Episode 2 – Captive of King Achish of Gath
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| David presents himself to King Achish (pictures from the BrickTestament) |
At the end of 1 Samuel 21 (:10-13), David flees from Saul to King Achish of Gath. King’s Achish’s men report of David’s battle prowess and "David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath.
So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard."
That's right, our King on the Run is drooling in his beard and pretending to be insane - not unlike Hamlet who was only "mad north by northwest". Let's look at how David frames this episode in the Psalm he wrote about it. It becomes obvious that writing Psalms was a form of journalling and reflection as well as a dialogue with God.
Psalm 56:
For the choir director: A
psalm of David, regarding the time the Philistines seized him in Gath. To
be sung to the tune “Dove on Distant Oaks.”
1
O God, have mercy on me, for people are hounding me.
My foes attack me all day long.
2
I am constantly hounded by those who slander me, and many are boldly
attacking me.
3 But when I am afraid, I will put my
trust in you.
4 I praise God for what he has
promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do
to me?
5 They are always twisting what I
say; they spend their days plotting to harm me.
6 They come together to spy on me— watching
my every step, eager to kill me.
7 Don’t let them get away with their
wickedness; in your anger, O God, bring them down.
8 You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected
all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book.
9 My enemies will retreat when I call
to you for help. This I know: God is on my side!
10 I praise God for what he has
promised; yes, I praise the Lord for what he has promised.
11 I trust in God, so why should I be
afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?
12 I will fulfill my vows to you,
O God, and will offer a sacrifice of thanks for your help.
13 For you have rescued me from death;
you have kept my feet from slipping.
So now I can walk in your presence,
O God, in your life-giving light.
Facts:
- Constantly hounded
- Slandered
- Afraid
- Death threats
Principles:
- God is aware of his sorrows. I really like verse 8 where we see that God not only knows about my sorrows, but is gathering all my tears and writing down all my sorrows in his book!
- God is on his side!
- No fear in what mortals can do to him. Trust in the midst of fear. [Though note that this seems to contradict his actions of pretending to be insane.]
- Sacrifice of thanks - in the midst of captivity. What does he really have to be thankful about at this point?
- Walking in God’s presence.
It seems to me that in these imprecatory Psalms David is trying to talk his heart into feeling what his head knows to be true.
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