Life of David – 2 Samuel 5 – Scripture Supply

David, “Keep Going and Growing.”

2 Samuel 5:1-12

Vs. 1-3a: Three marks of God’s anointing

Vs. 3b-6 Three anointings of God’s servants

Vs. 7-12 Three things God’s anointed need to remember

Intro.

For the moment we leave behind the assassinations and political intrigue that we have seen to examine David’s final coronation as king over a united nation. In Deut. 17:14-20, prior to Israel having a king, God knew that one day they would follow after the nations of the world, so He gave Moses specific qualifications for Israel’s kings, and the most important one is given to us in verse 15, where He says that the king over them should be one “whom the LORD your God chooses.” Now you think that ought to be an obvious thing, but it wasn’t. You see, Saul had been the people’s choice, and even after his obvious failure, Samuel was still evaluating Jesse’s sons on their outward appearance, where the Lord was looking at the heart. It seems to me that most people tend to look for those who stand head and shoulders above other men, but God wanted a shepherd boy who he would equip to lead the people, not rule over them.

Three marks of God’s anointing

Vs. 1-3 The placement of the word “then” tells us that after 20 years of refinement (David is now 37 years of age), “then” all Israel came to do what God said would happen while at his father’s house. You will recall that God had anointed him when Samuel came down to the house of Jesse and anointed David, the king. We often think that God is lagging behind us and is slack concerning His promises, but the truth is that it takes us a long time to catch up with Him. God is so far ahead of us, and it takes us time to catch up with His plan and purposes for our lives. So we have recorded for us that years later the nation finally catches up with God even though He had already anointed David the king, and now they anoint him as king over all Israel. Oh, dear saint, are you waiting for the “then” in your life? Know this, you will one day hear that word, but not before He has broken you so that all you want is more of Him.

This is the first time since the book of Joshua that all of the tribes of Israel have been united together. In first Chron. 12:23-40 we are given, “the numbers of the divisions that were equipped for war and came to David at Hebron to turn over the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the LORD.” Over three hundred forty thousand men of war came united to see David become their king. All of this happens as representatives from the various tribes come to David some five years after the death of Ishbosheth. It took five years for the nation to realize that they needed to heed God’s clear choice.

Hey, Christian God’s timing means that we will not need to strive over what He has promised, as all will see what God wants to do. There was a great celebration, as we are told in 1 Chronicles 12:38-40 that they were with David three days, eating and drinking. ., “for there was joy in Israel.” Man, is that not a great picture for you and me as our hearts are no longer divided and we come to let the Son of David have complete reign over us? There is great joy as we feast with Him.

There are a great many folks like Israel that only turned to the Son of David when their previous choice was taken away. How about it, dear saint, do we only give Him the right to rule the throne of our hearts when other choices have crumbled? I find this an indictment against my own heart at times that I often won’t surrender to Him until He has allowed me to get to the place that He is my only choice! How much better for our hearts to not wait until who or what we had first chosen to rule our hearts has been killed off. Though most of us would fit that category, the Lord takes us into His kingdom as if He were not our only choice but rather our first choice.

Based upon the words in these three verses, the nation of Israel recognized David as king for three reasons. These three characteristics still ought to be visible marks of God’s appointment to lead:

Vs. 1: “Indeed we are your bone and your flesh”: Belong to God’s people. United to God’s people in heritage and heart, a person who is ruled by God themselves and has a deep-seated love for God’s people, or if you will, must be those that first love God and second love His people.
Vs. 2a: “In time past, when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in”: Demonstrate capability to lead. Even though Saul was the king, David continued to demonstrate his willingness to lay down his life for the people; he did not sit upon a throne in some far off land; he was out in front of the people leading them, always putting their needs before his own.
Vs. 2b “The LORD said to you, ‘You shall shepherd My people Israel and be ruler over Israel.” A clear and evident call from God. There was an obvious calling and anointing upon David to be king, to which time and circumstances bore witness of that truth.

Hey, saint, there are those today placed over God’s people who are nothing more than hirelings out to fleece the flock of God for their own egos, who say, “I’m called to pastor,” yet when the best interest of the sheep comes into play, they continue to demonstrate that the flock is there to meet their needs instead of them being there to meet the needs of God’s people. Perhaps God’s people would be better served if they looked not to seminaries as the qualifying marks but rather to these things listed before us.

