Calvary Chapel Auckland: Teaching

THE SOUND IN THE MULBERRY TREES

Therefore David inquired of the Lord, and He said, “You shall not go up; circle around behind them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then the Lord will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” And David did so, as the Lord commanded him; and he drove back the Philistines from Geba as far as Gezer. (2 Samuel 5:23-25)

It was a glorious season in David's life - long hoped-for dreams were now real. He was king over a unified Israel and could lead God's people into battle. At the end of 2 Samuel 5 one victory leads to another, and at the end of the chapter David again "inquired of the Lord." After the first victory over the Philistines, David was wise enough to wait on the Lord before the second battle. It is easy for many in the same situation to say, “I have fought this battle before. I know how to win. This will be easy.” But David sought the Lord again, and David always triumphed when he sought and obeyed God.

It was good for David to seek the Lord again, because this time God had a different strategy for David to use. He told David, "You shall not go up; circle around them." God directed David differently in this battle. Even against the same enemy, not every battle is the same. This time God wanted to David to circle around the enemy and wait for God to "strike the camp of the Philistines" first. Then David would rush in and follow up on what the Lord already started.

How would David know that God struck the camp of the Philistines? God told him to wait for "the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees." Ancient Rabbis said that this sound was the footsteps of angelic soldiers marching along the top of the mulberry trees. Whatever the cause of the sound was, when David and his troops heard this sound they were to rush ahead to victory.

This principle is true in our every-day walk with God. When we sense that the Lord is at work, we must "advance quickly" and we will see a great victory won. The old Puritan commentator John Trapp wrote of this: “We must also, in the spiritual warfare, observe and obey the motions of the Spirit, when he setteth up his standard; for those are the sounds of God’s goings, the footsteps of his anointed.”

There is something wonderful about the King James Version translation of 2 Samuel 5:24: when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself. When you hear the work of God happening, bestir thyself - advance quickly. We should notice that the King James Version says, "bestir thyself." Often we think our main job is to stir others up. That often just becomes hype and emotionalism. Instead, stir yourself when you sense the Lord is moving ahead of you.

When we see the work of God happening around us, it is like the sound in the mulberry trees - the rustling sound should awaken us to prayer and devotion. A time of crisis or tragedy is also like the sound in the mulberry trees - the rustling sound should awaken us to confession and repentance. The principle is simple: When we see God working, we must stir ourselves and advance quickly to follow in His victory. When we find the flow of the Spirit of God, we jump in.

Charles Spurgeon said that when we, spiritually speaking, hear the sound of rustling in the mulberry trees, we should do something. “Now, what should I do? The first thing I will do is, I will bestir myself. But how shall I do it? Why, I will go home this day, and I will wrestle in prayer more earnestly than I have been wont to do that God will bless the minister, and multiply the church.” (Charles Spurgeon)

Do you hear the sound of the Lord advancing? If you do, then advance quickly.