Do You Hear What I Hear?
We’ve been working our way through a particular passage in II Samuel 5. So far, we’ve learned the enemy is out to get us and is persistent, we should always seek the Lord’s counsel before making any decisions, and our God is the one true God who will fight for us and defend us. Today, we’re going to look at my favorite part of the story. Not my favorite lesson, necessarily (though it is undoubtedly an important one), but the part of the story that gives me goosebumps and creates a sense of awe in me. Are you ready?
“But when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines came up to seek David; and David heard of it, and went down to the hold. The Philistines also came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. And David enquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the Lord said unto David, Go up: for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand. And David came to Baalperazim, and David smote them there, and said, The Lord hath broken forth upon mine enemies before me, as the breach of waters. Therefore he called the name of that place Baalperazim. And there they left their images, and David and his men burned them. And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. And when David enquired of the Lord, he said, Thou shalt not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees. And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the Lord go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines.
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When the Philistines attacked the first time, David enquired of the Lord if he should go out to meet them, and the Lord said, “Go!” But the second time was different. When David asked for God’s guidance, the instructions were a little strange. This time, the Lord said, “No, don’t go out and meet them head-on. Instead, circle around behind them and wait at the mulberry trees until you hear the “sound of a going” in the tops of the trees. That will be your signal to attack because then you’ll know that I am leading you to victory.”
Circle around behind them? Okay, that’s a sound strategy. I get that. Wait for a signal from the Lord? Sure, that makes perfect sense. But then things get a bit weird. What was the signal? When I first read the passage and saw the phrase “the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees,” I thought it was referring to the wind. You know, when the wind whips through the tops of the trees. But after further study, I discovered it’s so much better than that. The phrase means “a marching” or “marching feet.” Marching? In the treetops?
I don’t know about you, but the very idea evokes a thousand questions in my mind. Who was marching in the treetops? God? A heavenly host? An invisible army? Furthermore, what does marching in the treetops sound like? Does it sound the same as marching on solid ground? Did the trees sway or bow under the force of this marching, or was it only a sound? Did the Philistines hear it or only the army of Israel? So many questions!!!
And that, my friends, is today’s lesson. Sometimes God’s ways leave us with more questions than answers. Let’s face it, His ways are not our ways. He looks at things from a heavenly perspective and with all knowledge while we have a very limited view of how things are and how problems should be solved. Sometimes, God’s ways don’t make sense. I can’t stress this enough because this is a daily battle for me and probably for some of you as well.
God says, “Die, and you shall live.”
God says, “Give, and you shall receive.”
God says, “Hold fast, and you can let go.”
It sounds crazy to our finite minds. Try as we might, we can’t make sense of directions that seem so foreign. We want to trust that God knows best and has our best interest in mind, but His methods are so far outside of the box we can’t wrap our brains around them.
I have to wonder if David told his men what the plan was. If so, what was their response? “Um, I’m sorry, sir. Did you say we’re waiting to hear marching in the treetops?” Surely, they thought David had lost his mind. I would have thought that. It’s weird. It’s unconventional. It’s not the way I would have approached the situation. Therefore, I would have balked at the idea.
Fortunately, David didn’t. In fact, there’s no evidence that he even raised an eyebrow at this unusual battle plan. God said it, and David believed it and obeyed. No doubts. No questions. No pleas with God to explain Himself. Just complete faith in the God who had proven Himself faithful time and time again.
Oh, that’s what I want! I long to say, “Not my will but Thine be done” and genuinely mean it. I desire to follow God’s directions without hesitations, questions, or arguments. I want to believe with all my heart that God is good, His ways are right, and His plans are perfect. And then, I want to live as if I believe it!
God never promised us we would understand His will. He never said we would comprehend his delays or fathom His workings. But He did promise that His plans for us are good and that He will be true to His character. Then, He asks us to trust Him and leave the results up to Him.
I, for one, know it’s not an easy task, but if God can cause the sound of marching in the tops of mulberry trees, is there anything He can’t do?
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”
“Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.”
“Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?”