Three anointings of God’s servants

Vs. 3b: David was anointed three times, and each of them spoke to the way in which God raises His servants up:

1 Sam. 16:13: This was the time where Samuel went before Jesse, and he paraded seven of his boys, big, strong strapping boys, before him, but God had not called any of those. Then Samuel asked if you have any others. “Oh yeah, there is little; what’s his name out there taking care of the sheep?” And God said this is the one I have chosen. So what is it we learn about this anointing?

Well, namely, that before God ever anoints a servant over any other area, He first calls you to serve over your family. Paul wrote to Timothy concerning the selection of leadership in 1 Tim 3:5, saying, “If a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?” Can you imagine how hard this was for David? I mean, he was the youngest brother who was saddled with the lowest job “shepherd” while they were all in the army.

So David had to prove himself in his own home before his own family; so should the people God chooses today. Hey saint, if the person who is standing before you isn’t proving they are anointed before their own family, faithfully serving them, then they are clearly not anointed and are disqualified from serving on a larger scale.

2 Sam. 2:4: Here is where we saw David anointed before his own tribe, Judah. So what does this anointing reveal to us? Well, this speaks of the anointing before the community in which a person lives and works. Now remember that this anointing took some 15 years after the first one, which tells us that in God’s time there is a greater responsibility. In Acts 6:3, when they selected the first deacons, they had to be men of “good reputation” amongst the brethren. So the second area in which God anoints His people to serve is seen in and around the community in which we live and work. So without a “good reputation” on their job in their neighborhood or around the church, a person is not demonstrating that they have been anointed by God and therefore are not qualified to serve.
2 Sam. 5:3 Finally, we have before us David’s anointing to king over the entire nation, which took place 5 years after the death of Ishbosheth, which again suggests that some time took place for God’s continual work on David’s heart, which was visible to all, even those who, for whatever reason, hadn’t seen his anointing prior. What was it that made this anointing more visible?

Well, I believe it was how David handled his detractors, “Saul, Abner, and Ishbosheth,” as he was brokenhearted over their demise. I suggest to you that David had grown to the place where God could raise him up because he didn’t seek being raised up; instead, he only wanted to sit at the Lord’s feet. When we care more for the promiser than the promises and desire to serve more than to be served, then the Lord has done a work and can place you in a position over others.

Hey, saint, listen up; God wants to take you as far as you are willing to die to yourself! What? In 1 Tim 3:1 Paul says, “If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work.” Why? Because he is going to have to continually die for his family, his community, and the church!

Vs. 4-5 David was around 18 or 19 when he killed Goliath, so it was around eleven years from his victory over Goliath to this moment being proclaimed king over all of Israel. Furthermore, he reigned for forty years, which tells us that David lived to be about seventy years old.

Again, Samuel anointed David when he was about 15, and here we are told that he did not take the throne of Judah until he was 30 and did not become king over all the tribes until 37. So? Well, that means David spent at least 15 years in preparation for the throne of Israel. Can you see this in your own life? Perhaps you’re single and you have been waiting for God to bring you that person of His choosing. Have you been more concerned with finding the right person instead of becoming the right person?

Maybe you have been waiting for clear direction from God as to what calling and purpose he has for your life. Hey, have you been wandering around trying to find His plan for your life, checking out this church or that church and seeing what they have to offer you instead of submitting to His plan for your life? A great amount of time in my life has been wasted because I have not been willing to allow the Lord to make me into the right person. Instead, I’ve tried to fast-track my life into where I thought I was supposed to be.

Listen up, you know where we are supposed to be? Right at His feet, allowing Him to make us into the right person for His glorious use. Consider Moses, who spent the first 40 years of his ministry thinking he was something when he was nothing. Well, then he spent the next 40 years thinking he was nothing when he was something. Finally, he spent the last 40 years realizing that God can only use nothings for somethings. Paul too spent over 13 years in obscurity as God was preparing him for use. Don’t miss this saint. Those years of preparation are not wasted years; they are the most necessary years, as the Lord has you in the school of brokenness.

