often times the motive energizing guilt is to induce and control the life of another. This definition becomes more apparent in verb form.
Conviction is a formal declaration describing a trespass(es) that has already occurred. There is no need to further induce a feeling of shame, pain, or guilt, the hurt has been done and is now quite prevalent in your life. Conviction in the Scriptural sense begins with God...He actually initiates an appeal in favor of us who are in desperate straits whether we might presently experience a crushed dream, a bottomless pit of sorrow, or a sense of hopelessness. The Good News through the Christian message is God has proclaimed a verdict through His Son Christ Jesus, and His verdict offers to us the very essence of Hope in a hopeless situation.
Benson's Commentary points out God is near to all men, yet there are those moments His unique Presence is made manifest, particularly in times when the heart of a person is broken.
Matthew Henry writes in his commentary true Christianity is not just an avoidance of hurting whether it be within ourselves or what we may have done to one another. Numerous religions can offer a rationale that improves our behavior which is characterized by self achievement, as can self help books, or even various therapies. Christianity offers a different ingredient and purpose to our lives which enables us to see ourselves useful, both within the heart of the person experiencing pain as well as any hurts we may have caused others. It also allows us the tranquility of knowing we have made our peace with God and in so doing our peace with fellow man.
A key ingredient to a Christian's relationship to God seems to be the willingness to deny themselves. Dependence of pain killers found in life through things like alcohol or a variety of drugs and medications are often found in both non-Christians and Christians alike, as is refusal to give up the right to be first or voluntarily giving up our right to exist over the rights of others, or when situations demand us to remain silent and listen to the pain of another, becoming a part of them as their story of life unfolds. The difference between a true Christian and a non-Christian's belief seems to lie in their visit to "the cave of Adullam."
In this passage of Sacred Scripture found in Psalm 34, it was a time in history 900 years before the birth of Christ Jesus. Saul was the king of Israel and he was after David, he simply wanted David dead. David fled from Saul and Saul pursued him. David makes a decision to hide from Saul by travelling to Gath and finding safety there. Gath was a Philistine city and the king of Gath, Abimelech, had no love for David. Why would that be? Well, the village of Gath was the hometown of another individual, his name being...Goliath. David, a few years before had did a number on Goliath, including putting a rock to his head and then cutting his head off.
So, Abimelech finds out David is "in the house" and was going to have him killed. David then came up with an idea to act crazy because in that time various cultures considered it wrong to kill anyone with mental challenges simply because many of the gods of that general time period did not take kindly to anyone killing a "crazy person." A person choosing to do so might invoke a curse from their god(s) instead; upon themselves, their families, and even the entire community. Fortunately, David's idea worked.
King Abimelech of Gath then kicks David out of the village of Gath and David hides a few miles outside the village in a cave named Adullam. It turns out over 400 people come and join David running from Saul because of the pressures many within the Jewish nation of Judah were facing during Saul's rule.
{Note: Psalm 34 is an alphabet Psalm...22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet...22 verses in Psalm 34. Each verse begins with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet, verse one being "aleph", verse two being "bet", etc. etc. Sometimes a translation will move verses around and put some in front of others to make it easier to understand to the language they are translating.
Other alphabetic Psalms include 9,10,25,37,111,112,119, and 145.
A Gleaning form Psalm 34:18
" The Lord is uniquely close to those whose hearts are broken or contrite, He has come to listen and rescue the discouraged, those who might be crushed under their sin, and still others who feel like they have just been punched in the gut."
What happened to David after his experience at the cave of Adullam? David had several opportunities to kill Saul, but never did out of respect. David entered the cave of Adullam in despair and depression. He left with confidence because he had been given time to get rest, focus on his friendship to this God of Israel, and to regain his trust in this God he so passionately believed in. Some bible historians conclude he may have written the 94th Psalm while in this cave of refuge.
The 400 men that showed up at the cave looking for David? Well, part of this group became known as "David and his Mighty Men." It is also written David became their captain.
Oh, David did return with his "Mighty Men" to the village of Gath with King Abimelech. This time King Abimelech was not able to throw him out of Gath, the king ran into a little problem,
the story being written in the book of Samuel.
"Long live the King!"
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