1 Chronicles 14:16
So David did as God had commanded him, and they struck down the army of the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.
Sermons
The Spiritual CampaignW. Clarkson 1 Chronicles 14:8-17
Second Battle in the Valley of RephaimF. Whitfield 1 Chronicles 14:13-17
A Wise Tarrying1 Chronicles 14:14-17
Before TheeJ. P. Lange.1 Chronicles 14:14-17
Signals for DutyJ. Wolfendale.1 Chronicles 14:14-17
The Battle of GibeonJ. Wolfendale.1 Chronicles 14:14-17
The Repeated QuestionP. B. Power, M. A.1 Chronicles 14:14-17
The Rustling of the Lord's Approaching HelpJ. P. Lange.1 Chronicles 14:14-17
The Sound in the Mulberry TreesTheodore L. Cuyler, D. D.1 Chronicles 14:14-17
Victory Comes from the LordJ. P. Lange.1 Chronicles 14:14-17














2 Samuel 5:24, 25 (1 Chronicles 14:15-17). - (THE VALLEY or REPHAIM.)
The sound of a going (as of footsteps, Judges 5:4; 2 Samuel 6:13) "in the beginnings" (on the tops or at the entrance of the grove) "of the baca trees," which David heard, was a sign appointed by God, occurring, either by his extraordinary and miraculous operation for a special purpose; or by his ordinary operation in nature and providence (the rustling of the leaves in a still season by a fresh breeze, such as, in the East, usually springs up about day dawn), and made use of by him for that purpose. It is not stated that it was intended for or perceived by any one else but David. To him it was "the sound of his Master's feet" (2 Kings 6:32); the "going out before him" of "the Captain of the Lord's host" (Joshua 5:14) at the head of legions of angels "to smite the Philistines," and summoning him to follow. And the enemy, wrapped in slumber, and attacked at an unexpected time and place, was surprised and routed. Are there now no signs of a similar nature?

1. They are needed at certain seasons - in order to the proper understanding, enforcement, and application of the truths and duties contained in the written Word; especially when iniquity abounds, love waxes cold, labour is vain, and fear and perplexity prevail; when "we see not our signs" (Psalm 74:9), nor receive "a token for good" (Psalm 86:17).

2. They are afforded in various ways - by a striking concurrence of events with the Word (1 Samuel 10:7) or their peculiar combination; by manifest tendencies, vivid impressions, spiritual suggestions, or an Unusual expectancy; sometimes with "a still small voice," sometimes with "the sound of a trumpet," "thunder and vain" (1 Samuel 12:17), or "a rushing mighty wind." They are never wholly absent; but do we hear or see them?

"Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God;
But only he who sees takes off his shoes."


(Mrs. Browning.) Consider them as -

I. PERCEIVED BY A VIGILANT OBSERVER. "When thou hearest the sound of a going," etc. Having "inquired of the Lord," and received the promise of aid, David watched for the sign thereof. "I will stand upon my watch," etc. (Habakkuk 2:1). Such a watchman:

1. Fixes his attention on the spiritual realities by which the world of sense is surrounded, supported, pervaded; and becomes conscious of what is hidden from others, whose attention is wholly absorbed in earthly things; hearing a voice they cannot hear, and seeing a hand they cannot see.

2. Relies upon the promises which have been graciously spoken by "him who is invisible."

3. Looks for their fulfilment with fervent desire and unwearied patience, "more than they that watch for the morning" (Psalm 130:5, 6), until at length the sign and then the reality which it denotes are fully revealed. Everything depends upon a thoughtful, believing, waiting spirit!

"Signs summon not Faith: but they wait for her call;
For in her own right she holds nature in thrall.
Where sense sees a blank space, with nought to inspire;
She, seer-like, finds horses and chariots of fire.

Sense ransacks all space for the proofs of a God;
Faith finds them at home, at the end of her rod.
And he who complains of no God-prints below
Will find nothing but sense-prints where'er he may go." There are chemical experiments, in which, if a certain condition be wanting, the element sought for cannot be elicited. It is present, waiting, ready to leap into activity the moment the condition is present. But as long as that is wanting, the element is imprisoned, separated by an impassable barrier, and might almost be said to be nonexistent. Similarly, the preoccupied mind might sleep at the very gate of heaven - no celestial dreams would visit it. The worldly mind might final itself in the house of God, in the holiest of all; but the cloud of glory would sweep by it unnoticed. A mind keen after earthly objects, and engrossed by the interests of time, might live here three score years and ten, with the powers of the world to come all the time surrounding it, soliciting it, pressing in upon it; and yet never once recognize a single indication of the Divine presence. And he who finds nothing of heaven on earth would find nothing but earth in heaven (J. Harris).

