10 15. David’s flight to Gath<\/p>\n
10<\/strong>. and went to Achish<\/em> ] In the extremity of peril, David was driven to take refuge among Saul’s bitterest enemies, and offer himself as a servant to Achish ( 1Sa 21:15<\/em><\/span>). He hoped no doubt that the Philistines would not recognise the stripling who slew their champion. Unlike Themistocles and Alcibiades when they were banished from Athens, he had no intention of turning traitor to his country.<\/p>\n The circumstances of this sojourn at Gath and that recorded in ch. 27 are entirely unlike, and correspond exactly to the difference of occasion. In the present case David went alone, was ill received, and was compelled to feign madness for safety and escape as soon as possible: later on when his breach with Saul was notorious, he went with a numerous following, was received and established at Ziklag, and remained for more than a year.<\/p>\n Achish king of Gath – <\/B>It appears from the title that Ps. 34<\/span> was composed on this occasion. (See the note there.) Nothing can give a more lively impression of the straits to which David was reduced than the fact of his going to the country of the Philistines.<\/P><\/p>\n Verse 10<\/span>. Went to Achish the king of Gath.<\/B><\/I>] This was the worst place to which he could have gone: it was the very city of Goliath, whom he had slain, and whose sword he now wore; and he soon found, from the conversation of the servants of Achish, that his life was in the most imminent danger in this place.<\/P> <\/p>\n A strange action; but it must be considered, <\/P> 1. That Sauls rage was so great and implacable, his power also and diligence in hunting after him so great, that he despaired of escaping him any other way; and it is not strange if a desperate disease produceth a desperate remedy. <\/P> 2. David might reasonably think, that being persecuted and banished by Saul, and the Israelites under his command, he should be welcome to the Philistines; who would be glad, not only to be freed from all those evils which he had from time to time done, and was likely further to do to them, but also to make him their friend, and oblige him by their kindness, and to make him the more odious and irreconcilable to Saul and the Israelites. <\/P> Quest.<\/B> But why did he go to these, and not rather to some other neighbour nation? <\/P> Answ.<\/B> Because they were all at peace with Saul; and therefore would certainly have delivered him up, upon Sauls demands. <\/P> <\/p>\n 10. David . . . fled . . . to Achishthe king of Gath<\/B>which was one of the five principalities ofthe Philistines. In this place his person must have been known, andto venture into that country, he their greatest enemy, and with thesword of Goliath in his hand, would seem to have been a perilousexperiment; but, doubtless, the protection he received implies thathe had been directed by the divine oracle. Achish was generous (1Sa27:6<\/span>). He might wish to weaken the resources of Saul, and it wascommon in ancient times for great men to be harbored by neighboringprinces.<\/P><\/p>\n And David arose and fled that day for fear of Saul<\/strong>,…. He had fled before for fear of him both from his own house, and from Naioth, 1Sa 19:18<\/span>; but now he fled out of the land of Israel, for fear of him; or it may be the reason of his fear and flight on this day was because of Doeg the Edomite, lest he should go directly to Saul, and tell him where he was; and therefore through fear of him would not stay any longer, but the same day he came, he fled:<\/p>\n and went to Achish the king of Gath<\/strong>; Gath, according to Bunting p, was twenty four miles from Nob. Achish, the king of it, is called Abimelech in the title of the thirty fourth psalm, see Ps 34:1<\/span>, that name being common to the kings of the Philistines, as Pharaoh was to the kings of Egypt. It may seem strange that David should go into an enemy’s country, and especially to the country of the Philistines, by whom he was mortally hated for the victories he had obtained over them, and the numbers of them he had slain; and particularly that he should go to Gath, the place of Goliath, their champion, whom he had slain, and whose sword he now had with him: but this is to be said for him, that such was the fury of Saul against him, and his resolution to slay him, that he was as safe in an enemy’s country as in the land of Israel; and that if he must die, he might as well die in one place as another; and that he went particularly here, the reason might be, because all other lands were at peace with Saul, and so would have delivered him up to him, had he went