Look at this saint, as we are told that David reigned in Hebron and he reigned in Jerusalem; he reigned all told for 40 years. So? Well, those 15 years seem like a long time for preparation, but when compared to his reign, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: “Whom God uses greatly, He must wound deeply,” as there is a direct correlation between preparation and the task to which He is preparing us.

Vs. 6 As David was now king of a united nation, he wanted a capital that would also unite the nation; thus, it could not be Hebron or Mahanaim, the city in which Ishbosheth made his capital. Jerusalem was a great place for the capital.

Geographically, it was surrounded on three sides by valleys, which meant that only one side had to be fortified.
Politically, it also straddled the two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, so that neither tribe would feel slighted.

The Jebusites occupied Jerusalem for 400 years in the land given to Israel, and the nation had been unable to capture the city. This city was so difficult to take that the Jebusites mock David, saying, “Hey, we are going to put the blind and the lame as guards; you know, you have no chance against us, man.” So the natural defenses of the Jebusites made them feel very secure; thus, they and the children of Israel, up to this point, had never been able to break through for 400 years.

Did you hear the phrase “The King and his men” went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites? Oh to God, we would follow our King to take the cities that He, in His blood, has purchased. The problem with the nation was not that they weren’t strong enough, bright enough, or anything else to take the city. So what was the problem? How come they couldn’t take the city and root out the enemy for over 400 years; at best they co-existed? Well, it is rather simple, dear saint; listen up, they had the wrong king on the throne! Did you hear me? I suggest to you that this is the very same reason we aren’t “more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Rom 8:37)—we have the wrong king on the thrones of our hearts!

Three things God’s anointed need to remember

Vs. 7: “Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David).” In spite of past failures, in spite of the enemy holed up in his stronghold, in spite of their constant persistent taunting, “Nevertheless, the Son of David will take the strongholds in our lives and make that which defeated us His capital! Oh, don’t miss it, saint; don’t walk away from here and not apply the truth contained here and put the right King on the throne of your heart!!!! Hear now the words of 2 Chron. 16:9, “The eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are loyal to Him.”

This is the first time the word Zion is mentioned, and the word can mean “sunny height” or “dry hill,” and Zion would later come to be specifically used for the temple mount area. Is that not interesting, as some folks view Church as a “sunny height” and others as a “dry hill?” It all depends on your heart. Some come to church out of restraint, and they would rather be anywhere else when they “climb up” out of bed.

You see they are heading to the old “dry hill” with nothing there to refresh their parched soul. Ah, but others climb out of bed and head off to the “Sunny Height,” kind of like the “Road to the Sun,” if you will, and man, the views are incredible and worth the trip; in fact, it’s the (pardon the pun) “highlight” of the week. So if church is a “dry hill” instead of a “high light,” then maybe the problem isn’t where you are going but your heart is going!

Vs. 8: It is believed that David sent Joab up the water shaft called “Warren’s Shaft,” later called Hezekiah’s tunnel, that brought the water up from Gihon spring. The story of this is given to us in I Chron. 11 as well, where we are told that Joab volunteered, and it is believed that he did so by traveling up the water shaft 75 feet from the Kidron Valley floor.

Joab was not the most upstanding fellow you will recall, but he was willing to do what others were not, and that is climb up and take a city that had been held for 400 years. Hey saint, Ezekiel records God’s heart when he writes, “I sought for a man among them who would make a wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land.” God is still looking for those who crawl up the water shaft and stand in the gaps to take cites and restore rightfully what He has paid for, and you know He does not ask that we have the perfect past’s only willing hearts.

Vs. 9 Millo was the northern part of Jerusalem and was the most vulnerable part of the city to attack, so David not only took the city for God, he fortified the city for God. Did you get that? The first thing you and I must be willing to do is to climb up and take the city, then we must be about fortifying the weaknesses against future attacks, so we are “reaching up” and “reaching out” with regards to the cities He has placed us in.

Hey Christian, this is not unlike our lives as our King, Jesus, overcomes areas of old strongholds and territory that we should have given to Him long ago. “There is no habit that has gone so deep but that the power of the blood of Jesus can go deeper, and there is no entrenchment of sin that has gone so far but the power of the risen Lord, by His Holy Spirit, can go further.” (Allen Redpath) The psalmist would write in Ps 48:1-2. “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in His holy mountain. Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, the city of the great king.” So the city of Jerusalem was thought of by God’s people as more than a capital but a place where God’s people would gather to worship Him.

