1 Samuel 21

1 Samuel 21

MacArthur points out that "Drooling in one's beard was considered in the East an intolerable indignity, as was spitting in another's beard. (Borrow The MacArthur Study Bible) Eugene Merrill adds an interesting comment that "David pretended to be insane and so escaped Philistine reprisal (vv. 11-13). This is in line with the practice of the ancient world to regard the insane as being in some sense an evil portent and so exempt from harm lest the gods be provoked. (Borrow Bible Knowledge Commentary - Old Testament ) Wycliffe Bible Commentary on scribbled (KJV = scrabbled) - Made meaningless marks. The lxx reads, beat or drummed, from a word which sounds like (but is not written like) the Hebrew for "scrabble." (Borrow Wycliffe Bible Commentary) THOUGHT - Before we condemn David, we ought to think about our own lives. Haven't we ever lost perspective? Haven't we ever come to the moment that we are unable to remember God's promises and provisions? Haven't we ever taken things into our own hands and made a mess of it? And at the same time hurt those closest to us, cause innocent people to suffer, to also present a bad witness for Christ? We all have to be honest and say that at some time we have really blown it bad. (Anderson) 1 Samuel 21:14 Then Achish said to his servants, "Behold, you see the man behaving as a madman. Why do you bring him to me? BGT 1 Samuel 21:15 (follows Hebrew numbering) καὶ εἶπεν Αγχους πρὸς τοὺς παῖδας αὐτοῦ ἰδοὺ ἴδετε ἄνδρα ἐπίλημπτον ἵνα τί εἰσηγάγετε αὐτὸν πρός με LXE 1 Samuel 21:14 And Anchus said to his servants, Lo! ye see the man is mad: why have ye brought him in to me? KJV 1 Samuel 21:14 Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me? NET 1 Samuel 21:14 Achish said to his servants, "Look at this madman! Why did you bring him to me? CSB 1 Samuel 21:14 "Look! You can see the man is crazy," Achish said to his servants. "Why did you bring him to me? ESV 1 Samuel 21:14 Then Achish said to his servants, "Behold, you see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me? NIV 1 Samuel 21:14 Achish said to his servants, "Look at the man! He is insane! Why bring him to me? NLT 1 Samuel 21:14 Finally, King Achish said to his men, "Must you bring me a madman? NRS 1 Samuel 21:14 Achish said to his servants, "Look, you see the man is mad; why then have you brought him to me? NJB 1 Samuel 21:15 (follows Hebrew numbering) Achish said to his servants, 'You can see that this man is mad. Why bring him to me? NAB 1 Samuel 21:15 (follows Hebrew numbering) Finally Achish said to his servants: "You see the man is mad. Why did you bring him to me? YLT 1 Samuel 21:14 And Achish saith unto his servants, 'Lo, ye see a man acting as a madman; why do ye bring him in unto me? GWN 1 Samuel 21:14 Achish said to his officers, "Look at him! Don't you see that he's insane? Why bring him to me? is mad: or, playeth the madman, Ec 7:7 1 Samuel 21 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries David Feigning Insanity Before Achish ACHISH SEEMS CONVINCED OF DAVID'S DECEPTION! Then Achish said to his servants, "Behold, you see the man behaving as a madman. Why do you bring him to me - This is a sad testimony. God had delivered a giant into his hands, and yet now David seems paralyzed by fear of a normal sized king. THOUGHT- Why is David not calling upon the LORD of hosts? One has to wonder if he had called on Him, would the LORD have led him to Gath (just wondering)? Do we call upon the LORD before we make a wacky decision like David (just wondering)? Michael Bentley offers some interesting insights on backsliding (See my article on Backsliding) noting that… Those who turn aside from following the Lord are sometimes called backsliders. They are still Christians who know Jesus as their Savior (Ed comment: This is an important caveat -- because a backsliding believer may be indistinguishable from a backsliding non-believer -- at least for a period of time), but they have lost the close intimacy and affection for Him which they once enjoyed (cp Rev 2:4). Instead of rejoicing in their Savior’s love for them and living radiant lives, they have become miserable and dejected. Instead of being a wonderful testimony to the goodness of God; it is now difficult to see the difference between them and the people of the world. In short, they are a bad advertisement for Christianity. A person who is in a backsliding state is the most miserable of people because he (or she) was once in a right relationship with the Lord, saved from sin, yet has fallen away from the blessedness of rejoicing in salvation (cf Ps 32:3-4-note). The person who is not a Christian is not so miserable because he has never known the joy of the Lord (cf Ps 51:8-note, Ps 51:12-note), but the backslider has; that is why his condition is so serious (Ed: And so sad!) Some backsliders indicate their sad state by quickly exploding in temper (as Saul did in 1Sa 20:30) when things go wrong, some go very quiet and become moody, and others start talking in an animated fashion about nothing in particular. From the time that David slew