David Ensures The Safety Of His Father And Mother (1 Samuel 22:3-4).
The cave was no place for his ageing father and mother, and so David went to Mizpeh of Moab and asked the king of Moab if he would watch over them for him. We do not know how he had become acquainted with the king of Moab, but we do know that he had Moabite blood in his veins from his great-grandmother 1sa (1 Samuel 4:17). It would seem therefore that there had been previous contact, either through his father, or when he had been commander of a military unit under Saul. Here we have here one of those details which are never explained but which remind us how little we know of the to-ings and fro-ings of life in those days, and a reminder that God prepares the way for His people.
One further thing that we learn here, and that is that while Saul lived his prophet-less life in Gibeah, the prophet of YHWH came to David in Mizpeh. David was still very much YHWH's concern.
Analysis.
a And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab (1 Samuel 22:3 a).
b And he said to the king of Moab, “Let my father and my mother, I pray you, come forth, and be with you, until I know what God will do for me” (1 Samuel 22:3 b).
c And he brought them before the king of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the stronghold. (1 Samuel 22:4).
b And the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not abide not in the stronghold. Depart, and get you into the land of Judah” (1 Samuel 22:5 a).
a Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hereth (1 Samuel 22:5 b).
Note that in ‘a' went to Mizpeh of Moab, and in the parallel he left there and came back to Judah, to the Forest of Hereth. In ‘b' David exhorted the king of Moab to watch over his parents, and in the parallel the prophet Gad exhorted David himself not to remain in Moab any longer. His place was in Judah. In ‘c' the king of Moab fulfilled David's request.
‘ And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab, and he said to the king of Moab, “Let my father and my mother, I pray you, come forth, and be with you, until I know what God will do for me.”
David's concern for his parents was in line with YHWH's commandment to ‘honour your father and mother'. The writer wants us to recognise that in the midst of all his problems David fulfilled all God's commandments. Mizpeh means ‘watchtower'. There were many Mizpehs. This one was probably on the border of Moab looking down on the Jordan rift valley. We note that the king of Moab was the only king to help him in his time of need, possibly because of his Moabite ancestry.
Note also how David's faith had blossomed, “until I know what God will do for me.” His sojourn in the cave of Adullam and his new small army had made all the difference to his thinking. He was now full of expectation.
‘ And he brought them before the king of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the stronghold.'
So David's parents dwelt with the king of Moab all the time that David was ‘in the stronghold'. We know from 1 Samuel 22:5 that the stronghold was outside Judah. It was indeed probably Mizpeh. But his parents were not in Mizpeh. They were with the king enjoying his hospitality.
‘ And the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not abide not in the stronghold. Depart, and get you into the land of Judah.” Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hereth.
Then, however, a young prophet named Gad arrived, possibly from Samuel. He came to David at Mizpeh and instructed him to return to the land of Judah. It was not good that David be out of touch with the people. It would be important in the future that he had lived among them. So David took shelter with his men in the Forest of Hereth (of which we know nothing). The thick, tangled forests of Judah made a good hiding place for a band of men like David's.
Thus following his descent into deception at Nob and the low point of his life in Gath, YHWH had now given him three indications that He was still with him. The foundation of his new army at Adullam, the concern shown for his parents by the king of Moab, and the appearance of a prophet of YHWH to give him guidance. All demonstrated that YHWH had not forgotten him. Gad will later appear as ‘the king's seer' (2 Samuel 24:11; 1 Chronicles 21:9), will act as his adviser (2 Samuel 24:11 ff) and will keep records of his life for our benefit (1 Chronicles 29:29).