And when you hear a sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry or balsam trees, then go out to battle… – 1 Chronicles 14:15, Amplified Bible (AMP)

Although David committed many sins, he was, at the end of the day, a man after God’s own heart. For the better part of his life, he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and in order to do so, he often asked God what he should do before he did it. For example, in 1 Chronicles 14:14-16 (AMP) we learn that:

14 And David inquired again of God, and God said to him, Do not go up after them; turn away from them and come [around] upon them over opposite the mulberry trees.

15 And when you hear a sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry or balsam trees, then go out to battle for God has gone out before you to smite the Philistine host.

16 So David did as God commanded him, and they smote the army of the Philistines from Gibeon even to Gezer.

David asked God what he should do before he did it, and God honored David’s request by giving him the right direction at the right time. Had David not inquired of God, he would have faced the Philistines head on instead of flanking them, and he would have lost the battle that day.

There are two key lessons in this passage. First, the obvious: seek God’s counsel before you make an important decision. Second, and not quite as obvious: wait for the Lord’s signal before you make your move. David was to wait for the sound of marching in the tops of the trees before leaping into battle. Once he heard the supernatural feet of God’s host marching up above, David could be sure that God had gone before him to the battle. Had David attacked before hearing that sound, however, he would have leaped into battle before God had arrived on the scene, and he would have fought the Philistines all alone.

Psalm 106:13 teaches us that one of Israel’s sins in the wilderness was failing to wait for God’s plans for them to develop . God had shown the people what he intended to do for them, but they didn’t want to wait on His timing. They wanted what they wanted now, and even though He gave them what they wanted, He subsequently punished them for their greedy lust.

There will be times when God will show us His plan for us, but a crucial component of the plan is the timing of its implementation. If we try to accelerate God’s timetable, we will get ahead of the Lord, and there is no guarantee He will be with us as we pursue the vision He has given us. However, once He gives us the signal to go to battle, we’d better jump into the task with 100% effort. Failing to act on God’s signal is just as much a sin as acting before He gives us the signal, so let us all strive to be guilty of neither fault.

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