elsewhere; but this people were at war with him, and he might hope not to be known by them; and if he was, that they might think it their interest, to detain such a person that was so serviceable to Saul, and so harmful to them; and being Saul’s enemy, they might hope to engage him on their side against him; and besides, he might know that Achish was well disposed towards him, as he seems to be, and might like him never the worse for cutting off Goliath’s head, who might not be heartily in the interest of Achish. After all, as impolitic as this step of David’s may seems to be, it is what great men have taken in their distress, to go over to their enemies, as Themistocles to the Molossians, and Alcibiades to the Lacedemonians.<\/p>\n p Travels, &c. p. 136.<\/p>\n David with Achish at Gath<\/em>. – David fled from Nob to Achish of Gath. This Philistian king is called Abimelech<\/em> in the heading of Ps 34, according to the standing title of the Philistian princes at Gath. The fact that David fled at once out of the land, and that to the Philistines at Gath, may be accounted for from the great agitation into which he had been thrown by the information he had received from Jonathan concerning Saul’s implacable hatred. As some years had passed since the defeat of Goliath, and the conqueror of Goliath was probably not personally known to many of the Philistines, he might hope that he should not be recognised in Gath, and that he might receive a welcome there with his few attendants, as a fugitive who had been driven away by Saul, the leading foe of the Philistines.<\/p>\n (Note: This removes the objection raised by modern critics to the historical credibility of the narrative before us, namely, that David would certainly not have taken refuge at once with the Philistines, but would only have gone to them in the utmost extremity (Thenius). It is impossible to see how the words “he fled that day for fear of Saul<\/em> ” (1Sa 21:11<\/span>) are to prove that this section originally stood in a different connection, and are only arbitrarily inserted here (Thenius). Unless we tear away the words in the most arbitrary manner from the foregoing word , they not only appear quite suitable, but even necessary, since David’s journey to Abimelech was not a flight, or at all events it is not described as a flight in the text; and David’s flight from Saul really began with his departure from Nob. Still less can the legendary origin of this account be inferred from the fact that some years afterwards David really did take refuge with Achish in the Philistian country (1Sa 27:1-12<\/span> and 1Sa 29:1-11<\/span>), or the conjecture sustained that this is only a distorted legend of that occurrence. For if the later sojourn of David with Achish be a historical fact, that popular legend could not possibly have assumed a form so utterly different as the account before us, to say nothing of the fact that this occurrence has a firm historical support in Psa 34:1<\/span>.)<\/p>\n But in this he was mistaken. He was recognised at once by the courtiers of Achish. They said to their prince, “ Is not this David the king of the land? Have they not sung in circles, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?<\/em> ” (cf. 1Sa 18:6-7<\/span>). “ King of the land<\/em> ” they call David, not because his anointing and divine election were known to them, but on account of his victorious deeds, which had thrown Saul entirely into the shade. Whether they intended by these words to celebrate David as a hero, or to point him out to their prince as a dangerous man, cannot be gathered from the words themselves, nor can the question be decided with certainty at all (cf. 1Sa 29:5<\/span>).<\/p>\n David Driven from Achish.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/I><\/span><\/P> <\/TD> B. C.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN> 1057.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P> <\/TD> <\/TR> <\/TABLE> 10 And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. 11 And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is<\/I> not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands? 12 And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 13 And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard. 14 Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then<\/I> have ye brought him to me? 15 Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow<\/I> to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow<\/I> come into my house?