Vs. 10 David “became” great, and the fact that it is worded this way reveals to us that such success was by no means “overnight.” David was prepared for the greatness he later enjoyed. Furthermore, David would write in Psalm 18:35, “Your gentleness has made me great.” David’s greatness came from God’s work in Him and His grace towards him and not anything of himself. In God’s plan, there is almost always a hidden price to the Lord making His greatness visible in us. As he takes those He uses through much pain and difficulty so that they would value only Him and not see themselves in what He accomplishes through them.

You’ve heard the phrase “let go and let God.” Well, here is a new one: “Let’s go and let’s grow.” It says of David that two characteristics were visible: “He kept going and growing!” How do we keep “growing”? Will I suggest to you that you must be willing to keep “going”? There are far too many Christians that have stopped growing in the grace of God because they became content where they were at and stopped going forward in their relationship with Him. In 1 Cor. 6:12, Paul wrote, “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” That’s the key to keeping going and keeping growing!

Vs. 11-12 Building David a house by way of a neighboring king shows David’s influence and importance. Hiram, king of Tyre, honored David by sending the finest craftsmen and wood to build him a palace, wanting to make an alliance with him. Earlier we saw three characteristics marks of God’s appointment to lead. Here we see three things that those are called to lead need to be reminded of:

Vs. 12a, “That the LORD had established him as king over Israel”: As a servant of God (as noted in Ishbosheth losing his heart), you must know that it is God who has placed you where you are and not you yourself. You and I can “establish” (root word means to set up) ourselves in a position, or we can allow the Lord to raise us up, but peace and confidence come only from the realization that the Lord is the one that does the establishing.
Vs. 12b, “That He had exalted His kingdom”: Second, and note this, David knew that the kingdom belonged to God; it was His kingdom. Though God chooses His instruments to serve in areas of usefulness, it is imperative that the servant never think of himself as the master. Every servant, be that pastor or otherwise, that falls always falls here first; they touch and handle what does not belong to them; it is His kingdom, not mine. The moment I think of this fellowship as mine, then it is only a short distance to where I’ll begin to act that way.
Vs. 12c: “For the sake of His people Israel”: Finally David knew that the purpose of his being placed in the position of king over God’s people was to use him as a channel to bless His people; he was being blessed to be a blessing. It was not for David’s sake that he was lifted up, but for the sake of His people Israel, make no mistake about it. Christian God loves us, and our calling to serve others is not to be some sort of power trip over people; it is to be a blessing.

Every person ought to recall these three things in their lives each and every time they head off to fellowship with God’s people:

Am I here because God has placed me here or because I’ve placed myself?
Am I here promoting myself and my kingdom, or am I here promoting God’s kingdom?
Am I here to be blessed by others, or am I here to be a blessing?

David, “The battle within and without.”

2 Samuel 5:13-25

Vs. 13-16 The battle within

Vs. 17-21, The Lord of Breakthroughs

Vs. 22-25 Waiting for the move of the Spirit

Intro.

The 17th verse opens up with an interesting observation as to when the enemy chose to attack, as it says, “When the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David.” There appears to me a direct correlation between God’s hand of blessing upon a life and Satan’s deliberate attacks. Ah, but there is more than this in the section under our observation because there are three specific attacks of the enemy, two of which David is successful in defending and the other in which he is defeated. Now pay attention, Christian. David is not defeated because he is outnumbered or inexperienced; no, he is defeated because he deliberately invites the enemy into an area to which they will take up residence and even destroy his family. To make matters worse, all David needed to do was apply the same defenses that he did in the other two attacks, and he would have won this battle as well.

There is a chorus to a song we sing that goes, “Ruined lives and broken people are why He died on Calvary.” Our defeat at the hands of our enemy is always a failure to appropriate what Jesus did on our behalf at Calvary, and what ought to sadden us is that His victory is complete so that we needn’t experience defeat.

