40 David Flees to Gath

David had previously resorted to lying to both protect and provide for himself, rather than trusting in the Lord, all of which was a picture of him being in a backslidden state. And sadly, without his friend Jonathan, he didn’t have any fellow believer to encourage him in the Lord.

David had seemed to have forgotten about God’s presence or calling upon his life but was rather attempting to handle everything on his own.

1 Samuel 21:10 – 1 Samuel 22:1a

1 An ill-advised Journey

David had hoped to find comfort in the priestly city of Nob, but when he spotted Doeg, one of Saul’s men there, he knew he must make a hasty departure.

After leaving of Nob, David then left the confines of Israel, and fled to the unlikeliest of places, the Philistine stronghold of Gath.

Because Gath was well past the border of Israel and Philistia, this could not have been an accident, but rather was a calculated move from David, who seemed to feel he had a better chance of survival in the former hometown of the late Philistine giant Goliath, than he did under Saul’s pursuit anywhere in Israel:

1 Samuel 21:10

The verse emphasizes the fact that David’s departure had been hasty, since the passage states:

“Then David arose and fled that day from before Saul”.

Even though David wasn’t reaching out to God at this time, doesn’t mean the Lord had departed or abandoned him, any more than the Lord had with Elijah, when after his victory over the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, he then fled after being threatened by Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab.

Elijah had been used greatly and miraculously by the Lord, but then seemingly forgot the greatness of the Lord, in the face of Jezebel’s threats, essentially attempting to run from his circumstances:

1 Kings 19:2-3

Rather than hearing words of rebuke from the Lord, Elijah would only hear the question:

“What are you doing here, Elijah?”:

1 Kings 19:9

2 David in Danger

1 Samuel 21:11-12

David’s arrival in Gath was met with concern and fear by the servants of the Philistine king. After all, it had been David who had not only slain the Philistine giant Goliath, but afterwards, had been an important military commander, leading Israel to several major victories over the Philistines.

We see that David’s fame had spread even amongst the Philistine’s, since they were familiar with the song the Israelites composed lauding David’s exploits, and how he had killed far more Philistines than even Saul. To that point, and possibly most telling, the text shows those in Gath referred to David as “king of the land” meaning the land of Israel.

King Achish’s servants were aware that Saul was indeed still Israel’s king, but they acknowledging David as a forceful leader to be dealt with. Which is why they feared that David might have come right to their capital, possibly with the intention of assassinating their king.

However, the men of Achish weren’t alone with fear, as David also became fearful, when he realized the people of Gath were fully aware of his military exploits over their countrymen.

3 David Uses Deceit

David became afraid that Achish would have him captured and killed, so he once more decided to use deception in hopes of protection and possible escape:

1 Samuel 21:13

David attempted to fool the Achish and the people of Gath, much in the same way he’d been able to previously fool the priest Ahimelech. In this instance, he pretended to be a madman, probably hopeful that he would simply be asked to leave the city. It was indeed a calculated move on his part, since they might have easily decided to kill someone they considered as mentally unstable.

In verses 14 and 15, we’re shown that David’s plan did work, as King Achish seemed to be more upset that someone he saw as a “madman” had come into the city and his court, rather than the fact that it was the man who’d become a mortal enemy of the Philistines:

1 Samuel 21:14-15

The Lord was of course protecting David, just as He also would do with Elijah. However, while not spoken of in the text, it was at some point while David was in his fearful position in Gath, that he repented and once again looked to the Lord. This is borne out, because it was during his time at Gath, that he penned the following psalm:

Psalm 56:3-4

After Achish allowed David to leave Gath, he then escaped to a cave in Adullam, which was in a wilderness area of Israel:

1 Samuel 22:1a