<\/P> David, though king elect, is here an exile–designed to be master of vast treasures, yet just now begging his bread–anointed to the crown, and yet here forced to flee from his country. Thus do God’s providences sometimes seem to run counter to his promises, for the trial of his people’s faith, and the glorifying of his name, in the accomplishment of his counsels, notwithstanding the difficulties that lay in the way. Here is, 1. David’s flight into the land of the Philistines, where he hoped to be hid, and to remain undiscovered in the court or camp of Achish king of Gath, v.<\/I><\/span> 10<\/span>. Israel’s darling is necessitated to quit the land of Israel, and he that was the Philistine’s great enemy (upon I know not what inducements) goes to seek for shelter among them. It should seem that as, though the Israelites loved him, yet the king of Israel had a personal enmity to him, which obliged him to leave his own country, so, though the Philistines hated him, yet the king of Gath had a personal kindness for him, valuing his merit, and perhaps the more for his killing Goliath of Gath, who, it may be, had been no friend to Achish. To him David now went directly, as to one he could confide in, as afterwards (1Sa 27:2<\/span>; 1Sa 27:3<\/span>), and Achish would not have protected him but that he was afraid of disobliging his own people. God’s persecuted people have often found better usage from Philistines than from Israelites, in the Gentile theatres than in the Jewish synagogues. The king of Judah imprisoned Jeremiah, and the king of Babylon set him at liberty. 2. The disgust which the servants of Achish took at his being there, and their complaint of it to Achish (v.<\/I><\/span> 11<\/span>): “Is not this David?<\/I> Is not this he that has triumphed over the Philistines? witness that burden of the song which was so much talked of, Saul has slain his thousands,<\/I> but David,<\/I> this very man, his ten thousands.<\/I> Nay, Is not this he that (if our intelligence from the land of Israel be true) is, or is to be, king of the land?<\/I>” As such, “he must be an enemy to our country; and is it safe or honourable for us to protect or entertain such a man?” Achish perhaps had intimated to them that it would be policy to entertain David, because he was now an enemy to Saul, and he might be hereafter a friend to them. It is common for the outlaws of a nation to be sheltered by the enemies of that nation. But the servants of Achish objected to his politics, and thought it not at all fit that he should stay among them. 3. The fright which this put David into. Though he had some reason to put confidence in Achish, yet, when he perceived the servants of Achish jealous of him, he began to be afraid that Achish would be obliged to deliver him up to them, and he was sorely afraid<\/I> (v.<\/I><\/span> 12<\/span>), and perhaps he was the more apprehensive of his own danger, when he was thus discovered, because he wore Goliath’s sword, which, we may suppose, was well known in Gath, and with which he had reason to expect they would cut off his head, as he had cut off Goliath’s with it. David now learned by experience what he has taught us (Ps. cxviii. 9<\/span>), that it is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.<\/I> Men of high degree are a lie, and, if we make them our hope, they may prove our fear. It was at this time that David penned Psalm lv.<\/span> (Michtam, a golden psalm), when the Philistines took him in Gath,<\/I> where having shown before God his distresses, he resolves (v.<\/I><\/span> 3<\/span>), “What time I am afraid I will trust in thee;<\/I> and therefore (v.<\/I><\/span> 11<\/span>) will not be afraid what man can do unto me,<\/I> no, not the sons of giants.” 4. The course he took to get out of their hands: He feigned himself mad,<\/I> v.<\/span> 13<\/span><\/U><\/I><\/span>. He used the gestures and fashions of a natural fool, or one that had gone out of his wits, supposing they would be ready enough to believe that the disgrace he had fallen into, and the troubles he was now in, had driven him distracted. This dissimulation of his cannot be justified (it was a mean thing thus to disparage himself, and inconsistent with truth thus to misrepresent himself, and therefore not becoming the honour and sincerity of such a man as David); yet it may in some degree be excused, for it was not a downright lie and it was like a stratagem in war, by which he imposed upon his enemies for the preservation of his own life. What David did here in pretence and for his own safety, which made it partly excusable, drunkards do really, and only to gratify a base lust: they made fools of themselves and change their behaviour; their words and actions commonly are either as silly and ridiculous as an idiot’s or as furious