Goliath, everything seemed to have gone wrong for King Saul. David knew that he was in danger, so after several attempts on his life he ran away; and he kept on running away (see 1Sa 21:1, 10). We, too, have days when we want to get away from everyone. We are tempted to give up our church allegiance and leave all the worrying and care to others. Pastors are particularly prone to this feeling. The sheer stress of life can cause great depression. That is how we find David in 1Sa 21 and 1Sa 22. Sad to say, in his poor spiritual state, he started to drift away from God. His faith in the Lord, which had once been so firm and strong had now became weak and flabby. (Michael Bentley; Face2Face with David Vol. 1: Encountering the Man after God's Heart) 1 Samuel 21:15 "Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this one to act the madman in my presence? Shall this one come into my house?" BGT 1 Samuel 21:16 (follows Hebrew numbering) ἦ ἐλαττοῦμαι ἐπιλήμπτων ἐγώ ὅτι εἰσαγειόχατε αὐτὸν ἐπιλημπτεύεσθαι πρός με οὗτος οὐκ εἰσελεύσεται εἰς οἰκίαν LXE 1 Samuel 21:15 Am I in want of madmen, that ye have brought him in to me to play the madman? He shall not come into the house. KJV 1 Samuel 21:15 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? NET 1 Samuel 21:15 Do I have a shortage of fools, that you have brought me this man to display his insanity in front of me? Should this man enter my house?" CSB 1 Samuel 21:15 Do I have such a shortage of crazy people that you brought this one to act crazy around me? Is this one going to come into my house?" ESV 1 Samuel 21:15 Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to behave as a madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?" NIV 1 Samuel 21:15 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?" NLT 1 Samuel 21:15 We already have enough of them around here! Why should I let someone like this be my guest?" NRS 1 Samuel 21:15 Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?" NJB 1 Samuel 21:16 (follows Hebrew numbering) Have I not enough madmen, without your bringing me this one to weary me with his antics? Is he to join my household?' NAB 1 Samuel 21:16 (follows Hebrew numbering) Do I not have enough madmen, that you bring in this one to carry on in my presence? Should this fellow come into my house?" YLT 1 Samuel 21:15 A lack of madmen have I, that ye have brought in this one to act as a madman by me! doth this one come in unto my house?' 1 Samuel 21 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: see 2 psalms below Psalm 56 that parallel David's time at Gath. Beloved, if you read these psalms with the description of David's actions in 1 Samuel 22, you will gain a new perspective on those psalms. In effect, they act like David's "commentary" on these events he experienced in Gath. As you read them, note the titles of the two psalms as they give us a clue as to the timing of when they were written. Below are the two introductory titles. As you read them, you can discern that most likely David wrote Psalm 56 first and then wrote Psalm 34. Psalm 56:1 (Spurgeon's comments) For the choir director; according to Jonath elem rehokim. A Mikhtam of David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath. Be gracious to me, O God, for man has trampled upon me; Fighting all day long he oppresses me. Psalm 34:1 (Spurgeon's comments) A Psalm of David when he feigned madness before Abimelech, who drove him away and he departed. I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. ACHISH IS CONVINCED AND INSULTED Do I lack madmen (shaga), that you have brought this one to act the madman (shaga) in my presence? Shall this one come into my house?" - Achish's question implies that he does not have a paucity of "madmen!" Achish's wording is interesting - he says David is playing or acting the madman. Was he suspicious David was putting on an "Oscar winning" performance. The fact that David departed in 1Sa 22:1 supports that David's acting job was convincing enough to drive him out of Gath (Ps 34:1)! This is David's third "scheme" to escape danger (His "arrow-gram" scheme in 1Sa 19, his lies to Ahimelech in 1Sa 20, and now his faking insanity before Achich). There is no evidence of consulting God in any of these "schemes." And to a degree they all "worked" (albeit with tragic consequences in Nob!) and David escaped to live another day. THOUGHT - When we are in a trial, an adversity, an affliction (which is either sent by or allowed by Yahweh - those are the only two choices!), do we resort to our own schemes like David, which sometimes even seem to "deliver" us as David was delivered? If so, we miss the golden opportunity to get on our knees and inquire of the LORD as to His plan of escape or His power to strengthen us to endure the trial (cf 1Co 10:13+)! The next time you are tested like this, consider "testing" (not presumptively, but in full faith in) God's sufficient grace and power to see you through the test. James tells us what the glorious result of this approach will be writing "that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1:3-4+) As Warren