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Commentary on 1 Samuel 21 verses 10–15
David, though king elect, is here an exile - designed to be master of vast treasures, yet just now begging his bread - anointed to the crown, and yet here forced to flee from his country. Thus do God's providences sometimes seem to run counter to his promises, for the trial of his people's faith, and the glorifying of his name, in the accomplishment of his counsels, notwithstanding the difficulties that lay in the way. Here is, 1. David's flight into the land of the Philistines, where he hoped to be hid, and to remain undiscovered in the court or camp of Achish king of Gath, Sa1 21:10. Israel's darling is necessitated to quit the land of Israel, and he that was the Philistine's great enemy (upon I know not what inducements) goes to seek for shelter among them. It should seem that as, though the Israelites loved him, yet the king of Israel had a personal enmity to him, which obliged him to leave his own country, so, though the Philistines hated him, yet the king of Gath had a personal kindness for him, valuing his merit, and perhaps the more for his killing Goliath of Gath, who, it may be, had been no friend to Achish. To him David now went directly, as to one he could confide in, as afterwards (Sa1 27:2, Sa1 27:3), and Achish would not have protected him but that he was afraid of disobliging his own people. God's persecuted people have often found better usage from Philistines than from Israelites, in the Gentile theatres than in the Jewish synagogues. The king of Judah imprisoned Jeremiah, and the king of Babylon set him at liberty. 2. The disgust which the servants of Achish took at his being there, and their complaint of it to Achish (Sa1 21:11): "Is not this David? Is not this he that has triumphed over the Philistines? witness that burden of the song which was so much talked of, Saul has slain his thousands, but David, this very man, his ten thousands. Nay, Is not this he that (if our intelligence from the land of Israel be true) is, or is to be, king of the land?" As such, "he must be an enemy to our country; and is it safe or honourable for us to protect or entertain such a man?" Achish perhaps had intimated to them that it would be policy to entertain David, because he was now an enemy to Saul, and he might be hereafter a friend to them. It is common for the outlaws of a nation to be sheltered by the enemies of that nation. But the servants of Achish objected to his politics, and thought it not at all fit that he should stay among them. 3. The fright which this put David into. Though he had some reason to put confidence in Achish, yet, when he perceived the servants of Achish jealous of him, he began to be afraid that Achish would be obliged to deliver him up to them, and he was sorely afraid (Sa1 21:12), and perhaps he was the more apprehensive of his own danger, when he was thus discovered, because he wore Goliath's sword, which, we may suppose, was well known in Gath, and with which he had reason to expect they would cut off his head, as he had cut off Goliath's with it. David now learned by experience what he has taught us (Psa 118:9), that it is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. Men of high degree are a lie, and, if we make them our hope, they may prove our fear. It was at this time that David penned Psalm 55 (Michtam, a golden psalm), when the Philistines took him in Gath, where having shown before God his distresses, he resolves (Psa 55:3), "What time I am afraid I will trust in thee; and therefore (Psa 55:11) will not be afraid what man can do unto me, no, not the sons of giants." 4. The course he took to get out of their hands: He feigned himself mad, Sa1 21:13. He used the gestures and fashions of a natural fool, or one that had gone out of his wits, supposing they would be ready enough to believe that the disgrace he had fallen into, and the troubles he was now in, had driven him distracted. This dissimulation of his cannot be justified (it was a mean thing thus to disparage himself, and inconsistent with truth thus to misrepresent himself, and therefore not becoming the honour and sincerity of such a man as David); yet it may in some degree be excused, for it was not a downright lie and it was like a stratagem in war, by which he imposed upon his enemies for the preservation of his own life. What David did here in pretence and for his own safety, which made it partly excusable, drunkards do really, and only to gratify a base lust: they made fools of themselves and change their behaviour; their words and actions commonly are either as silly and ridiculous as an idiot's or as furious and outrageous as a madman's, which has often made me wonder that ever men of sense and honour should allow themselves in it. 5. His escape by this means, Sa1 21:14, Sa1 21:15. I am apt to think Achish was aware that the delirium was but counterfeit, but, being desirous to protect David (as we find afterwards he was very kind to him, even when the lord of the Philistines favoured him not, Sa1 28:1, Sa1 28:2; Sa1 29:6), he pretended to his servants that he really thought he was mad, and therefore had reason to question whether it was David or no; or, if it were, they need not fear him, what harm could he do them now that his reason had departed from him? They suspected that Achish was inclined to entertain him: "Not I," says he. "He is a madman. I'll have nothing to do with him. You need not fear that I should employ him, or give him any countenance." He humours the thing well enough when he asks, "Have I need of madmen? Shall this fool come into my house? I will show him no kindness, but then you shall do him no hurt, for, if he be a madmen, he is to be pitied." He therefore drove him away, as it is in the title of Ps. 34, which David penned upon this occasion, and an excellent psalm it is, and shows that he did not change his spirit when he changed his behaviour, but even in the greatest difficulties and hurries his heart was fixed, trusting in the Lord; and he concludes that psalm with this assurance, that none of those that trust in God shall be desolate, though they may be, as he now was, solitary and distressed, persecuted, but not forsaken.