The battle within

Vs. 13-16 After David left Hebron, he took more concubines and wives when he made Jerusalem his capital. There are four lists of David’s children divided into two groups: those that were born to him while he reigned in Hebron and those who were born to him while in Jerusalem. But not all of these were added right away, as we see Solomon’s name listed, and this won’t happen for some time yet. There are three points of interest in these four verses:

Disobedience: As mentioned before, this is in direct disobedience to Deuteronomy 17:17–18, where the king was told to “Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself. Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book.” These marriages would have been seen as being politically and socially acceptable and a sign from God of blessings upon David. Yet it matters not how the world views something when the clear teaching of the word prohibits it. Often you hear people say, “Everybody is doing it; it’s the latest thing; after all, we are to be all things to all people!” Ah, but that verse in 1 Cor. 9:22 goes on to say, “I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” How does behaving like the world save some?

The truth of the matter is that the trouble that would come into David’s life from here on out would be because he was either adding to his harem or reaping the fruit of having done so. Perhaps David was not aware of this scripture? Well, it is interesting in light of his actions in verse 21, where we are told that they burned the idols. What does that have to do with not multiplying wives? In Deut. 7:5, God told the nation to destroy the pagan nations “altars and break down their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images, and burn their carved images with fire,” so if David knew not to take idols and to burn them based upon Deut. 7:5, don’t you think he read Deut. 17:17-18 about not multiplying wives? ?

Duration: My second point is to notice when this temptation came upon David, right after he was made king of Israel. My point? Simply put, the seeds of our future trouble are sown in times of success and prosperity and not during times of stress and trials. We, like David, have far more to be on our knees about when we are in a time of plenty than when we are in a time of lack. Paul wrote in Philippians 4:11-13, “I have learned in whatever state I am to be content: I know how to be abasing, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Now the truth is we battle the flesh far more in contentment when we are abounding and full than when we are abasing, hungry, and suffering.

Difficulty: Finally, these four verses point to a reality that few of us ever truly recognize, namely that the battle with our old flesh is much more difficult to overcome than the battle we face through adverse circumstances and situations we face. How so? Well, notice David inquired of the Lord twice (verses 19, 23) when facing the enemy without, and never one time did he inquire of the Lord as to whether or not he should add to his harem with wives and concubines. Can you imagine what would have happened in David’s life if only he had applied the same principle to the battle with the flesh that he did with the battle against the Philistines? “Lord, should I go up and take more wives and concubines?” “Lord, should I disobey Your clear teaching in Deut. 17 not to add wives and concubines?”

What do you suppose the Lord would have said, “Yeh, sure thing, David, I didn’t really mean what I said in the scriptures; I’ve changed my mind just for you!” No, the Lord would have told David, “What part of NOT multiplying wives do you NOT understand?” Now hear me out, why do you think David did not “inquire of the Lord” concerning the battle with the flesh as he did with the battle with the Philistines? I can only assume here, but perhaps David didn’t want to hear what the Lord thought concerning his battles with his own flesh, as it would mean that he could not pursue the things of the flesh! Hey, pastor, you seem to know an awful lot about this kind of stuff, yeah, way too much! Hey Christian, three things will take you and me down according to 1st John 2:16: “the lust of the flesh (GOLD), the lust of the eyes (GIRLS), and the pride of life (GLORY).” and these things are nothing new under the sun.

The Lord of Breakthroughs

Vs. 17-18 Five Philistine cities joined together right after hearing David had become king over a united nation. Again, notice the timing of the Philistines attack, as it was when they heard that David was anointed king over Israel, then “all of the Philistines came up to seek David.” Not some or most, but ALL, as they sent everything they had at David. Whenever God grants us favor, we can expect the enemy to mass his troops at our border.

Also of interest is the meaning and location of Rephaim (verse 18). You see, it means Valley of the Giants, and it was only one valley away from Jerusalem. Even though David was a “giant killer,” he didn’t respond in pride, saying, “Hey, I’ve already killed the biggest and meanest giant of them all; I don’t need God on this one.” Just because we have come to realize God’s promises in our lives does not mean that the enemy won’t come up to seek us, and in fact they go to the valley of the giants (Rephaim). Have you ever experienced this in your life? You come into a new place, a new refreshing time with the Lord, and then the enemy starts’ railing the Giant’s in the valley. So what does David do when he hears of this? He makes no assumptions, no quick decisions; instead, it says two things about what he did:

It says here that “he went down to the stronghold.” Do you see the truth for us in this? Why, when the enemy comes into the valley to get the giants against us, then we need to seek refuge in our stronghold, our strong place, the Rock Jesus!
Second, it says in verse 19 that “David inquired of the Lord.” Hey saint, we have before us great truths of how to handle the enemy’s recruitment of giants in the valley where we live: “Come to your rock and inquire of Him.”.

