Living as fugitives, David and his men did not have safe and secure access to food and water. They lived off the land and were not an organized army with all the equipment needed for battle (see 1 Samuel 22:2). A fight against the Philistines would have been dangerous in and of itself, it would also have exposed them to Saul so that he would know where to find them. Given these realities, one can understand why David’s troops wanted further confirmation from the Lord before they made the journey to Keilah.1 A similar instance where the same inquiry was made twice to confirm the Lord’s direction is also seen with Gideon (Judges 6:36–40).2
3 But David’s men said to him, “Behold, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?”