Every kind of honour and happiness was bestowed upon you, and then was fulfilled that which is written, "My beloved ate and drank, and was enlarged and became fat, and kicked." [Deuteronomy 32:15] Hence flowed emulation and envy, strife and sedition, persecution and disorder, war and captivity. So the worthless rose up against the honoured, those of no reputation against such as were renowned, the foolish against the wise, the young against those advanced in years. For this reason righteousness and peace are now far departed from you, inasmuch as every one abandons the fear of God, and has become blind in His faith, neither walks in the ordinances of His appointment, nor acts a part becoming a Christian, but walks after his own wicked lusts, resuming the practice of an unrighteous and ungodly envy, by which death itself entered into the world. [Wisdom 2:24]
For thus it is written: "And it came to pass after certain days, that Cain brought of the fruits of the earth a sacrifice unto God; and Abel also brought of the firstlings of his sheep, and of the fat thereof. And God had respect to Abel and to his offerings, but Cain and his sacrifices He did not regard. And Cain was deeply grieved, and his countenance fell. And God said to Cain, Why are you grieved, and why is your countenance fallen? If you offer rightly, but do not divide rightly, have you not sinned? Be at peace: your offering returns to yourself, and you shall again possess it. And Cain said to Abel his brother, Let us go into the field. And it came to pass, while they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him." [Genesis 4:3-8] You see, brethren, how envy and jealousy led to the murder of a brother. Through envy, also, our father Jacob fled from the face of Esau his brother [Genesis 27:41-45]. Envy made Joseph be persecuted unto death, and to come into bondage. [Genesis 37:18-28] Envy compelled Moses to flee from the face of Pharaoh king of Egypt, when he heard these words from his fellow-countryman, "Who made you a judge or a ruler over us? Will you kill me, as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?" [Exodus 2:14] On account of envy, Aaron and Miriam had to make their abode without the camp. [Numbers 12:14-15] Envy brought down Dathan and Abiram alive to Hades, through the sedition which they excited against God's servant Moses. [Numbers 16:33] Through envy, David not only underwent the hatred of foreigners, but was also persecuted by Saul king of Israel. [1 Samuel 21:10-15]
And Achish said, "Have you seen the man who is insane," etc.? David, indeed, suspected by the Gittites due to his reputation for virtues, industriously imitated the actions of one who was mad, so that he might be thought to be possessed and, pitied by those who saw him, released unharmed. But their king, unaware of his pretense, truly expelled him as if he were insane, excluding him from entering his house as a madman. Nor does the truth of allegory depart from the shadow of history. For the Lord, to heal the eyes of the hearts of those who could not see the glory of His divinity, applied the ointment of human humility; but some of the impious accused Him in His sufferings as if He were a man of frailty, in His virtues as if demoniac, and abhorred Him as performing miracles by a power contrary to God. Finally, as the Gospel recounts, we learn not only what was thought by adversaries, but also what was thought and said by His own, who were not yet strengthened in full faith: "And they came to the house, and again a crowd gathered, so that they could not even eat bread. And when His family heard it, they went out to seize Him; for they said, 'He is out of his mind'" (Mark 3). This His family did, still carnal in their perception, due to the immeasurable quantity and quality of His growing virtues; but look also at what the others did: "And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, 'He has Beelzebub, and by the prince of demons He casts out demons'" (Matthew 12; Mark 3). But even after His resurrection and ascension into heaven, as the apostles preached the truth of the Gospel, some deranged people ridiculed and rejected it as madness. Hence it is that the one who is debtor to both the wise and the foolish, bearing witness to Christ, heard: "You are insane, Paul; much learning is driving you mad" (Acts 26). Consequently, all who accuse Christ of madness and mania, it is no wonder if, by contemptuously rejecting Him, they furiously exclude Him from the house of their minds.