and outrageous as a madman’s, which has often made me wonder that ever men of sense and honour should allow themselves in it. 5. His escape by this means, 1Sa 21:14<\/span>; 1Sa 21:15<\/span>. I am apt to think Achish was aware that the delirium was but counterfeit, but, being desirous to protect David (as we find afterwards he was very kind to him, even when the lord of the Philistines favoured him not, 1Sa 28:1<\/span>; 1Sa 28:2<\/span>; 1Sa 29:6<\/span>), he pretended to his servants that he really thought he was mad, and therefore had reason to question whether it was David or no; or, if it were, they need not fear him, what harm could he do them now that his reason had departed from him? They suspected that Achish was inclined to entertain him: “Not I,” says he. “He is a madman. I’ll have nothing to do with him. You need not fear that I should employ him, or give him any countenance.” He humours the thing well enough when he asks, “Have I need of madmen? Shall this fool come into my house?<\/I> I will show him no kindness, but then you shall do him no hurt, for, if he be a madmen, he is to be pitied.” He therefore drove him away,<\/I> as it is in the title of Ps. xxxiv.<\/span>, which David penned upon this occasion, and an excellent psalm it is, and shows that he did not change his spirit when he changed his behaviour, but even in the greatest difficulties and hurries his heart was fixed,<\/I> trusting in the Lord; and he concludes that psalm with this assurance, that none of those that trust in God shall be desolate,<\/I> though they may be, as he now was, solitary and distressed, persecuted, but not forsaken.<\/I><\/P><\/p>\n David’s Right to Goth, vs. 10-15<\/strong><\/p>\n David seems to have suffered a complete lapse of faith at this time. Though the Lord had anointed him to be king over Israel, he was fearful for his life. From the flesh standpoint he cannot be censured, and most today would react just as did he. He has lied and deceived the priest, and now he runs out of the country to a pagan king seeking shelter. Very soon he had reason to regret his move, for he seemed to be in even more immediate danger of the Philistines than of Saul. These resented David, as well they .might, for his many devastating assaults on their people from the time he had slain their champion, Goliath.<\/p>\n The Philistines recalled also the popularity of David in his own country, how they had sung of his feats on the battlefield and acclaimed him above their king. Thus, they concluded he was actual king of the land. They may have known that the Israelites expected him to be their king, and for this they feared and resented him. They were like to have killed him.<\/p>\n David was compelled to adopt the manner of a madman to escape the Philistines. He was shamed and humiliated by having to scratch on the door like a dog wanting out and allow the slobber to run out of his mouth and over his beard. Achish saw it as an act, but also realized that he wanted no such man in his presence. Thus David escaped.<\/p>\n In Psalms 56 David treats of his experience in Gath. He reveals the danger he found himself in from enemies in every place. However, he finally looked to the Lord and found deliverance. He can then conclude, “in God have I put my trust; I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.” It was well for him to learn this lesson, for now he can praise the Lord for his goodness. Read the psalm with these comments.<\/p>\n Some lessons: 1) Lies always hurt persons other than the one dealing in falsehood; 2) falsehood’ never accomplishes what is needed in any person’s life; 3) trouble among the Lord’s people cannot be escaped by fleeing to the world; 4) when faith breaks down one will go further and further from the Lord.<\/p>\n David At Gath. 1Sa. 21:10-15<\/span><\/p>\n 10 And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. Saul hath slain his thousands, 12 And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 15 Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?<\/p>\n 7.<\/p>\n Why did David flee to Philistia? 1Sa. 21:10<\/span><\/p>\n David fled to Gath, the home of Goliath, where Achish was king. Achish was Sauls enemy. Saul was Davids enemy. Achish and David had a common enemy in Saul. David must have thought that Achish would give him political asylum.<\/p>\n 8.