David’s 400 Men A Picture of the Church

In addition every man who was desperate, in debt, or disconnected rallied around [David], and he became their leader. About 400 men were with him. – 1 Samuel 22:2

Photo Courtesy Andrew Malone – Creative Commons

David had been anointed to be king and he had killed a giant. He had won great battles and the people chanted, “Saul has killed his thousands, but David his tens of thousands.” 

But here David is hiding in a cave from Saul. He would not be alone for long. 400 men saw something in David they wanted to follow. The scripture says they rallied around him, which gives an indication they ran to him with much energy.

This is a beautiful illustration of what church should look like.

David attracted a crowd that others would avoid.

 Here were men that had failed, screwed up and were overlooked. Many probably would have been judged as having questionable character. Yet David took them in.       

David provided

• Acceptance
• Protection
• A Purpose / Cause

In turn these 400 men gave David their complete dedication and many of them would give their life. They would become the military force David would lead with God’s help to establish his throne.

We need to intentionally build churches that provide acceptance for those who have failed, screwed up and are overlooked. As we give them protection and purpose, God will use us all to build His kingdom.

The church needs to attract a crowd that others would avoid! (Tweet This)

 If we can learn to live this out, we will never have enough space for all the people that will rally around us.

Your voice is important; I would love to hear from you.

 How can you create a culture in your church to give true acceptance to people like David’s 400?

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About the Author: Jon Stallings

I am enthusiastic about helping others discover their purpose and grow into a deeper relationship with Jesus. It is great to see their eyes light up at their “Ah Ha!” moment when they discover they were created for something more. My hope is that this blog will help encourage and inspire you along your way. Join the conversation and take the time to share with me your own story. I have been married to my beautiful wife Janice for over 30 years. We currently live in McDonough Georgia with our daughter. Our two boys have left the nest and we have two wonderful grand kids. Of course we cannot forget about our dog Bear.