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SUMMARY
First Samuel 21:14 captures the critical moment of David's desperate flight from King Saul, detailing the Philistine King Achish's bewildered reaction to David's feigned madness. This verse encapsulates Achish's conclusion that David is genuinely insane and therefore harmless, leading to David's unexpected release from a perilous situation in Gath and powerfully underscoring the providential hand of God in preserving His anointed one amidst extreme duress.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: This verse is situated within a broader, intense narrative of David's flight from King Saul, who, consumed by jealousy and paranoia, relentlessly sought to kill him. Following a poignant farewell with Jonathan and the renewal of their covenant in 1 Samuel 20, David fled to Nob, where he received the holy showbread and Goliath's sword from Ahimelech the priest (1 Samuel 21:1-9). His subsequent decision to seek refuge in Gath, a major Philistine city and ironically the hometown of Goliath, was an act of profound desperation and calculated risk, reflecting the extreme pressure he faced. Upon his arrival, Achish's servants immediately recognized David as the celebrated warrior who had slain "tens of thousands" (1 Samuel 21:11), placing David in grave danger and prompting his dramatic act of feigned insanity, which culminates in Achish's declaration in this verse.
Historical & Cultural Context: Gath was one of the five principal Philistine cities, a formidable and long-standing enemy of Israel. For David, the slayer of their champion Goliath, seeking asylum there was an act of profound desperation and calculated risk, highlighting the severity of his plight. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, madness was often viewed with a mixture of fear, reverence, and sometimes, contempt. It was not uncommon for the truly insane to be left unmolested, as their condition was sometimes attributed to divine affliction or possession, making them undesirable to host or harm. David's specific actions—scratching marks on the city gate and allowing spittle to run down his beard (1 Samuel 21:13)—were classic signs of a madman, designed to convince Achish that he was no longer a threat, but rather a nuisance or an object of pity, thereby securing his release rather than execution or imprisonment.
