(Bible Study - September 2000) Psalm 34 was prompted by an historical event in the life of David, for we read "A Psalm of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed" (Psa. 34 heading note). The historical narrative has, "And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath" (I Sam. 21:10).
The Psalm heading speaks of "Abimelech," while the historical account speaks of "Achish." However the "Abimelech" of the psalm is surely the same person as the "Achish" of the historical record. II Samuel 21:10 and Psalm 34 match precisely with "he changed his behaviour before." Further, this phrase is not found anywhere else in the Bible. Since we can conclude that the psalm springs from the historical event in I Samuel 21, why speak of Achish as Abimelech?
Abimelech a title
The name "Achish" is only found in a narrow time zone in the days of
David, whereas references to "Abimelech" are found in the days of Abraham
right through to the time of David. Therefore the name "Abimelech" cannot
refer to the same person in the days of Abraham as it does in the days of David. It was a
way of speaking of more than one person. A review of the meaning of the name "Abimelech"
will explain what is happening.
The name breaks into three parts Ab-i-melech. In Hebrew ab is "father," y is "my" father, melech is "king." "Abimelech" means "my father is king." Achish, to whom David fled, was able to say "my father is king," thus demonstrating that his kingship was one which was passed from father to son rather than being a consequence of his own military conquests. Abimelech is a title -- not a proper name. Like Pharaoh, Abimelech is a dynastic title.
Fleeing to Abimelech
When and why did David flee to Abimelech? This question is answered by looking at the
context of the Samuel account. David was fleeing from Saul who wanted to kill him (I Sam.
19:1,10,12,20; 20:1,30-31; 21:10). When David was before Achish, however, "the
servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not
sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his
ten thousands?" (I Sam. 21:11). David had fled to the Philistines "for
fear of Saul" and on hearing the Philistines speak of his valor, "David
laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath"
(I Sam. 21:12).
The psalm was written by a man who was afraid of Saul, who wanted to kill him. He went to Achish to escape from Saul and found himself in another dangerous situation. One might say that he was more at risk of losing his life by the hand of the Philistines than he was whilst he was fleeing from Saul in the land of Israel. David had jumped "out of the frying pan and into the fire."
Psalm reflects the incident
Reading the psalm we notice that David speaks of deliverance in verses 4,6,7,15,17,19
and 22. David tells us that when he was before Achish he prayed for he says, "this
poor man cried, and the Lord heard" (v.6).
Following his escape from Gath, we note David "escaped to the cave of Adullam" (I Sam. 22:1). He was not alone there, for "every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men" (I Sam. 22:2).
The Psalm informs us that David used his experience before Achish to instruct those 400 men for he said, "Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD" (Psa. 34:11). As an aside, there are at least two other Psalms that were written as a consequence of the time that David was in the cave at Adullam: Psalms 57, 142.
For our learning
If we cannot learn from David’s experience, all we have is an interesting story.
To learn from this incident, we have to enter into David’s mind and understand what
he did and why. David feared for his life and planned to sort out the problem for himself.
He thought that going to the Philistines was the best way to deal with Saul’s threat
and plans. It turned out to be a foolish move.
If we had been able to discuss with David when he was planning to go to Achish, he would have been able to provide an explanation for his plan. To David at the time it would have been the most obvious thing to do. It was only when David was before Achish that he realised the folly of his action.
When he was before Achish, he certainly did change his behaviour. He stopped relying on his own skills of evasion and placed his trust in God. Therefore God delivered him out of the compromised situation in which he had put himself.
Whenever we plan to deal with a problem in our life we may find Psalm 34 helpful.
Instructing others
We notice a change in tone in the psalm at verse 11. The first ten verses show David
talking about how he prayed in his trouble before Achish. Verse 11 then says, "Come,
ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD." David used
his experience to instruct others.
The next event recorded in the Samuel account is, "David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father’s house heard it, they went down thither to him" (I Sam. 22:1), These disenfranchised individuals who were with David, his ecclesia in the wilderness, received the benefits of his experiences before Achish.
Peter uses the incident
Consider the allusions to Psalm 34 in Peter’s first epistle. I Peter 3:10-12
cites Psalm 34:12-15; I Peter 2:3 picks up the key word "taste" from
Psalm 34:8 and in I Peter 2:1, the key word "guile" is from Psalm 34:13.
We are exhorted to "lay aside ... guile" (I Pet. 2:1) and to "taste" (I Pet. 2:3) God’s goodness. Peter then develops an extensive argument about lifestyle by quoting four verses from the psalm.
Peter is using David’s instruction to others which is based on the events recorded in I Samuel 21:10-15 as the basis for his instruction to believers in the first century. Peter provides a clear scriptural argument which demonstrates that the Old Testament has relevance in our lives today.
Peter Forbes