<\/p>\n Why did they call David a king? 1Sa. 21:11<\/span><\/p>\n This Achish, king of Gath, is evidently the same one who was overlord of David in his later career. The servants and officers of Achish asked, Is not this David, king of the land? They called him king, not because his anointing and divine election were known to them, but on account of his victorious deeds, which had thrown Saul entirely into the shade. Whether they intended by these words to celebrate David as a hero, or to point him out to their prince as a dangerous man is sometimes debated; but Davids actions indicate that they were considering doing him harm.<\/p>\n 9.<\/p>\n What effect did these questions have on David? 1Sa. 21:12-13<\/span><\/p>\n David pretended to be out of his mind. In their presence, he carried out all the acts of a maniac. When they tried to take him captive, he raved in their hands. In their houses, he scribbled on the doorposts. Wherever he was, he let the saliva run out of his mouth. By these acts, David caused Achish to wish to be rid of his company. From the assertion that the king made, some would imply that the members of the kings household were insane; but the obvious meaning is simply that the king did not relish the company of madmen, of whom plenty were to be had in his own land.<\/p>\n (10) And David arose and fled<\/strong>The cause of this sudden flight was, of course, the fear of Doeg, one of Sauls most trusted servants. Not an hour must be lost, thought David; my deadly foe will hear that I am here, and I shall be trapped like a hunted beast of prey. It seems at first sight strange that David should dare to go among the Philistines, who had such good cause to hate and fear him, but the son of Jesse ever thought lightly of himself, and had no idea that his person was so well known, or his story so generally current as it subsequently proved to be. (See 1Sa. 21:11<\/span>.) Of Davids humility, so conspicuously exhibited on this occasion, when he ventured among his foes, not dreaming how great a personage they considered him, the Babylonian Talmud strikingly writes:No man in Israel despised himself more than David where the precepts of the Lord were concerned, and this is what he said before God (Psa. 131:1-2<\/span>), Lord, my heart was not haughty when Samuel anointed me king, nor were mine eyes lofty when I slew Goliath <\/em>. . . as a child . . . have I likened myself before Thee in not being ashamed to depreciate myself before Thee for Thy glory.Treatise Bamidbar, <\/em>chap 4.<\/p>\n Achish the king of Gath.<\/strong>The title king is somewhat loosely used in this scene among the Philistines. Achish was one of the Philistine lords, perhaps the hereditary lord of Gath. Achish is called Abimelech in the title of Psalms 34<\/span>, that apparently being the title, the nomen dignitatis, of the hereditary (or elected) chief among the Philistines, like Agag among the Amalekites. It is quite possible that this Achish, although called king of Gath, was the supreme chief or king of the Philistine nation. Gath was the nearest Philistine city to the sanctuary of Nob where David then was.<\/p>\n DAVID AT GATH, 1Sa 21:10-15<\/span>.<\/p>\n 10<\/strong>. <\/strong> Fled that day <\/strong> Even before that day had closed so great became his fear of being suspected and detained that he secretly fled from Nob. <\/p>\n For fear <\/strong> Rather, from the face <\/em> of Saul. Mark his successive flights. First from the court of Saul to his own house, (1Sa 19:10<\/span>\ud83d\ude09 thence to Samuel at Ramah, (18;) thence to Jonathan in the field of Gibeah, (1Sa 20:1<\/span>\ud83d\ude09 thence to the high priest at Nob. 1Sa 21:1<\/span>. He might well feel, at this point, that there was now no asylum for him in Israel. <\/p>\n Went to Achish the king of Gath <\/strong> On the site of Gath, see note on 1Sa 5:8<\/span>. Achish was, perhaps, a title of royalty, applied, like Abimelech, to all the Philistine kings. It indeed seems strange that David should have fled so soon for refuge into the land of Israel’s bitterest enemy, and, with Goliath’s sword in his hand, should nevertheless have sought an asylum in Gath, lately the home of Goliath. But we must remember that several years had passed since David’s victory over the giant, and 1Sa 21:12<\/span> gives us to understand that David did not expect to be recognised. This account, however, of David at Gath is very brief, and the difficulty in question may be owing to our ignorance of all the circumstances of the case. Perhaps David’s coming to Gath was not intentional on his own part, but, having fled into the territory of Achish, he was seized by the servants of that king, and forcibly carried into the royal presence. This supposition is in entire accord with the particulars of this narrative, and has the sanction of the title of Psalms 56<\/span>, which David composed on this occasion.