1 Samuel 21:10-15

David was trusting in God.
1 Samuel 21:10-15
David was trusting in deception.

David's responses can be characterised as being either faithful or fearful.  While it might appear that these are mutually opposed, one in fact follows from the other.  Thus, David's naked trepidation was clothed by his conviction in God’s rescue.  This suggests that David was liberated when the locus of his fear migrated from the circumstantial to the Almighty– a view supported by Psalm 34:7, also written on this occasion:  “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them.”  Lastly, one might also construe feigned madness as an expression of David’s faith, alike in nature to Rahab’s concealment of Joshua and Caleb (Joshua 2; Hebrews 11:31).