David is now completely separated from Saul's court and is considered an outlaw and a rebel. Psalm 34 grew out of his narrow escape from Achish and perhaps best expresses David's trials and triumphs during his exile period.
David assembled a loyal band of followers at the Cave of Adullam, a crowd of 400 men that eventually grew to 600. His experiences in the cave are found in Psalm 57 and Psalm 142. David would want to protect his brethren, since Saul might want to slay them as well as David.
This period of persecution in David's life was a part of his preparation for the throne. He was a great soldier, but he needed to suffer in the wilderness to learn not to trust men and how to trust the Lord. All of us need wilderness testings to bring us closer to the Lord, and to make us better equipped to serve Him.
It was important that David live, for it was he who would deliver Israel, establish the kingdom in glory, and become the father of Christ in the flesh. Satan used Saul to seek to kill David, but God was too strong for the enemy. As long as David sought the mind of the Lord, God gave him protection and victory.
In chapter 23 we see how God guarded David's life and gave him victory at Keilah (verses 1-13), victory in the wilderness (verses 14-18), and victory over the Ziphites (verses 19-29).