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/strong> David at Gath<\/p>\n v. 10. And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish,<\/strong> whose official title was Abimelech, Psalms 34, the king of Gath,<\/strong> in the Philistine country. <\/p>\n v. 11. And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land,<\/strong> for as such they designate him on account of his victorious campaigns, which entirely overshadowed those of Saul? Did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?<\/strong> Cf 1Sa 18:7<\/span>. <\/p>\n v. 12. And David,<\/strong> who may have hoped to remain in the country of the Philistines unrecognized, laid up these words in his heart,<\/strong> he was worried about what they might lead to, and was sore afraid of Achish, the king of Gath,<\/strong> since the Philistines might, in a fit of revenge, fall on him and kill him. <\/p>\n v. 13. And he changed his behavior before them,<\/strong> he perverted his understanding, and feigned himself mad in their hands,<\/strong> he played the madman as they tried to get hold of him, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate,<\/strong> pounded on them with his fists, and let his spittle,<\/strong> the foam at the mouth which he produced after the manner of madmen, fall down upon his beard. <\/p>\n v. 14. Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad,<\/strong> he has gone insane; wherefore, then, have ye brought him to me?<\/strong> <\/p>\n v. 15. Have I need of madmen that ye have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence?<\/strong> The king evidently feared personal harm from David, who, as he thought, had gone insane. While David’s plan to remain unrecognized among the Philistines did not succeed, the presence of mind which caused him to simulate an attack of insanity undoubtedly saved his life. Thus God is able to protect and to deliver His children in the midst of the enemies. Without His will not one hair of our heads falls to the ground. <\/p>\n 1Sa 21:10<\/span><\/em><\/strong>. <\/strong>And Davidwent to Achish, the king of Gath<\/em><\/strong><\/strong> David, being proscribed, but without reason, and being everywhere in danger in his own country, fled, as a man in perpetual hazard of his life, to the nearest place: but he fled to the inveterate enemies of his nation. The city he fled to was that of Goliath, whom he had slain, and whose sword he had now with him. Some of the most famous commanders of other nations have been forced to a similar conduct: witness Themistocles, Coriolanus, and others, who retreated to hostile nations, in order to escape the rage and fury of their own princes and countrymen. But in one thing he certainly appears to peculiar advantage, even above those great commanders; which is, that he went into exile without any hostile disposition or spirit of revenge towards his own country, which he affectionately loved, and substantially served, during his banishment from it. <\/p>\n (10) And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n It is astonishing to see how the Lord’s most eminent servants have been obliged to seek shelter from their foes. Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab, (saith the Lord) be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler. Though they are outcasts, yet are they God’s outcasts. And Moab, a sworn foe to God, shall protect them, if the Lord finds it necessary. Isa 16:4<\/span> .<\/p>\n 1Sa 21:10 And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.<\/p>\n Ver. 10. And went to Achish,<\/strong> ] i.e., <\/em> Into his country, – any whither from Saul, that Hercules furens,<\/em> that flung firebrands, – where he had little likelihood of being safe; but he hoped to live there secretly and unknown, as a sojourner; which yet could not be.<\/p>\n for fear of Saul = from the face of Saul. <\/p>\n fled: 1Sa 27:1, 1Ki 19:3, Jer 26:21 <\/p>\n Achish: or, Abimelech, 1Sa 27:2, Psa 34:1, *title <\/p>\n Gath: Jerome says there was a large town called Gath, in the way from Eleutheropolis to Gaza; and Eusebius speaks of another Gath, five miles from Eleutheropolis, towards Lydda – and consequently different from that mentioned by Jerome and also of another Gath, between Jamnia and Antipatris. It appears to have been the extreme boundary of the Philistine territory in one direction, as Ekron was on the other – 1Sa 7:14, 1Sa 17:52, and lay near Mareshah – 2Ch 11:8. Mic 1:14, which agrees pretty well with the position assigned it by Jerome. But Reland and Dr. Wells agree with Eusebius; and the authors of the Universal History – b. i. c. 7 place it about six miles form Jamnia, fourteen south of Joppa, and thirty-two west of