1 Samuel 22:1-4
1 So David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. Soon his brothers and all his other relatives joined him there. 2 Then others began coming—men who were in trouble or in debt or who were just discontented—until David was the captain of about 400 men.
3 Later David went to Mizpeh in Moab, where he asked the king, “Please allow my father and mother to live here with you until I know what God is going to do for me.” 4 So David’s parents stayed in Moab with the king during the entire time David was living in his stronghold.

King Saul had threatened to kill David because of his jealousy. David fled to escape from Saul, so he hid himself in a cave that was easily defendable. Other men joined David, because David was a great military leader and they knew of his problem with Saul. David sought out shelter for his mother and father. Rarely is David’s mother mentioned in the bible, but here we see David honoring his mother and father by protecting them.

Hard times reveal what is under the surface of a person’s faith. David faced a hard life on the run from Saul. He had to live off the land and hide away in the darkness of a cave. David’s entire life had been filled with difficulties. It seems David was often neglected and left alone to tend the sheep of the field. His brothers mocked him. Saul took him into his courts at a young age so that David could play music to sooth him, but at the same time Saul sought to harm David. In all of this we never see his mother or father coming to the aid of David. In fact when Samuel was to choose David as king, David’s father did not even include him with the rest of the brothers. Psalm 27:10 says, “Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close.” David feared the abandonment from his parents. David even says in Psalm 69:8, “Even my own brothers pretend they don’t know me; they treat me like a stranger.” In his desperate times his whole family abandoned him. Yet David knew God would hold him close in moments of fear. He knew God would rescue him and come to his assistance when no one else would. David’s troubles ran deep, but his faith ran even deeper. How deep is your faith in God? Pray that God would strengthen your faith. Pray God will create in you a faithful heart.