As soon as you hear the sound of the marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because that will mean the Lord has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army (2 Samuel 5:24 NIV).
God signals to you. This is your time to move. Do that quickly. For the Lord has gone out in front of you.
King David had prayed when the Philistine army surrounded him. God told him to attack and he obeyed. And God gave him victory. But the Philistines regrouped.
This time also David prayed. But God’s answer was different this time. He asked David not to attack them directly but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the balsam trees.
Many people get tired of asking God for directions. But David never grew tired of inquiring of God. He was also willing to obey God’s directions. Yet again, there are many who continue to act the same way because they think that it is a similar kind of situation that happened to them earlier.
But David knew that God’s methods might be different though the situation was almost the same. Sometimes God opts for a direct dealing and at other times an indirect one. The only possible way to know which way He is acting at any point in time is to inquire of Him.
Also when God uses something as a signal He makes it very specific. This is to ensure that the signal that He gives cannot be mistaken for anything else. In this case it was the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees.
It could in no way have been mistaken for the sound of wind. It was specified that it would be the sound of marching. And their orders were to move quickly to battle when they heard it. All you need to do is follow when God has gone in front of you.
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