Jerusalem. <\/p>\n Reciprocal: 1Sa 17:4 – Goliath 1Sa 21:12 – sore 1Sa 22:1 – David 1Ki 2:39 – Achish Psa 11:1 – how Psa 56:3 – General<\/p>\n 1Sa 21:10. David arose and fed to Achish A miserable condition, to be forced to flee to those for protection who were naturally his bitter enemies. For this was the city of Goliath whom he had slain, and whose sword he had now about him. But it must be considered that Sauls rage was so great, and his power and diligence also in hunting after him, that he despaired of escaping any other way; and a desperate disease requireth a desperate remedy. Perhaps indeed he thought he should not be known: or, being now in disgrace with Saul, he thought the Philistines might take him for Sauls enemy, and so receive him gladly. The king elect is here an exile: anointed to the crown, and yet forced to run his country! So do Gods providences sometimes run counter to his promises, for the trial of our faith, and the glorifying of his name in accomplishing his counsels, notwithstanding the difficulties which lie in the way.<\/p>\n 21:10 And David arose, and {h} fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.<\/p>\n (h) That is, out of Saul’s domain.<\/p>\n David’s flight to Gath 21:10-15<\/span><\/p>\n David’s next refuge also proved to be insecure. It is a mystery why he sought refuge with Goliath’s sword in that giant’s hometown. As Chuck Swindoll once said, David would have been as conspicuous in Gath as Dolly Parton in a convent. Evidently he thought he would be welcome in Gath since he was fleeing from Saul. Perhaps he went there since Achish was an enemy of Saul’s, as David was. The people identified David at once and called him Israel’s king (1Sa 21:11). This may have been a slight on his authority; they may have meant that he was only a local ruler (cf. Jos 12:7). Alternatively they may have heard of David’s anointing as Israel’s next king. In any case Achish’s advisers viewed David’s presence as a threat (1Sa 21:11; cf. 1Sa 29:1-5). Perhaps they felt as the American president might have felt if a high-ranking Russian general defected and sought asylum in the United States during the Cold War. The potential of his helpfulness against the enemy had to be weighed against the chance that he would prove disloyal, turn on his host, and do much damage.<\/p>\n David sensed his personal danger and pretended to be insane to save his life. Evidently Achish dismissed him, concluding that David was mad and could be of no help to him against Saul (cf. 1Sa 29:3; 1Sa 29:6; 1Sa 29:9; Psalms 34 title). It so happened that ancient Near Easterners regarded the insane as harbingers of evil and so avoided them. They felt it was bad luck to kill a madman. [Note: Merrill, "1 Samuel," p. 219.] <\/span><\/p>\n ". . . insanity was often believed in the ancient world to be an affliction of the gods, and it was customary to treat madmen as taboo if not holy, people who should not be harmed in any way." [Note: David Payne, p. 113.] <\/span><\/p>\n In both Nob and Gath David resorted to deception to protect himself, and in each place some bad consequences resulted. Doeg killed the priests, and David had to abandon Gath. However, David also trusted in the Lord. He wrote Psalms 56, 34 during and after his time in Gath, according to the titles of those psalms. They reveal that he was trusting God. His ultimate hope for provision and protection was not the priests, or Saul’s enemies, but the Lord Himself. This faith undoubtedly explains the fact that God preserved him, and some good consequences came out of these experiences. David had two more encounters with Achish, both of which were beneficial for David. 1 Samuel 21 helps us see the mixture of right and wrong in David’s actions, but David’s psalms clarify the proper response that the godly should make when opposition assails them.<\/p>\n And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. 10 15. David’s flight to Gath 10. and went to Achish ] In the extremity of peril, David was driven to take refuge among Saul’s bitterest enemies, and offer himself as a servant to Achish ( … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Samuel 21:10”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7794"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7794\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
11 And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying,<\/p>\n
and David his ten thousands?<\/p>\n
13 And he changed his behavior before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.
14 Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me?<\/p>\nFuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"