2All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.
I would not want to lead a group of men like this. They are more trouble than they are worth. But they do have one thing in common: they have nothing to lose. They lack meaningful connections with other people. David is able to give them connection and those connections save their lives. When they stayed with David, the Lord provided safety for them. I know I would not want to lead a group like this! But aren’t we very much like this group? Many of us are in distress. We carry too much debt and many of us have not learned contentment. We are this group! No wonder we have problems following godly leadership! Or any leadership for that matter! And yet the Lord used this group of men to do great things. They were being groomed for future positions of power in David’s reign of leadership over Israel. They become the future leaders. No one would have ever guessed their futures. They looked like they were headed for jail, but instead they were headed for the school of David. When they emerged for that school, they were different people. They had become faithful leaders.
The Arnold Journey 