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5. Gad. This is the first mention of a man who was to figure so prominently in David’s life. Inasmuch as Saul turned against not only the priests but also the prophets, of whom Samuel was chief, it would be expected that the minds of all the truly religious would be alienated from their king. Perhaps it was Samuel who dispatched Gad to connect himself with David. The future king of Israel would be greatly benefited by the presence of a divinely inspired seer. As long as David lived, Gad was his seer (2 Sam. 24:11-19). Gad, along with Nathan the prophet, was the compiler of David’s biography (1 Chron. 29:29). Since he survived his lifelong friend and king, the indications are that he came to David while yet a young man. Although it is not stated, it is probable that Gad came to David while David was at Adullam, and that he accompanied David to Moab, rather than traveling to Mizpah to find him. Only by attempting to piece together the snatches of information concerning David from various portions of Scripture can it be seen how many details—interesting if we could only recover them—have been omitted in setting forth the story of God’s providential assistance to His children.

What God did for David in providing prophetic guidance He had done for Saul. These two lives are placed in contrast and demonstrate that God is no respecter of persons. Those who fall short of the divine standard fail, not because the Lord does not do everything that Heaven can devise to make true success possible, but because Heaven’s plan is persistently rejected.

Abide not. David was not to remain in Moab. He was needed in Judah. The forces of Saul seemed impotent against the continuing Philistine raids (1 Sam. 23:1, 27; 1 Chron. 11:15), and conditions were unstable. The story of Nabal implies that armed protection was needed by shepherds (1 Sam. 25:15, 16, 21). Saul’s hatred of David was no reason for David to run away to a foreign land. God, who had protected him so many times in the past, would not now forsake him, but would shape events in such a way through hardship and suffering that he would receive the training necessary for future leadership.

The discipline of suffering was operative even in the life of Jesus. The Captain of our salvation was made “perfect through sufferings” (Heb. 2:10). David, by returning to the midst of all the controversial elements in Judah, was so to conduct himself as to bring courage to all those about him. God today is anxious to demonstrate the loyalty of His children, in every type of environment. He does not want His children to retreat when circumstances become difficult. He desires His followers to demonstrate the beauty of the Christian religion and reveal its vast superiority over the service of self and Satan.

Hareth. Identified by some with the modern Kharâs, northwest of Hebron, on the edge of the mountain district; but the identification is uncertain.