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Bible story · 2 Samuel 5:17–25
The Sound in the Mulberry Trees
Read it yourself in the King James Bible: 2 Samuel 5:17–25 ↗
“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.”
2 Samuel 5:24 (KJV)The Story
As soon as David became king over all Israel, the Philistines came looking for him. Their army spread out across the valley of Rephaim.
David asked God, “Shall I go up to the Philistines?” God said yes, and David won. He named the place Baalperazim, because God had broken through his enemies “as the breach of waters.”
But the Philistines came back and spread out in the same valley again. It would have been natural for David to repeat what worked the first time. Instead, he asked God again.
This time the answer was different. “Thou shalt not go up.” Go around behind them instead, God said, and wait near the mulberry trees. When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the trees, move quickly. That will be the sign that the Lord has gone out ahead of you to strike the Philistine army.
David did exactly as he was told. He waited. When the sound came through the treetops, he moved, and the Philistines were defeated from Geba all the way to Gazer.
Reflection
Same enemy, same valley, different instructions. If David had relied on what worked last time, he would have walked straight into a battle God hadn’t planned.
More Bible stories from 2 Samuel. More about: David
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Day 13 of Book 5
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