Here’s where I’m going with this: the first thing we need when the enemy is in the valley gathering giants is the security of God’s presence. So when you come to the Lord, start by recalling His love and promises before you begin to inquire of what to do about the giants. David did not go up and fight; he did not go OUT to the battle; no, David “went down” on his knees in prayer. You see that? So let’s remember when the Philistines “go up,” then we need to “go down” to our knees, as you and I can count on more spiritual warfare as God establishes us and His goodness makes us great. Satan is always lurking, attacking from within and from without bringing opposition by appealing to our flesh and sending old adversaries, and we are to not react “up and out” but rather “down” upon our knees, as the quickest way “up and out” is always down on our knees. God honors our dependence on Him as we seek Him for direction and strength to secure the promised victory.

Vs. 19 Now the Lord said unto David, “Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand.” When David was a “little king” in a “little kingdom,” the Philistines didn’t view him as a threat, but he moved to Jerusalem, added a few more wives, and they are after you. I can’t help but wonder if David adding a few more wives made him a bigger target. I personally have gotten used to being a bullseye, and I do expect some people will want to take shots at the pastor, but I don’t think I should by my actions be supplying the ammunition and loading their guns for them, and I think it is wisdom for you and me not to live a compromised life so as to make it easier to shoot us down.

Vs. 20-21 Now remember that this valley is only one valley away from Jerusalem. But is David worried about it? No, he just goes to his knees as he realizes that it was the Lord, the One who gave the kingdom. David sees the supernatural in the natural as he recognizes that it was the Lord who gave him victory. During his reign, God will establish the nation from only 6,000 square miles to over 60,000 square miles, where He guides and provides.

The name of the battle area was called “Baal Perazim,” which meant “lord of breakthroughs,” so David has a play on words and says, “Yes, it’s a place of breakthroughs, alright, as it will be here that the Lord will breakthrough as easily as passing through water.” What a fitting name, as God came out like a flood against the enemy. Hey saint, the Lord wants to give you a “breakthrough” in the area where the enemy has encamped rallying giants against you. He wants to break through into areas held up by the enemy.

Ah, but notice David’s words as he declared that “The Lord gave me a breakthrough.” Man, we so often want to be able to claim, “I planned it all out, I prayed it through, and I’m so smart and talented that I gained the “breakthrough” just as I knew I would.” But David says, “Shoot, the Lord just came through as He always does when I trust Him and not my own resources!” God wants the glory and doesn’t want us to be able to claim this for ourselves. To further reveal David’s heart, this was the very battle according to 2 Sam 23:13–17, where three of David’s men broke through the battle lines to get water from a well in Bethlehem to show great devotion to their king David, but David took that which was poured out for him and poured it out before the Lord.

A further sign of God’s rout of the Philistines was seen in the fact that they had brought their good luck idols to battle and were in such a hurry to run away that they dropped their idols and David and his men picked them up to smelt them down. The Philistines felt certain that the presence of their gods would ensure the victory, but David and his men lifted the idols up, showing how God had defeated the things the world places their hopes and trust in. Notice David did not save or sell the idols of the world; he lifted them up as conquered by God and burned them. Hey saint, you may not think of yourself as having idols you carry around putting your trust and hope in, but we can most certainly find them when they go up in smoke if we were worshiping them. If what we put our hope and trust in can be burned, ripped off, or destroyed, then we are worshiping the wrong thing!

Waiting for the move of the Spirit

Vs. 22-23 What were these Philistines thinking, “double or nothing?” Note this dear saint, our enemy is nothing if not persistent, as we are told that “the Philistines went up once again” and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. Satan does not stop his attacks because he has been defeated; he will come and deploy once again in the Valley of the Giants.

