Fear Distorts Decisions - 1 Samuel 21-25

1 Samuel 21:10-15 (ESV)

David Flees to Gath

And David rose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish the king of Gath. 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’?”

And David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 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. Then Achish said to his servants, “Behold, you see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me? 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?”

Fear will make you do some strange things.  But was the above act of David foolishness or of wisdom?  Before this story, David is on the run from King Saul.  Saul had tried to kill David on two separate occasions.   Even though David was married to Saul’s daughter, Michal, Saul was jealous of David. Saul thought David was trying to steal the leadership of Israel away from him (he simply didn’t get the point that God was taking it away from him to give it to David).   In the above passage we see how fear can really cause a man’s mind to make poor decisions.   Let’s consider the following:

1.  David’s first challenge is that he runs from Saul when God had promised him the kingdom.   The fact that he ran, any where, is the beginning of many poor choices he will make in the subsequent chapters. When God gives us a promise we are not to run from it but rather into it and act upon it. 

2. The fact that David took the sword of Goliath the Philistine (there was none like it according to vs 9) and then ran to the city of Gath shows incredible poor judgment.  Goliath was from Gath.   If you are going to run from someone who wishes you dead it might be wise to not run to the city of the other who wishes you dead.  Especially carrying the sword you took from the champion of that very town.  What was David thinking? 

3. David had hoped to be a mercenary for the Philistine army.   Later, in chapter 27, we will read that David did, indeed, find refuge doing just that for King Achish.   However, the fact that David was recognized by the servants of the king was simply unfortunate.   David did not calculate that his popularity in Israel had carried over to the Philistine camp.  Fear had caused David to lose all sense of logic.   There was a song written about him and song throughout the land.  How did he not calculate that into his decision making ability.   

4.  His feigning that he was a mad men either brings David to a new low or it was a brilliant strategy.   King Achish does not need more mad men and therefore decides not to kill David.    This might have been a brilliant strategy for David.  But it also shows how desperate and how low David has become.   Once he was sitting at a kings table.  Now he is scratching at a kings door.  Once he fill his mouth with the best food of the land.  Now he was allowing spit to flow from his mouth.  

David had gone from a powerful and influential leader to a  mad man looking to be paid to kill with spit on his chin.   His decision to act this way allowed him to escape another enemy.  But it ridiculed him and caused him to lose all honor.   David might have had a strategy but it was God who used his foolishness to rescue him.   Fear can cause us to act in peculiar ways.   Fortunately, God is there to pick up the pieces and still hold us together.