We know that David is a type of Jesus; in the acts in which he did not sin, he prophesied about Jesus. In the text of I Samuel 22:1-2, David had left the kingdom and lived in the desert, among men in a challenging situation. David knew the type of people he would find in the cave of Adullam. He took those 400 men and formed an army of brave men who never tasted defeat. And these men loved David more than life itself. Prophetically, this pointed to Jesus, who left his kingdom of glory and came to live in the desert, a type of this temporal world. The world is like the cave of Adullam because it is a gathering of hopeless men. He found the following men here:
a) Men in trouble have no place in this life, and Jesus said that in the Father's house, there is plenty of room for those who accept him as Savior (John 14:2).
b) Men in debt are unable to pay any debt. Man was hidden because he could not pay the spiritual debt generated by sin, but Jesus paid the price for us. Genesis 3:10... I heard your voice. I feared and hid myself. Isaiah 43:1... Do not be afraid; I have redeemed you. Sin separated human beings from God, while Jesus came to redeem it with your own life.
c) Men with a disgusted spirit. He placed in your heart the sweetness of the Holy Spirit.
David transformed these types of defeated people into an army of victors, a church of brave people, and people who love the Lord more than life itself (Song 1:13).
During shearing, herders were customary to slaughter cattle and make feasts for all the workers, distributing portions to take home. David and his men helped Nabal's shepherds because they camped nearby and served as a wall for the flock so no animals or robbers could approach. Nabal was also from the tribe of Judah, like David. David sent ten young men to greet his fellow citizens and ask them to send anything he could to his group; however, in exchange for the kindness he did, he received only affronts. David then decided to destroy Nabal's entire house. Upon learning of the case, Abigail prepares an offering for David and meets him along the way (I Sam 25:20).
The Word says that the angels of the Lord camp around those who fear the Lord and give deliverance, and we know that the Lord fights for his church. But what can we give to the Lord for all the benefits he has given us? The name "Nabal" means crazy and foolish. The man who does not recognize God's benefit in his life is ridiculous and crazy. Abigail is a type of faithful church that is immediately upon learning that Jesus is coming, brings its judgments and is prepared to meet him. She knows how to please him and what He wants to receive. Furthermore, she knows which way He will come. The Reina Valera translation says that Abigail went out to meet David "by a secret path." The church knows this path. He comes along the secret path, acting within a plan of Salvation only achieved through revelation. In this encounter, as Abigail did, the church will fall at the feet of its Savior and adore him and, as David did, will take her close to him, as the groom does with his bride.
It is essential to understand the passage from I Samuel 28:6-8 and 13-14. The Lord does not use the dead to talk to the living, as he does not return to this life after physical death, as we find in Ecclesiastes 3:22 - "Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?" What happens is that the adversary takes advantage of the beliefs of those who believe in this to manifest and deceive as if it were from God.
The Lord spoke through the mouth of Isaiah: When they, therefore, say to you, Consult those who have familiar spirits and the soothsayers, who chirp and murmur: "should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?" (Is 8:19). Job also said: As the cloud dissolves and passes away, so he who goes down to the grave will never come up again (Job 7:9). See that there is a manifestation of the adversary when searching for mysticism, spiritualism, among other so-called religious practices. "And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light" (2 Cor 11:14). The man who dies in Christ goes straight into the arms of the Lord and does not stay in one place, waiting for something. See the example of the thief on the cross: On the same day of his departure, he would already be with Jesus in eternity. "And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise". (Luke 23:43).
Jesus spoke to his disciples about two men who died—one God-fearing and the other wicked. The wicked went to a place of torment, and the God-fearing went to heaven. The evil man asked that the one in heaven be ordered to come down and go to his Father's house to give testimony so that his family would not also go to the place of torment that he was in. The answer he received was that it was impossible to do (Luke 16). So, God does not use the dead to speak to the living. The Lord insisted on Saul several times, but Saul disobeyed and stopped talking to him. So he decides to consult a witch, thus sealing the judgment on his life and dying away from communion with his God.
Verse 11: "Whom shall I bring up unto thee?" If it's going up, it's because it's down. If it were Samuel, he would descend just as angels descend from heaven to minister on behalf of man. Just as Jesus came down to help the man. Just as the Holy Spirit was poured out from above. God's blessings come from above and do not come from the earth.
Verse 13: "I saw gods ascending out of the earth.." She saw unclean spirits but didn't see a specific person clearly.
Verse 14 – "And Saul perceived that it was Samuel." The Bible does not say it was Samuel clearly, but rather that Saul understood that he was Samuel. The record remained as Samuel was within Saul's understanding (I Sam 28:16). Thus, people often think they are in communion with God, speaking of prophecy, living the Work of Salvation, but in reality, they are living lies, deceit, malice, among many other things that keep man away from God.
The adversary is a liar and the Father of lies (John 8:44). He always used deception to take man away from the presence of the Lord. As Saul was already out of communion with God, she told Saul the truth: "tomorrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me," that is, dead and far from God (I Sam 28:19). There is no longer any way for God to speak to man when Samuel (the prophecy) dies in his life (I Sam 28:3). What man does without prophecy is to banish soothsayers and enchanters. It is living by superstition, witchcraft, idolatry, etc. "Where there is no vision, the people perish ..." Prov 29:18).
David and his men were waging the Lord's wars, and they trusted that their homes were safe; however, upon returning to Ziklag, as described in I Samuel 30, everyone discovered that the city had been invaded, the family taken captive, the goods taken and what remained was destroyed by fire. These men lost everything! Then they cried! They cried until they had no strength left. What servant has never gone through a difficult period? Faced with this, David consulted the Lord about whether they should pursue their enemies and whether they would rescue their families and property. So, the Lord ordered them to go and achieve victory. These men had lost everything. They had to support themselves in their luggage, which they had prepared to go to war, and with them, they returned. They used it for sustenance and to serve the Egyptians they met on the way. From there, they took bread, water, dough of dried figs, and bunches of raisins, with which the sick man came back to life. We learn in this text about the importance of the servant having spiritual baggage that supports him in times of adversity. The quality of what he has in his luggage can be crucial. Those men were in great distress, but in their luggage were:
i) Bread: This is a type of servant who has Jesus in his heart;
ii) Water: This is a type of servant who maintains communion with the Holy Spirit;
iii) Dough of dried figs and raisins: This servant keeps the prophecy, the Word of the Father.
This luggage was so crucial that at the end of the walk, they reserved 200 men to guard it, that is, 1/3 of the group with David. The prudence to keep spiritual baggage is as vital as the fight to recover what was lost. As Paul said, "That good thing which was committed... " (II Tim 1:12-14).