David Pretends Madness

¹⁰ And David rose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish the king of Gath. ¹¹ And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances, 

‘Saul has struck down his thousands, 
    and David his ten thousands’?” 

¹² And David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. ¹³ So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard. ¹⁴ Then Achish said to his servants, “Behold, you see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me? ¹⁵ Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to behave as a madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?” 

1 Samuel 21:10-15, ESV 

David is now carrying Goliath’s sword, given to him by Abimelech the high priest. That sword was special, for David used it to cut off the head of the renown Philistine champion. I’m sure that David’s memories flooded back to him as he held it.

David was now carrying that sword into Goliath’s hometown. That was foolish and dangerous. He seems to move from the crisis of Saul to the crisis of seeking refuge with the Philistines. The risk was great, and yet David told himself that he had “no choice.” 

But why? David is frightened, Saul is hot on his heels, and so David runs. I can’t even imagine the situation he’s in. He is a fugitive. The decisions he is making little sense, and David isn’t seeking the Lord’s will and direction. David just ran. 

Is David still “a man after God’s own heart?” 

Sometimes as believers, we do very foolish things. God has a path for us, and instead of seeking Him we turn to our own understanding. When I think through this account, I come to the realization that I seldom look to the Lord for His wise direction. 

“When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful.” Proverb 29:18 

On his arrival in Gath, David hears the murmuring of the crowd. Interestingly, they call David “the king of the land.” They recognized this before Saul did. This is the first time David has heard that they have known him. That song comes up, and it seems again (like always) it just creates even more problems.

David thought he could find anonymity or sympathy from the Philistines. 

Our passage tells us that David is now “much afraid.” I think he realizes then he has made a very stupid decision by going to Gath, (carrying Goliath’s sword for all to see). His reputation has proceeded with him, and yet David has another plan.

He feigns insanity. I suspect that this was just a split-second decision, something rash and impulsive. He knew that acting insane was the only way to escape. He attacked the doors, scratching them. He foamed at the mouth with his saliva dripping down his beard. 

One look at David acting crazy we see that king Achish dismissed David and his antics as beneath his deliberation. He sees David as a madman, and apparently the king has had his fill of madmen. Some have said that the very presence of an insane person was an evil omen. And to kill them was forbidden. 

The question I have is this. Was David walking in the Spirit or in the flesh? Was David outside of God’s will while he was in Gath?

David would write Psalms 56 and 34 would suggest that he did.  

The title of Psalm 34 reads: “A psalm of David, regarding the time he pretended to be insane in front of Abimelech, who sent him away.” 

The title of Psalm 56 reads: “A psalm of David, regarding the time the Philistines seized him in Gath.” 

Now these are beautiful psalms, and they describe David’s experience in the very heart of the Philistines’ stronghold. Things are getting strange, but David’s heart is still in God’s hand.