I Samuel 21

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I Samuel 21:10-13, That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath. But the servants of Achish said to him, “Isn’t this David, the king of the land? Isn’t he the one they sing about in their dances:

“‘Saul has slain his thousands,
    and David his tens of thousands’?”

David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath. So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard.

David is on the run.  He knows that Saul is after his life and has a lot of resources with which to pursue him.  David makes a quick stop at to see Ahimelech the priest to gather some provisions but then heads into Philistine territory.  It was certainly a risk to head into enemy territory but he wasn’t safe at home either.  Desperate circumstances call for desperate measures.  He is hoping to go unnoticed in the foreign land but no such luck; David’s reputation precedes him.  Afterall, he is the one who killed Goliath!  In order to protect himself from Achish, the Philistine ruler of that area, he pretends to be insane.  The king may have felt threatened by David as brave warrior but he didn’t worry too much about David as the insane drooling guy.

This was clearly a low point for David.  Wherever he goes, he is a fugitive.  He doesn’t know who he can trust.  He’s left the people who love him and he must be incredibly scared and lonely.  We get a picture of David’s intense emotions by reading some of the Psalms.  Scholars suggest that Psalm 34 is identified with this time in David’s life.  Take a moment to read this Psalm.  It starts by stating, “I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.”  It speaks of God saving him from his troubles and encamping around those who fear him.  We see themes of protection, deliverance, and trust throughout  the Psalm.  Even in this time of fear and insecurity, David is praising the name of God.  People are actively hunting him down but he’s never lost trust or faith.  He knows that right will prevail.

How many of you needed to hear that today?  Even in our deepest struggles, we can praise the name of Jesus and trust him with our lives.  Things may not turn out the way we want them to but we can be certain that Jesus is still on the throne and right will prevail.

Let’s pray…Lord Jesus, Help us trust you.  Help us be faithful people. We love you, Amen.