⁰A Psalm of David when he feigned madness before Abimelech, who drove him away and he departed … ⁸O taste and see that the Lord is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! … ¹⁸The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

What a wonderful psalm of encouragement for us when we are feeling down and out. We are given the backstory in verse 0, the opening inscription that prompted this psalm. Most likely referring to an incident recorded in 1 Samuel 21:10-15, David (before he had become king) was on the run from the current king. The latter was jealous of David’s victories and growing popularity. Although David was a man of faith, he had his doubts and less than stellar decisions making. At one point, in fleeing from King Saul, David joined up with the arch-enemies of Israel, the Philistines. Later, when his army of followers urged him to take revenge at a perfect opportunity to kill Saul, David held himself back, saying to his men, “Far be it from me because of the Lord that I should do this thing to my lord [Saul], the Lord’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, since he is the Lord’s anointed” (1 Sam. 24:6).

But in the Abimelech incident, David had not fully worked through how to respond to Saul’s death threats. In fact, after joining up with the Philistines and then hearing Abimelech’s lieutenants’ warnings about David’s potential subterfuge, “David took these words to heart and greatly feared Achish king of Gath” (1 Sam. 21:12). (Note: “Abimelech” was probably the royal title of Achish.) The point here is that David feared for his life, first from Saul and now from the Philistines—the two primary warring opponents in the land. He had nowhere to turn, so he feigned insanity. We read, “So he disguised his sanity before them, and acted insanely in their hands, and scribbled on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva run down into his beard” (1 Sam. 21:13). Quite an extreme, emotional thing to do, but David was desperate!

Many have suggested David was being strategic, and he was. However, the inspired scripture tells us he was scared. Lest we castigate David for his lack of trust, we learn from this psalm how a godly person should respond to fear. David learned from his situation and is now teaching others out of his life experiences. Indeed, this psalm is a prime example of the book of Psalms being God’s handbook for dealing with and expressing our emotions.

David is not an armchair theologian but one who has learned to work out how to trust God in the face of enormous fears for his life. We need to join David in reminding ourselves in the face of fear to praise God, no matter our circumstances. He writes, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth” (vs. 1) and, “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together” (vs. 3). These are statements of highest exaltation.

In verses 4-7, David gives his testimony of deliverance and protection from the thing he feared; God helped him escape from the Philistines, and he began to attract a following of other down-and-outers (1 Sam. 22:1-2). That was the beginning of David’s band of men who ultimately joined him in his defense against Saul and also the Philistines. His faith grew, and he came to believe God’s protecting angel was guarding him and his entourage.

David never resorted to such measures as insanity again. He learned his lesson so well that he can write, “O taste and see that the Lord is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him” (vs. 8) and, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (vs. 18). He knows because he has been there. The realism of this psalm jumps off the pages: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous” (vs. 19). Whether we face life-threatening circumstances or lesser fears, we all deal with struggles. And David, facing imminent death threats, was delivered by the Lord.

Faith teaches us that in all cases, God delivers us (vs. 19). The deliverance may come in unexpected ways. Sometimes He solves our problems, relieves us of the things we fear, heals us from our cancer, provides a better paying job, or resolves an interpersonal conflict. But other times, He rescues us by strengthening our faith to stand firm and walk forward despite the oppositions and fears. Our faith is strengthened just as much (maybe even more) when we experience the Lord’s enabling us in the struggle as when He removes the challenge to our faith. Either way, we can understand when David writes, “[T]hey who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing” (vs. 10).

Lord, I have tasted and seen that You are good; therefore, I will bless You, praise You, magnify You, and exalt Your name. I have found blessing in You, even when the storms of life surround me, for You hold me secure.