Read 1 Samuel 21: 10 - 15
It is hard to believe that this is the same person who was facing the Philistine giant when he was the only one prepared to take on the might of this enemy of Israel. In chapter 17, David is trusting completely in God on account of his previous experience of God's deliverance when a bear and a lion, on separate occasions, were attacking the flock of sheep he was looking after. Despite his youthfulness, David shows remarkable courage and faith in God and stands out in marked contrast to King Saul and his son Jonathan. All the Israelite warriors are intimidated by this well-armed soldier who threatens them on a daily basis. Then David saw Goliath's actions in a different light from other Israelites - even his own brothers. What has happened to David's faith in God? He had declared then that the battle is the Lord's and that the Lord would bring complete victory on the battlefield regardless of the height of the enemy soldiers or the weight of their armour. In other words, David was saying that nothing is impossible with the God of Israel. Goliath was defying Jehovah who was on the side of the Israelites. His actions were an insult to the One God of Israel.
Now David has lost his faith in God. He can only see an uncertain future and he is afraid. He is afraid of Saul - the same person who was not prepared to face Goliath even with all his skill, weapons and armour. He is afraid of Saul despite the fact that, again and again, God has delivered David out of Saul's hands - even when he threw a spear at him from close range. David has forgotten that the battle is the Lord's and the same God who took control of the stone which David aimed at the well-armed Philistine and directed this to the right spot to kill Goliath instantly will deflect any javelin thrown by Saul at David. David has forgotten that the Lord has even used Saul's own daughter to preserve David's life and that his greatest ally is Jonathan, Saul's son.
So David is in a state of blind panic. He has been a man on the run - running to Samuel and then running away from Samuel to Jonathan and then running to the priest at Nob. This last episode would result in the death of 85 priests as an act of senseless revenge by Saul. But now David has been on the run again and he has headed off in the other direction towards the Philistines. That's right - David has decided that he would be safer with the enemies of his own nation. Now, of course, David had already made his reputation as the scourge of the Philistines - apart from being the hero of the battle in the valley of Elah. David had slaughtered 200 of them just to pay the dowry or bride price Saul was insisting on for the privilege of marrying his daughter. He had been successful in several forays against the Philistines. Does he imagine that they will welcome him with open arms? Does he think that they will not recognise him?
Anyway, David decides to pay a visit to Gath. That's interesting because Gath was the hometown of the deceased giant, Goliath whose head David had taken off using his victim's own sword. David pays a visit to a man who is described as a king of Gath. His name is Achish. It would seem that David's plan is to join this man's army as a mercenary. After all, he has previous experience on the battlefield. Notice the closing words of chapter 21 - Achish says, "shall this man come into my house?" and this may refer to David wanting to serve Achish in some capacity as a servant. But he is recognised - his cover is blown. The servants of Achish realise who he is. They say, "Is this not the king of the land?" This is a bit puzzling because David was not really king - Saul was still on the throne. Are they aware that David has been anointed as king? They certainly know that he is very popular with the Israelites. They know that there is a song about his success against the champion of the Philistines. They know about the women dancing and chanting. "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands." The Philistines seem to have good intelligence about what is happening in Israel. They must have had spies gathering information and reporting back to their headquarters. They knew that this David was a threat to Saul. They would guess that he has fled from Saul and is in a desperate state. David realises that his life is in danger.
So he adopts a strange strategy. He pretends to be mad and he puts on a very convincing show of madness before the 'king' of Gath. David slavers down his beard and claws on the doors of the gate. This is a very sad state of affairs for the same man who had walked down into the valley of Elah to face Goliath. David is commended in the Bible record for his wise conduct - when he was the subject of much hero-worship by the Israelite women. Here he is feigning madness. There is no trust in God. There is no dependence on the One God, Jehovah who had delivered the nation from Egypt in a miraculous way.
As I read these few verses, the Lord is reminding me that there is no depths to which I could not sink. My eldest daughter shared a story with me of a young teacher who had committed a serious offence and was facing being struck off the General Teaching Council which would mean the end of his career. I was saddened when I read the newspaper article. I uttered a prayer of thanksgiving for God's grace in my life preserving me from moral and spiritual disaster. A verse from the New Testament came to mind
'So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!' [1 Corinthians 10: 12 NIV] The context of this verse is learning lessons from the Israelites who were disobedient and were punished by God. If we are tempted to judge David harshly, there is an assumption at the back of our mind that we would never stoop to this - turning our back on God and seeking help from those who hate God and then resorting to such a degrading spectacle as pretending to be insane. The lesson I have to learn - and I will address this to myself - every day that I live I depend on God's grace to keep me from the gutter. I have a mental picture of David in Gath and it's not a pretty picture. He would not have shared that video on Facebook if this incident had taken place in 2025. Remember this is the Lord's anointed. I know that David had walked into this situation as a result of his lack of faith but this is also a reminder that living for God will not be a glamorous occupation - think of the life of Paul the apostle (See 2 Corinthians 11:23-33)
If someone was reading the biography of David for the first time and had no idea that he did in fact become the king of Israel and was responsible for writing many of the Psalms, this reader might begin to speculate that David's career is over. He might have been anointed as the next king, but that does not mean that he can ever recover from where David finds himself at the end of chapter 21 of 1st Samuel. This imaginary reader, of course, would be very much mistaken. God had not given up with David. God had still plans for David and he would be restored and would recover to be used by God for future service. I have often quoted a verse from the Old Testament which refers to the coming Messiah
A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out. [Isaiah 42:3 ESV]
I have to be honest. There have been times in my life when I have been a bruised reed or a faintly burning wick. Reeds, which grew on the river banks, were very useful for making strong structures such as baskets, boats and houses. Mud could be applied to the criss-cross framework to make for a watertight construction. The verse in Isaiah speaks about a reed which has become bruised perhaps due to the careless actions of humans. It isn't longer fit for purpose and will be discarded and thrown on the ground to be trampled and destroyed. However, the Saviour, the perfect Servant of Isaiah's prophecy, is far more gracious and tolerant. He could see usefulness in me when others couldn't and would have quickly written me off. He applied the healing touch to my wounds and fitted me to the planned structure he was making.
The flax wick would have provided essential light in a house with no natural light. The wick, however, is not producing enough light. There is barely a flicker from this smouldering wick. The natural inclination would be to snuff out this light. I am glad that my Lord did not do that when the spiritual light was almost extinguished in my life due to sin and unbelief. He fanned the flame to produce better light for His glory.
David was a dimly burning flax - but the light was not extinguished and it was fanned into a flame. Due to the cruelty of Saul, David had become a broken reed - but God did not discard him. He was restored for future service and he would take over as King of Israel in God's time. This is a real encouragement for us when we feel that we have failed God and we are broken and disheartened. God is the God of the second chance.
It is amazing that David escapes with his life after this visit to Achish in Gath. God preserved him despite the fact that he has not been living by faith and he is out of touch with God. God worked in the heart of Achish to make him see David no longer as an enemy. Chapter 21 ends with Achish stating " I don't need any more madmen." This was not a compliment to his servants. "I don't want this fellow in my service - I have enough idiots and madmen." And this is the cue for David to make a hasty but subtle departure from the land of the Philistines.
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