Principle
David wrote Psalm 34 during the time he faked insanity before Achish, king of Gath.
Explanation
David had fled to Philistia, to the city of Gath, to escape King Saul’s pursuits.
He was afraid of the king of Gath named Achish, so he pretended to be insane. It worked. Achish refused to take him in to his house and commanded that David be released.
During this time, David wrote Psalm 34:
1 By David; when he changed his countenance before Abimelech, who let him go, and he departed.
2 I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
3 My soul shall be praised in the Lord;
Let the gentle hear, and be glad.
4 Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
5 I sought the Lord, and He heard me;
And He delivered me from all my sojourning.
6 Come to Him, and be enlightened,
And your face shall never be ashamed.
7 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him,
And saved him from all his afflictions.
8 The Angel of the Lord shall encamp around those who fear Him,
And He will deliver them.
9 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who hopes in Him.
10 Fear the Lord, you His saints,
For there is no want for those who fear Him.
11 Rich men turned poor and went hungry;
But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.
(Pause)12 Come, you children, listen to me;
Psalm 33 [34]:1-23 OSB
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
13 Who is the man who desires life,
Who loves to see good days?
14 Keep your tongue from evil,
And your lips from speaking deceit.
15 Shun evil and do good;
Seek peace and pursue it.
16 The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous,
And His ears are open to their supplications.
17 The Lord’s face is against those who do evil,
So as to destroy their remembrance from the earth.
18 The righteous cried, and the Lord heard them;
And He delivered them from all their afflictions.
19 The Lord is near those who are brokenhearted,
And He will save the humble in spirit.
20 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But He will deliver them from them all.
21 The Lord shall guard all their bones;
Not one of them shall be broken.
22 The death of sinners is evil,
And those who hate the righteous shall go wrong.
23 The Lord will redeem the souls of His servants,
And all who hope in Him shall not go wrong.
Achish or Abimelech?
The introduction of Psalm 34 is confusing. 1 Kingdoms [1 Samuel] 21:11-16 says that the king’s name was Achish. Yet, the introduction to Psalm 34 mentions Abimelech.
Are we sure this Abimelech was Achish?
Well, no, not entirely.
While the introduction of the Septuagint, provided via the Orthodox Study Bible (OSB) above, references David changing his countenance and being released, the Hebrew Masoretic Text (MT) directly references David faking insanity:
1 Of David, when he disguised his sanity before Abimelech, whereupon he drove him out and he departed
Psalm 34:1 Tanakh
Everything except the name Abimelech fits perfectly. It is probable that Achish and Abimelech were the same person.
However, I suppose it is possible that this Abimelech was the priest at the tabernacle from whom David and his men ate the showbread, as we previously discussed.
What makes this unlikely is that there is no indication that David changed his countenance or faked insanity before the priest Abimelech. In fact, Abimelech asked David a question that only a lucid man would grasp and answer.
Thus, I conclude that Psalm 34 does fit the situation with Achish, king of Gath.
Faith in GOD’s Deliverance
With this perspective, we can better appreciate Psalm 34:5, for example, which says:
5 I sought the Lord, and He heard me;
And He delivered me from all my sojourning.
Likewise, we can more deeply feel David’s concern before the Gentile king, when we read:
18 The righteous cried, and the Lord heard them;
And He delivered them from all their afflictions.
19 The Lord is near those who are brokenhearted,
And He will save the humble in spirit.
20 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But He will deliver them from them all.
And, as is the case in most of the Psalms, David prophesied of the Messiah when he wrote:
21 The Lord shall guard all their bones;
Not one of them shall be broken.
Knowing the historical context of the text so beautifully enhances our ability to picture the scene and connect with the writer.
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