The Sound of Marching

 God sometimes gives us signs to show us the way He wants us to go. A lot of times those signs are obvious things that people say or do that lead us to know God's will. Other times, the signs are more subtle, but God makes the meaning clear to us. We just have to trust the Lord, not the signs, and we have to be faithful to seek the will of God continuously until He shows us His way.

David made it a habit to consult with the Lord before he went to battle with the army of Israel God would tell him what to do, or He would show him a sign to direct him. (II Samuel 5:24) On one occasion God told David to wait until he heard the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees. Then, he was to advance quickly, and the Lord would go before the army to strike the camp of the Philistines. This was a great sign for David and a reminder for us.

The word "Spirit" in Hebrew and in Greek is the same as the word "wind" or "breath." On the day of Pentecost there was a sound "like a rushing mighty wind" as the Spirit was coming to fill the 120 believers in the upper room. That sound and the tongues of fire showed that the Spirit of God was operating to do the will of God in the lives of the believers. The same kind of sign was given to David here.

The sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees was the sound of the Spirit of God going before the troops. It was David's sign that he was to advance quickly, to follow the Spirit, and enable their strike on the camp of the Philistines to be successful. We need to learn from this that we should not do anything until it is God's time. He will tell us, or His Spirit will manifest His power in some way to let us know God is at work, and we can be assured of Him working for us.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read II Samuel 7-9.