David does not make the assumption that God gave the victory once that he didn’t need to pray. One of the enemy’s greatest weapons is overconfidence: “God did it this way once, so He will do it that way again!” All too often, the church does not inquire of the Lord; instead, it just seeks to duplicate what worked in the past. We Christians like programs and often prefer to seek and implement programs instead of inquiring of Him. You see, what the Lord desires is fellowship not with programs but with Him personally.

Just about every week some well-meaning person calls or sends a packet full of some program or seminar, declaring they have a formula for success that will ensure our church will grow, but ultimately our trust will be in the program and not in God. We need to walk in the Spirit, and we do so by inquiring of the Lord, as the victory is about the living God, not a formula, and we need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s moving in our lives. What would have happened if David didn’t ask and just fell into a routine and just assumed that this was “kill a Philistine” 101? God wants to have fellowship with Him, and He does not want our service to Him to become the enemy of our fellowship with Him, and you know that is so easy to fall into. Isn’t it? We get so busy that we become just too busy to spend time with Him.

Ah, but look at David, he did not turn to formulae, nor did he try to formulate a plan; he just sought the Lord as to His plan. And then he waited for the Lord to direct his move and simply walked into what God was doing. So much better than doing what everyone else is doing and asking God to bless our mess. Listen up, we don’t have to try to get God on our side; convince Him our way is the way to reach the world for Him. No, all we have to do is inquire of Him and wait on Him to move and walk in His power.

Vs. 24-25 The first time David went up and confronted the enemy face to face, and even though he is in the same valley facing the same enemy, he seeks the Lord as to how He might want to work this time. Again, what a great lesson for us as: “Yesterday’s plan is not always a lock on today’s problem.” God wants to work a fresh work, and if we are open, He may move a different way. How come we don’t see more of this type of guidance and answered prayer today? Well, James tells us in 4:2-3, “You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” Two mistakes are made:

The attitude of assumption: We assume that we know best or that what was once tried will work again.
The attitude of atheism: That does not ask because it does not believe that it will be well received?

Now we read that David was told to wait for the Lord to strike the enemy, and the sign was “the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees.” But just what was this sign of “the sound of marching” in the tops of the mulberry trees?

Well, the ancient Rabbis said that it was the “footsteps of angels walking” in the tops of the mulberry trees.
Others see this as a natural sign, as the leaves of mulberry trees are very light and it takes very little breeze to cause them to move. So with the massive Philistine army under the trees, the direction of their movement would be seen in the tops of the trees before it would have been visible on the ground.

It is obvious from the text that it was a signal to show David and his men that the Lord was at work so they could rush in for the victory. Now in John 3:8, Jesus says concerning the Holy Spirit that “the wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” I think that is what we have here, as the Lord says, “When you see the moving of the Spirit, then you go out and strike the camp of the enemy.”.

Hey saint, this is true in our lives today. As we sense that the Lord is at work, we need to be on the move. There is a need to be sensitive, to be still, and to wait for the “moving of the Spirit” before we move out in obedience to obtain the victory He has provided. Don’t forget that being sensitive to the Spirit’s move is of little worth if we don’t obey the Spirit as well. As one old saint put it, “We need to listen to the sound of the Spirit’s going and follow the footsteps of his anointed.” When David inquired of the Lord, the Lord didn’t say, “Go up.” He said, “Circle around behind them and come up over near the mulberry trees.” Yeah so? Well, Obedience was three times:

First seen in the inquiring of the Lord
Second, on waiting on the Lord
Finally, on moving out once the Lord moved

This is further brought out in the King James Version, as verse 24 reads, “When thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself.” To bestir means “to be sharp, active, and quick.” Far too often we think more in terms of being “spiritual cheerleaders” instead of taking action ourselves. The moving of the Spirit is not mere hype and emotionalism; no, it is action that ensures the Lord’s victory. I believe “the stirring of the Spirit” will do several things in our lives:

First awaken us to prayer and worship.
This will move us to confession and repentance.
Then we will be motivated to serve others.
This then will be the Lord will use to add to His Church as David pursued the enemy some 20 miles, regaining the territory lost by Saul when he lost his life on Gilboa. In the following battles, David would regain the cities lost as well (verse 25).