“One Year Bible” Old Testament History Passage
I Samuel 20:1-21:15
“So he (David) changed his behavior before them, pretended madness in their hands, scratched on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva fall down on his beard. Then Achish said to his servants, ‘Look, you see the man is insane. Why have you brought him to me?’ I Samuel 21:13-14 (NKJV)
This is one of the low points of David’s life. He has been pursued by King Saul who now openly seeks to kill him. He has fled to the nearby territory of the Philistines, but, remember, these are the people he had so recently been fighting. In his service to Israel. And King Saul, David had been a terror to the Philistines.
David was a man without a country and a man without a friend. He was ALONE. But it actually gets worse. In order to survive, he fakes insanity – scratching and drooling at the gates. He might well have thought to himself, ‘I surely must have missed God somewhere! This CANNOT be God’s will!’ Many of us would be temted to think like this when things are going bad.
We, however, have an amazing glimpse into David’s mind during this episode. It is found in Psalm 34, which he wrote “when he pretended madness.” There we find these words:
“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
“I sought the Lord and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.”
“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”
Throughout this wonderful Psalm, David is extolling the greatness and care of God over his life! No matter what circumstance you face today, you too can BLESS THE LORD!