1 Samuel 21:10-
Verse 10 That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath.
Now armed with the sword of Goliath David continues his distancing from King Saul who is trying to kill him. Hiding can be difficult when your pursuer knows your normal hangouts and so David heads to the place no one would expect, Goliath’s hometown. Remember, David is coming into town with the sword of the town’s late hero. That had to be unnerving for those on both sides. If David was unsure of who would accept him in his own country He had to be unsure about how he would be received in Gath.
Though he was unsure how he would be received, David goes to see the king. The king’s servants don’t trust this visit as they have heard the chants about David and figure he must be the king of Israel now. They are concerned he could have ulterior motives for this visit. What if he was pretending to want to talk to the king so that he could attack him? Something felt off about the situation and they weren’t sure they wanted him to have access to their king.
Isn’t it interesting that they already saw David’s winning record as proof that he should be the king of Israel? This shows that other nations were watching what was going on with the leadership of God’s people and saw David as the man worthy of the honor of being king. Little did they know that God was preparing them for what He had already declared years ago.
David hears what the servants think and that causes him to be afraid of King Achish. If he wanted to take over Israel he would want to take out the person he thought was their king. David knew he was in a tight spot, tighter than he had ever found himself. Though he had obviously changed since he killed the giant there were probably those who still made the connection. David didn’t know who recognized him and that had to make him fear more than just the king. Imagine the hero a person could be if they took down the man who had killed their hero and was known for being the hero of Israel!
David makes the only choice he thought made sense, he pretend to be insane. This was a bold choice and could have marked a lesser man for life, but Israel’s hero turned out to be an excellent actor and was able to convince the king and his guards that he was insane. He even drooled down his beard which would have been a standard Jewish beard meaning longer than a goatee. Go big or go home, right?
Making It Personal
Have you ever been in a situation where you felt you had to pretend you were something that you aren’t? Was it because you were afraid of the situation or the people? Have you ever felt like you had to act a certain way to make God love you?
Making It Personal Kids
Have you ever felt like you had to act a certain way to keep a friend? Do you want your friends to act a certain way around you that makes them pretend to be something they’re not just to stay your friend? Do you think that Jesus wants you to act a certain way to be His friend?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for making us in Your image and that we don’t have to pretend to be someone we aren’t to impress You. Give us wisdom when dealing with others so we don’t pretend to be someone You didn’t make us to be, to gain their favor. In Jesus’ name, amen.