“Of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.” -Psalm 34:title
While the title of a Psalm is not often the object of contemplation, in this case the title points us to a specific incident in David’s life also recorded by Samuel.
“And David rose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish the king of Gath. And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances, ‘Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?” And David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard. Then Achish said to his servants, “Behold, you see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me? 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?”” -1 Samuel 21:10–15
David’s flight to Gath was an attempt to hide from Saul by working as a mercenary soldier for the Philistines, supposing them a people among whom he could live in obscurity, and undetected by Saul. Though David did not succeed in remaining unknown to the Philistines, as it seems he was recognized by the servants of the king immediately, he did succeed in pulling off the part of a madman convincingly.
In the ancient world, those who were thought to be insane were exempt from being harmed under the pretense they were an omen from the gods. Eugene Merrill noted that it was “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.”
Achish, fearing some reprisal from the gods, wanted to avoid having one more madman in his presence and sent David away.
*Achish is the King’s name and Abimelech is the king of the Philistine’s title (nomen dignitatis) in the same way Pharaoh was the king of Egypt’s title, Agag was the king of the Amalekite’s title, and Caesar became the emperor of Rome’s title.
Psalm 34 then is David’s response to being delivered by God despite being hunted by the corrupt authorities and, in his flight, getting tangled up in the kingdom of the enemy.