If the Lord Wills

“And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the weeping trees, then you shall strike. For then Jehovah shall go out before you to strike the army of the Philistines.” (2Samuel 5:24)

Let’s get some background on this Scripture. When Saul and his son Jonathan were killed in a battle with the Philistines, David was anointed king and began to reign. (2 Samuel 5:3,4) The Philistines heard about it and came against David. (2 Samuel 5:17) The Scripture tells us something very important. You’d think that when the enemy comes, you automatically go to battle with them. Not David. “And David inquired of Jehovah, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand? And Jehovah said to David, Go up! For I will surely deliver the Philistines into your hand.” (2Samuel 5:19) Even though to go to battle would seem like the logical thing to do, David inquired of the Lord.

The result was that the Lord fought for David. “And David came to Baal-perazim, and David struck them there, and said, Jehovah has broken forth on my enemies before me, like the breaking forth of waters. Therefore, he called the name of that place The Breaking of Baal.” (2Samuel 5:20) When the Philistines came again, David inquired again of the Lord. This time the Lord gave David a strategy. “And the Philistines came up again and spread themselves in the Valley of the Giants. And David inquired of Jehovah, and He said, You shall not go up, but go around behind them and come upon them over across from the weeping trees. And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the weeping trees, then you shall strike. For then Jehovah shall go out before you to strike the army of the Philistines. And David did so, as Jehovah had commanded him. And he struck the Philistines from Geba until you come to Gezer.” (2Samuel 5:22-25)

We see that God honored David because David wanted to do what God wanted him to do. If God had said not to go to battle David would not have gone. This is a great lesson for us to learn. Even in just what seems the logical thing to do, we should inquire of the Lord. The Lord will break forth the way like He did for David when we determine to ask the Lord what to do, where to go and when to go. James gives us this advice. “Come now, those saying, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city and spend a year there, and we will trade and will make a profit, who do not know of the morrow. For what is your life? For it is a vapor, which appears for a little time, and then disappears. Instead of you saying, If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15) James tells us not to be presumptuous. It is boasting and evil.  It seems like such a small thing. We’re used to saying “I’ll do this. And I’ll go there.” It’s boasting because we don’t know what will happen the next second and if we’ll be able to do what we say we will do or go where we say we will go.  There is a distinction between what we want to do and where we want to go and God’s plans. We can say, “I plan to do such and such or go to such and such a place. God willing.” I think this shows that these are my plans if God wills.

Paul in his letters wrote in such a way, expressing his plans and desires, but added by the will of God, if the Lord wills, if the Lord permits or if God permits. (Romans 1:10; 15:32; 1Corithians 4:19; 16:7; Hebrews 6:3) At the end of his teaching, James writes a powerful and dreadful verse. “Therefore, to him who knows to do good, and does not do it, to him it is sin.” (James 4:17) James calls us out, telling us if we know we should do this and we don’t, we’re sinning.

David gave us a good example of inquiring of the Lord even for those things that seem logical. God spoke to him His wisdom and David obeyed which brought him victory. The Lord is honored that we want to do what He wants us to do in the simplest things. He will show us what do and where to go if we ask Him. He will confirm to us if our plans are in line with what is best for us. Not to inquire of the Lord is sin to think that we know what the future will hold.