The Philistine King Who Sheltered David
Achish was the king of the Philistine city of Gath, and is a notable figure in the Old Testament due to his unlikely and complex relationship with David, the future king of Israel. Achish’s story is primarily recorded in the Book of First Samuel.
The Two Encounters of David and Achish
David, while being hunted relentlessly by a jealous King Saul, sought refuge in the territory of Israel’s bitter enemy, the Philistines of Gath, under King Achish.
1. The Feigned Madness (1 Samuel 21:10-15)
The first encounter was a moment of great fear and desperation for David.
“And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. And 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? And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath. And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.” (1 Samuel 21:10-13, KJV)
Recognized by Achish’s servants as the great warrior who had defeated their champion, Goliath, David’s life was in immediate peril. He feigned madness, which successfully led King Achish to dismiss him as a harmless lunatic, saying, “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?” (1 Samuel 21:15, KJV).
2. The Asylum at Ziklag (1 Samuel 27)
David later returned to Achish, no longer alone, but at the head of six hundred men and their families. This time, Achish welcomed him, seeing an opportunity to gain a powerful captain and a permanent breach between David and King Saul. Achish granted David the city of Ziklag in the countryside as a place of refuge.
“And David arose, and he passed over with the six hundred men that were with him unto Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath. And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household…” (1 Samuel 27:2-3, KJV)
While living in Philistine territory for a year and four months, David conducted raids against other enemies of Israel (the Geshurites, the Gezrites, and the Amalekites). However, he deceived Achish into believing he was raiding the tribes of Judah, thereby convincing the Philistine king that he had become a bitter enemy of his own people.
“And Achish believed David, saying, He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever.” (1 Samuel 27:12, KJV)
Achish’s high degree of trust in David was ultimately overridden by the other Philistine lords, who refused to allow David and his men to join them in battle against Saul’s army (1 Samuel 29). This intervention by the Philistine rulers providentially spared David from fighting against his own countrymen in the battle where Saul was slain.
The account of Achish is a fascinating study of political necessity and divine providence, showing how the Philistine king’s hospitality, though based on a miscalculation, ironically provided a refuge for the one who would become Israel’s greatest king.