David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me any more in all the borders of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand.
Nevertheless, one can sympathize with David's thoughts during this period of his frustration and weakness of faith.  As Henry said, "Long trials are in danger of tiring the faith and patience of even the best men."[1]  From the human standpoint, David's situation was desperate.  He and his six hundred men were hopelessly outnumbered by Saul and his thousands; and, having tried twice to persuade Saul to accept a reconciliation and without success, David decided to leave Israel.