When David became king of Israel, the Philistines heard and so they sent a massive army to teach him a lesson (2 Samuel 5:17-25). David was young, new to the job, but wise enough to inquire of the Lord and ask...
"Should I go to war against the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?"
To which the Lord replied, "Go, for I will certainly hand the Philistines over to you."
David marched straight down, with his army and proceeded (in the strength and command of the Lord) to rout the whole Philistine army. He came on them with a frontal assault like a "bursting flood".
The Philistines ran away, went home, licked their wounds and then decided to try it once again. So they came up the same way and in the same manner, spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.
It was just like before. The natural thing for David would be to do the same thing they had just done. A head on attack. It worked remarkably well the first time. Why wouldn't it work a second time?
But here, David shows true wisdom even at a young age. Instead of jumping to the obvious, he stops, and he once again inquires of the Lord. And the Lord answers differently this time...
"Do not make a frontal assault. Circle around behind them and attack opposite the balsam trees. When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, act decisively, for then the Lord will have marched out ahead of you to attack the camp of the Philistines."
To his credit, David did exactly what the Lord commanded and God honored this action by striking down the Philistines.
The moral of the story? Just because we have success today with one method and just because we did so because we listened to God doesn't mean that the same method will work next time. It is always best to get our marching orders from God day by day. He may surprise us. He just might want to do something in a new way that we have never thought of or experienced.
And, when we listen and get our orders from God and He breaks through with an amazing miracle, it's He that gets the glory not us...just the way it should be!
Where are you getting your marching orders today? I don't know about you, but I long to hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees...
"Should I go to war against the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?"
To which the Lord replied, "Go, for I will certainly hand the Philistines over to you."
David marched straight down, with his army and proceeded (in the strength and command of the Lord) to rout the whole Philistine army. He came on them with a frontal assault like a "bursting flood".
The Philistines ran away, went home, licked their wounds and then decided to try it once again. So they came up the same way and in the same manner, spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.
It was just like before. The natural thing for David would be to do the same thing they had just done. A head on attack. It worked remarkably well the first time. Why wouldn't it work a second time?
But here, David shows true wisdom even at a young age. Instead of jumping to the obvious, he stops, and he once again inquires of the Lord. And the Lord answers differently this time...
"Do not make a frontal assault. Circle around behind them and attack opposite the balsam trees. When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, act decisively, for then the Lord will have marched out ahead of you to attack the camp of the Philistines."
To his credit, David did exactly what the Lord commanded and God honored this action by striking down the Philistines.
The moral of the story? Just because we have success today with one method and just because we did so because we listened to God doesn't mean that the same method will work next time. It is always best to get our marching orders from God day by day. He may surprise us. He just might want to do something in a new way that we have never thought of or experienced.
And, when we listen and get our orders from God and He breaks through with an amazing miracle, it's He that gets the glory not us...just the way it should be!
Where are you getting your marching orders today? I don't know about you, but I long to hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees...
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