Key Themes: The episode in Gath, culminating in Achish's declaration, powerfully illustrates several key themes central to David's early life and the broader narrative of 1 Samuel. First, Desperation and Survival highlight David's human vulnerability and resourcefulness; even God's anointed leader was driven to extreme, unconventional, and ethically complex measures to preserve his life. Second, Divine Providence is profoundly evident in David's escape. While David's actions were deceptive, his deliverance from Gath is widely interpreted as a clear demonstration of God's protective hand over His chosen king, working through unexpected means and even the misjudgment of an adversary. This harrowing experience is often considered the backdrop for Psalm 34 and Psalm 56, where David recounts his fears and praises God for deliverance. Third, Misperception and Deception underscore the limitations of human judgment. Achish, a powerful king, is completely deceived by David's act, seeing genuine madness where there is calculated cunning. This misjudgment inadvertently serves God's larger purpose, preserving David's life and his future as king of Israel.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The verse employs several significant literary devices that enrich its meaning and impact. Most prominently, Rhetorical Question is used by Achish ("wherefore [then] have ye brought him to me?"). This question is not posed to elicit information but to express the king's exasperation and to emphasize the perceived obviousness of David's "madness," thereby dismissing him. This also contributes to Dramatic Irony, as the audience knows David is feigning his condition for survival, while Achish remains entirely ignorant of David's true cunning and his destiny as Israel's future king. The entire episode is a masterful display of Characterization, revealing David's desperation, resourcefulness, and reliance on God's providence, even through unconventional means. It also highlights Achish's limited perception, despite his royal authority, underscoring the theme of human fallibility in the face of divine plans.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
This episode profoundly illustrates God's sovereign hand at work even in the midst of human desperation and deception. David, God's anointed, finds himself in an impossible situation, yet God uses David's cunning and Achish's misperception to bring about deliverance. This speaks to a broader theological truth: God is not limited by human weakness or even flawed methods; He can orchestrate events and influence human decisions to fulfill His purposes. It reminds us that divine protection often comes in unexpected forms, sometimes through the very actions or inactions of those who would otherwise be our adversaries. David's experience here serves as a powerful testament to God's faithfulness in preserving His chosen ones, even when they are at their lowest ebb and resort to unconventional means for survival.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
David's feigned madness in Gath offers profound lessons for contemporary believers. It reminds us that even the most righteous individuals can face moments of intense fear, vulnerability, and desperation, where survival seems to demand extraordinary, perhaps even ethically ambiguous, measures. While we are called to truthfulness and integrity, this narrative powerfully demonstrates God's capacity to work through and even redeem our flawed human responses when we are under immense pressure. It encourages us to trust in God's overarching providence, recognizing that His protective hand can deliver us from seemingly insurmountable dangers, often in ways we least expect. In our own "Gath" moments—those times of overwhelming fear, uncertainty, or persecution—we are called to seek God's deliverance, pour out our hearts to Him as David did in the Psalms, and trust that He is faithful to preserve His people, even when our own strength or wisdom fails. This passage invites us to reflect on the depth of God's commitment to His purposes and His people, even when our paths are winding and fraught with peril.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Was David's deception morally justifiable, given that he was God's anointed?
Answer: The Bible often records events as they happened without explicitly endorsing or condemning every action, allowing for theological reflection on the complexities of human experience under divine providence. While David's feigned madness was undeniably a deception, the narrative primarily highlights God's protective hand in his deliverance, rather than focusing on the moral rectitude of the act itself. David was under extreme duress, fleeing for his life from a relentless King Saul, and was in a hostile Philistine city where he was recognized as a mortal enemy (1 Samuel 21:11). From a human perspective, it was an act of desperate self-preservation in a life-or-death situation. The theological emphasis of the passage is on God's faithfulness to preserve His chosen one, even through unconventional means, rather than on David's moral perfection. This event, like others in David's life, underscores his humanity, vulnerability, and ultimate reliance on God's grace, even amidst his flaws. It serves as a reminder that God's plans are not thwarted by human imperfection.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
The episode of David's feigned madness in Gath, though a human act of deception, finds its profound Christ-centered fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus. David, the anointed king-to-be, had to humble himself and appear as something he was not—a madman—to escape death and preserve his destiny. This foreshadows Christ, the ultimate Anointed One and King, who, though divine, "emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men" (Philippians 2:7). Jesus, in His incarnation, appeared in a humble, vulnerable state, often misunderstood and even deemed "out of his mind" by some (Mark 3:21) and "having a demon" by others (John 10:20). He allowed Himself to be despised, rejected, and ultimately crucified, appearing weak and defeated on the cross, yet through this ultimate act of humiliation, He secured eternal deliverance and fulfilled His divine mission. David's escape from Gath through apparent weakness points to Christ's victory through apparent defeat on the cross, where He conquered sin and death, providing ultimate refuge and salvation for all who believe, a far greater deliverance than David's physical escape (Hebrews 2:14-15). Just as David's life was providentially preserved for his kingly anointing, Christ's apparent weakness was the very means by which His eternal reign and our salvation were secured.