Listen for the Sound

Then the Philistines went up once again and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim. 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.”

2 Samuel 5:22-24 (NKJV)

David and his men have already defeated the Philistine army in direct combat once. And now, for a second time, the Philistines are coming against him. But David doesn’t just assume that it will all play out the same way as before. Instead, David inquires of the Lord about what he should do. He doesn’t want to move until God grants him permission to do so. David is so spiritually connected that he seeks to be meticulously obedient.

It's apparent to me that David has no problem demonstrating what has been referred to as adaptive leadership. He advanced one way before, but he’s going to trust God to do it differently this time. It’s the same valley of battle. It's the same enemy that they previously defeated. David is flanked by the same strong army of soldiers. But this time he is instructed by the Lord to wait on a different confirmation, move along a different path, and engage the battle with a different strategy.

God tells David, “Don't advance directly toward the Philistines. This time, circle around them; position your army right in front of some mulberry trees. And when you get there, wait for My signal to you. This is the signal: when you hear the sound of marching in the mulberry trees, it'll be your time to advance. The fight is going to be easier for you and the victory will be secured, but you must be led by the sound. Be sensitive to the sound. Listen out for the sound, and then pitch your obedience to it. Hold your energy and restrain your passion until you hear the sound.

What separates victory from defeat for David has nothing to do with strength and everything to do with obedience to the details.

This text is asking the question of all of us today: Can you ignore your reflexes, your momentum, your emotional default responses, your instinctual proclivities, your prior victories, the pain of your past mistakes, the memories of your regretful defeats—can you ignore all of these so that you can make sure you are ready to listen for the sound of God's presence and intent in your life?

God is not necessarily going to give you victory in the same ways that He has done so in the past. Your past experiences do not dictate your present course of action. Don’t take for granted the fact that God works in different ways at different times.

Instead, listen for the Lord’s instruction and follow the sound of His leading.