Day 103 – 2 Samuel 5:17-25

Scripture Review

2 Samuel 5:17-25

"But when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines came up to seek David; and David heard of it, and went down to the hold." (2 Samuel 5:17)

The Philistines hear that David has been anointed king over all Israel, and they come up quickly. David's coronation had hardly quieted before significant opposition came against him and the kingdom. "All the Philistines came up to seek David." They understand something important, a united Israel under David is a threat. David "went down to the hold." He goes to the place of strength, the place of waiting, the place where he can seek the LORD.

"The Philistines also came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim." (2 Samuel 5:18)

That phrase gives the picture of an enemy trying to occupy space, intimidate, and look larger than life. This valley becomes the testing ground of David's newly united kingdom.

"And David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the LORD said unto David, Go up: for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand." (2 Samuel 5:19)

Here is David again: "David enquired of the LORD." He has done this before. He enquired before going to Hebron in 2 Samuel 2:1, and now he enquires before going against the Philistines. David does not assume his own battle plan; he seeks whether God wants him to fight and how.

There are two questions: "Shall I go up?" and "wilt thou deliver them into mine hand?" David wants permission and promise. It is one thing to be willing to fight and it is another thing to know the LORD has sent you.

The answer is clear, "Go up: for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand." That word "doubtless" is strong. God gives David command and assurance. Better to pause and enquire than to rush and presume.

"And David came to Baalperazim, and David smote them there, and said, The LORD hath broken forth upon mine enemies before me, as the breach of waters. Therefore he called the name of that place Baalperazim." (2 Samuel 5:20)

David comes to Baalperazim and smites the Philistines there. But notice what David says after the victory, "The LORD hath broken forth upon mine enemies before me." David's sword was involved, but David gives the glory to the LORD. "As the breach of waters." Like water bursting through a dam, like a flood breaking through a bank, the LORD overwhelmed the Philistines. David names the place Baalperazim. He marks the location by what the LORD did there.

"And there they left their images, and David and his men burned them." (2 Samuel 5:21)

The Philistines flee so completely that they leave their images behind. They had brought their gods to battle, but their gods could not save them. The idols that were supposed to help them win are abandoned in defeat. David and his men burned them. Armies commonly carried idols into battle, and the Philistines leaving them showed how thorough David's victory was.

"And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim." (2 Samuel 5:22)

The Philistines come again. Same enemy. Same valley. Same pressure. Victory in verse 20 did not mean there would never be another fight. The enemy can be beaten and still come back.

"And when David enquired of the LORD, he said, Thou shalt not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees." (2 Samuel 5:23)

David enquires again. That is the beauty of this verse. He had already asked once. He had already won once. Yet when the Philistines return, David goes back to the LORD. This time the answer changes, "Thou shalt not go up." Earlier God said, "Go up." Now God says, "Thou shalt not go up." The battle is similar, but the instruction is different. This is where many people miss it. They assume a past victory gives them a permanent strategy.

"And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the LORD go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines." (2 Samuel 5:24)

David is told to wait for a sound. "The sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees." Then, and only then, he is to "bestir" himself. That word means move, rise, act, do not sit still once God has gone before you. "For then shall the LORD go out before thee." David's movement must follow God's movement.

"the LORD of hosts" reminds me that the LORD is the commander of heaven's armies, the same God David trusted when facing Goliath. Here David is still learning that the battle belongs to the LORD, but the servant must move when the LORD moves.

"And David did so, as the LORD had commanded him; and smote the Philistines from Geba until thou come to Gazer." (2 Samuel 5:25)

"David did so." That is clear obedience. He asked. He heard. He obeyed "as the LORD had commanded him." The result is victory from Geba to Gazer. The same Philistines who came seeking David are now smitten before David because David followed the LORD's command.

God protected His kingdom through His guidance, and that is exactly what the scripture shows. David's strength was not merely that he could fight. David's strength was that he could be commanded.