Here we go round the mulberry trees...

"the sound of marching

  in the tops of the mulberry trees"

2 Samuel 5:24

I love this story.... it's part children's song, part military strategy, and part miracle...

Vincent Van Gogh's Mulberry Tree, painted in 1889.  Beautiful, isn't it?  I love Van Gogh's style.  I found this picture on the Norton Simon Museum website, nortonsimon.org

So, we're back to David today.  Some of the greatest lessons in the Bible are from David.  Plus, it's what I'm studying in Bible Study, so it's where my head is...

 In chapter 5 of 2 Samuel, those pesky Philistines are giving David trouble again.  They heard that he had been anointed king, and decided the time was perfect to challenge his power.  Unfortunately for them, the time is never perfect to challenge God's power....

And sure enough, instead of the dreaded, "David thought to himself...." we see David's wisdom in verse 19: "So David inquired of the Lord."  That means that what follows is gonna be good!

The Lord assured David that He would deliver the Philistines into his hand, but with a very unusual battle strategy.  God's an interesting General...  Battle plans like no other.  Silently marching around one city (Joshua 6); attacking another city with nothing but clay pitchers and torches (Judges 7).  The sun standing still in the sky during one battle (Joshua 10) and the hail of God defeating the enemy in another (also Joshua 10).

And here:  mulberry trees.  Or in some versions, balsam trees, but nobody sings "here we go 'round the balsam trees..."

The Lord told David not to go directly up, but to circle around behind the Philistines, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees.  And when David heard the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, he was to advance quickly.

Now, I don't know what's going on here.  No one knows.  Was this strategic?  Maybe.  Perhaps the breeze of the marching Philistine army would cause the leaves in the trees to rustle, giving David warning they were advancing.

Or maybe it was about obedience.  Like the marching around Jericho for days, maybe this was just about the commander and the army doing what they were told. 

I have always believed this was something supernatural.  I take very literally the words of that verse.  After all, Scripture doesn't say "when you hear the leaves rustling..."  It says, "when you hear the sound of a marching in the tops of the mulberry trees..." which, in the original language means, "when you hear the sound of a marching in the tops of the mulberry trees..."

I think this was the sound of the angels of God's army, marching into battle, leading David, who led the Israelites.  Because this is how I think God leads ~ with methods and instructions that don't make sense to us, but will result in victory all the same, if we are obedient. 

He might lead you right up to a sea you have no way of crossing, and let the enemy hem you in from behind ~ but He's got a plan to get you safely to the other side.
(Exodus 14)

He might ask you to battle a giant twice your size, with nothing but a stone in your sling ~ but He's gonna direct that stone perfectly if you'll be courageous enough to sling it.  
(1 Samuel 17)

He might ask you to live the rest of your life with a thorn in your flesh ~ but His strength will counter your weakness.  
(2 Corinthians 12)

He's got a plan; He's got an army; He's got miracles small and big.  All we have to do is obey.

~ "The Lord gives voice before His army...

   for strong is the One who executes His word" ~

Joel 2:11