1 Samuel 21:11-15 – God works even though we don’t feel it.

Armed with the sword which he used to take off Goliath's head, David fled to Gath, the city where Goliath hailed from. Remember the sword he had with him once belonged to Goliath. Though Israel was at odds with the Philistines, and Gath should be the last place David would be safe, yet he reckoned that anywhere else would be safer than in Saul's territory. David did not consider the fact that his fame would outpace him. So in verse 11, we are told that he was identified by one of the servants of Achish, the king of Gath. Notice how he described David.  “Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing of this one as they danced, saying, ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?”

He referred to David as the king of the land, a title that none in Israel used. He must have surmised this from all the achievements that David had attained. Already in 1 Samuel 18:30, we were told that David was highly esteemed because he was more successful than all of Saul’s servants. It would not be a surprise for the Philistines to see David more the leader of Israel than Saul who was slowly losing his grip on the role. Remember it was those very words, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands,” that had triggered the fury of the rejected king.

Realizing that he was recognized, David became fearful so he resorted to feigning insanity. Pretending and acting like a mad man, he used his nails to scrawl words on the doors of the gate. At the same time, he allowed his saliva to drool and dribble down the side of his lips wetting his beard with it. Apparently, King Achish’s man laid hold of him and brought him before the king. David must have been so convincing in the act that he had Achish fooled. See how the king responded. He probably exploded saying, “Behold, you see the man behaving as a madman. Why do you bring him to me? Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this one to act the madman in my presence? Shall this one come into my house?” He did not realize that the joke was on him. And David successfully made the servants of Achish looked like fools and idiots.

David had shown himself not only to be a skillful man of war but also a man full of wits. He knew how to adapt himself, just as he so wittily adapted himself to escape what would have been a horrendous end for him. More than anything, we know that it was the unseen hand of God that was protecting him. Both Psalms  34 and 56 attested to that truth. David could have been misread and labeled as lacking faith if not for what he said in the two Psalms. In the painful moments of his life whether in flight, hardship or extreme dangers, he was securely protected by the hand of the Almighty. His deliverance shows us that his cries had not gone unnoticed by God. In these two Psalms, he left us with an important lesson. God hears our cry all the times but more so in the despairing moment of our life. Our cries never go unnoticed by our trustworthy God. He knows our thoughts. He hears our every call. And He will see us through, no matter how tough our circumstances may seem.