David has lost so much. He has gone from the beloved and admired son-in-law of King Saul to the forsaken fugitive, alone and rejected. We don’t know exactly why he would choose to lie in this situation, but we can at least understand his condition at the time. We’ve all been there. He was weakened and downcast. However, as Hank mentioned, his lies would come back to haunt him. He actually mentions regretting these lies in the next chapter.
The metaphor for David’s decisions can be seen in the receiving of Goliath’s sword. I wonder if he reflected back on that day the Lord enabled him to defeat the Philistine? He was empowered by his great faith, his character, and his trust. He stood boldly against the giant and did not fear him in the least, knowing that the God he served would protect him. In an uncharacteristic move for David, we find him doing the exact opposite in this situation.
Here, he is lying, sneaking around, and trying to take matters into his own hands. Even the most righteous men fell to the temptation of sin, and in the next chapter, we will see the consequences of his decision to manipulate his current circumstances.