Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 2348
“And let it be, whien you hiear he sound of a going in he tops of he mulberry trees, hat hen you shiall bestir yourself: for hen shiall he LORD go out before you, to smite he hiost of he Phiilistines. And David did so, as he LORD haadd commanded Aim and smote tie Phiilistines from Geba until you come to Gazer.” 2 Samuel 5:24,25.
In anticipation of an Evangelistic Mission to be conducted by Messrs. Fullerton and Smith.
DAVID’S life was a life of war. The Christian life wears other aspects, but still, in very deed and in truth, spiritually, it, also, is a life of war. Our Lord spoke the Truth when He said, “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.” The end of all His great work will be universal peace and the lion shall lie down with the lamb, but, for the present, men fight against the principles which Christ brought into the world and all who become the followers of Christ must expect to be soldiers of One whose life was one great conflict and who died upon the battlefield, yes, and was crowned upon the battlefield, too! Expect, then, to war a good warfare as long as you are here.
David had won one great victory over the Philistines, but he was not permitted to sit down and congratulate himself upon his triumph. The Philistines were upon him again. Those Philistines took a great deal of beating, but the powers of evil are not content anywhere with being defeated once or twice. They are up and at us again—they challenge us afresh, they hope to overthrow us sooner or later! And again and again we must be ready to resist them with this as our warcry, “They compassed me about; yes, they compassed me about: but in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.” There must be war even after victory—and we must stand prepared for it.
Note well, however, that before David went to war, in each case, he waited upon God—“David enquired of the Lord.” Whenever we have any enterprise on hand, it is wise to wait upon God for direction and for help. David had received Divine Guidance before, but counsel in one dilemma is not guidance for another. Though David had been led of God the first time to fight the Philistines, he did not consider that the direction then given would apply again, so he went a second time. And it is written, “David enquired of the Lord.” The answers which David received on these two occasions were different. The first time, the Lord said, “Go up.” The second time, he said, “You shall not go up.” Had David been content with his former waiting upon God, he would have made a great mistake. What you have to do, today, you may not have to do tomorrow. And what you did yesterday may have been right enough for yesterday, but it may be as wrong as possible for today! Wait more continually upon God, dear Friends. Be not satisfied with what you have received of direction and support, but go to God again and again. If you go to Him daily for manna, you may well go to Him daily for counsel. David did this and he acted wisely.
I am afraid, dear Friends, that many Christians go carelessly blundering on, as we say, “neck or nothing.” They do the first thing that comes to hand and do not wait, and pause, and consider as they ought. I know some friends who seem to me to enter into great speculations which they had much better let alone, and who venture into various schemes which they would be much wiser to leave to other people. If they would only wait upon God, they would find themselves restrained from many things which now they attempt and, impelled to other things which now they neglect. The old proverb says that “kneeling does not spoil silk stockings.” I am not so sure about that. The silk stockings do not matter, but we may say that kneeling does not hurt a man’s knees! Kneeling makes him strong in the feet, brave in the heart and often clear in the brain. If a man will only wait upon God, it will help his own mind to form a correct judgment and, besides that, the Lord
will give him guidance of which he never dreamed. He may have a token which shall be to him the very “clue of the maze.” He may get a word from God which will make him wiser than the ancients and it shall be as though the Urim and the Thummim still spoke out of the sanctuary to guide the saints of the Most High!
Tonight I shall speak about David’s experience, as recorded in this remarkable verse, in the following way. There is, first, a prime necessity promised. God promises that He will be with David. No, that He will go before him in this holy war! “Then shall the Lord go out before you, to smite the host of the Philistines.” But, secondly, here is a consequent action commanded. “Then you shall bestir yourself: for then shall the Lord go out before you.” Thirdly, here is a hopeful sign afforded. “When you hear the sound of a going (or marching) in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall bestir yourself.” And, lastly, but very briefly, there is a sure result following—“And David did so, as the Lord had commanded him and smote the Philistines from Geba until you come to Gazer.”