David therefore 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 to him. And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.
— 1 Samuel 22:1-2
David’s way was not like Saul’s; he did not simply take those who looked promising (1 Sam. 14:52). Rather, he received and cared for all those the Lord sent him, investing himself in them.
This is why it was such a great offense to God when David numbered the people, for in this instance, he was looking at them as mere capital (2 Sam. 24:2–17). When he realized what he had done by numbering the people, he immediately repented and turned back to the Lord. That was one of his biggest failings, for it was totally against what he stood for as a man after God’s heart.
Adapted from David: After God’s Heart, page 71.
Tomorrow: “Investing Ourselves in Others” (3)