"That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath." (1 Samuel 21:10) When the author says "that day" he means this happened immediately after the preceding verse in which he left the house of the Lord with the sword of Goliath in his hand.
Why does David hope to be granted asylum by the Philistines? Some scholars propose that Goliath had been no friend of King Achish and that Achish might feel indebted to David for slaying him. A larger percentage of scholars believe David had to appear before Achish to ask permission to live in the king's city but that David had no intention of revealing his identity. As raggedy and dirty as David must look at this time, with nothing but the clothes on his back and a battle-scarred sword in its scabbard, he convincingly looks the part of a poor wandering beggar seeking work and a place to lay his weary head at night.
Achish hears David's request and is inclined at first to grant it but some of the men of his royal court realize this is not a vagabond in their midst but the most famous man of Israel. "But the servants of Achish said to him, 'Isn't this David, the king of the land? Isn't he the one they sing about in their dances: 'Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands?'" (1 Samuel 21:11) These men clearly know that Saul is the current king of Israel, for they mention his name here. But they refer to David as "the king of the land", perhaps because David is undoubtedly the people's choice for king if they could depose Saul and install someone else in his place. Word has probably spread to all the enemies of Israel that Saul's mental state is in decline, along with his popularity and influence. If the citizens were polled regarding how favorably or unfavorably they feel toward King Saul at this time, the results would prove that his approval ratings are at an all-time low. The Philistines don't know about Saul's murderous intentions toward David so they assume that David, the king's son-in-law and a chief general in his army, is running the show now that Saul is losing his marbles. For all intents and purposes, King Achish's servants consider David the current king of Israel and they think of Saul as nothing but a figurehead these days.
Upon hearing that the man standing before him is David, Achish's attitude changes. Maybe he wants revenge for David's slaying of Goliath and for the Philistine battle defeat that followed. He may think David entered his city in disguise and requested permission to live there because he wants to spy out the area in order to plot an attack against it. When David sees the expression on Achish's face change, he knows he's in trouble. He thinks the king is about to order his men to kill him. He does the only thing he can think of to keep the Philistines from considering him a threat. "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." (1 Samuel 21:12-13)
David is not free to leave. As soon as the men realize who he is, the gates are shut. Weapons are pointed at him. He can't simply take off running now that his cover has been blown. He starts clawing at the gates, babbling incoherently and foaming at the mouth. The king observes this display and concludes that David has been overcome by madness, perhaps infected by the same malady that has affected the mental state of King Saul. This leads the king to conclude that David has been thrown out of the king's court, discharged from the army, and driven out of Israel. It makes sense to Achish that nobody of the royal family would want a madman in their midst and he doesn't want a madman in his home either. "Achish said to his servants, 'Look at the man! He is insane! Why bring him to me? Am I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on like this in front of me? Must this man come into my house?'" (1 Samuel 21:14-15)
Many years ago, when I first read this passage of the Bible, I laughed out loud at Achish's words. He displays some very funny dry wit when he asks, "Were we short of madmen here in Gath? Did you have to go looking for a madman and bring this outsider into my home to make a fool of himself and offend my sensibilities by slobbering all over the place and making claw marks on my gate? We already have plenty of unstable citizens of our own to deal with; we certainly don't need any foreign ones brought in. Get this fellow out of my house and out of my city immediately!"
I picture David being thrust out of the city gates, tumbling head over heels in the dust, and the gates being closed quickly and locked behind him. He will take off running and not look back, arriving in Adullam in tomorrow's passage where he will hide in a cave. This means he is back inside the borders of Israel within the territory allotted to the tribe of Judah, which is his tribe. Word gets to his family in Bethlehem that he is in the cave and they will come to see him there, as will several hundred men who feel discontented and disenfranchised under Saul's administration. These men will become mighty soldiers, with David as their general. His years of leading these men will prepare him to lead the nation of Israel politically and militarily. The toughest part of his training for the job of king has begun, and I am sure David wished there was an easier way to prepare for his calling in life, but without these tough years of training he won't be able to face all the challenges he'll face as king. The Lord wants him to be thoroughly equipped for everything he'll be called to do.
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