II. POSSESSING INVALUABLE SIGNIFICANCE. "Then will Jehovah go out before thee," etc. The sign in itself is little; the thing signified, as it is revealed to the waiting soul, is great, inasmuch as it relates to the Lord of hosts, and includes:

1. His presence with us in a very special manner (2 Chronicles 14:11; 2 Chronicles 20:12; 2 Chronicles 32:6-8). If a soldier is inspired with courage and strength by knowing that his commander is near and his eye upon him, much more should we be similarly inspired by the conviction of the Divine presence.

2. His working for us and in us. "The Lord is my Helper," etc. (Hebrews 13:6).

3. His will concerning us, with respect, not only to our welfare, but also to our duty, the spirit we should cherish, the conduct we should pursue, the manner, place, and time of our activity. There is no greater joy to a faithful servant of God than to feel assured that he is where God would have him to be, and doing what God would have him to do. And this joy is his strength.

III. REQUIRING PERSONAL EXERTION. "Then bestir thyself; go out to battle. And David did so as Jehovah commanded him." There is a time to work and fight as well as to pray and watch. As it is presumptuous and vain to stir before the signal for action is given, so it is slothful and ruinous to wait after it is received. "Wherefore chriest thou unto me?... Go forward" (Exodus 14:15; Joshua 7:10). Divine assistance is not meant to supersede our exertion, but to quicken it. Because God works we must work, with a feeling of grateful obligation, reverence, and confidence (Philippians 2:12). "The Captain of our salvation" goes out before us that we may follow him (Revelation 19:14) with:

1. Implicit obedience to his every direction and movement (see 1 Samuel 13:1-7).

2. Strenuous effort and whole-hearted devotion.

3. The utmost promptitude, Now or never. The opportunity, if allowed to slip, returns no more. "Consider that this day ne'er dawns again" (Dante).

"'Charge!' was the captain's cry.
Theirs not to make reply;
Theirs not to reason why;
Theirs but to do or die."

IV. CONDUCTING TO IMPORTANT ISSUES. "And he smote the Philistines," etc. By such. a victory:

1. The imminent danger that threatened is removed.

2. The final overthrow of the enemy is assured (2 Samuel 8:1).

3. The firm establishment and wide extension of the kingdom are promoted.

It became possible to bring up the ark to Zion (2 Samuel 6:2) and to subdue surrounding adversaries. "And the fame of David went out into all lands," etc. (1 Chronicles 14:17). God fails not to fulfil his promises; disappoints not the trust that is placed in him; but makes the faithful "more than conquerors."

APPLICATION. With reference to:

1. The individual.

2. The family.

3. The Church.

4. The nation. Can ye not discern the signs of the times? - D.

And it shall be, when thou shalt hear a sound of going in the tops of the mulberry trees.
What this "sound of going" was exactly we cannot tell. It probably resembled the march of an army in the air. A host of unseen angels may have moved above the mulberry groves, striking terror into the hearts of the barbarians and sending them into precipitate retreat. As they retreated, they fell into the hands of the Israelites (who had swung around to their rear), and were routed with complete discomfiture.

I. THAT GOD SIGNALS TO HIS PEOPLE TO TAKE CERTAIN STEPS AT CERTAIN TIMES. Then it is their duty to bestir themselves. When the Deluge was about to descend upon a guilty world, Noah was commanded to bestir himself and prepare an ark for the saving of his household. When the fire-shower was coming upon Sodom, Lot was laid hold of by God's angels and urged to escape for his life. When the children of Israel were in peril of being overwhelmed by the Egyptians, God signalled to them the order to advance, and by a majestic pillar of cloud led them through the parted sea. All sacred history is studded with illustrations of this truth. Martin Luther, discovering the "open secret" in the convent Bible at Erfurth, and hammering his theses on the church door of Wittemburg; the young Wesleys, awakened at Oxford and sent out to awaken slumbering Britain, were simply God's agents bestirring themselves at the Divine signal.

II. GOD HAS HIS "SET TIMES TO FAVOUR ZION." One of these was the memorable day of Pentecost. The faithful men and women in the upper room heard a sound as of a mighty rushing wind, and the baptism of fire descended. God moved, and His people were on their feet promptly. Each man, each woman obeys the signal. The Word of God grows mightily and prevails. The secret of this marvellous success is that Christians promptly and thoroughly co-operated with the Divine Spirit.

III. A PERSONAL APPLICATION. There are times when each child of Jesus hears the "sound of the going in the mulberries." Let them be improved. Do not let us lose heaven's fair wind. When we get fresh insight into the Word, let us open it to others. When our hearts are stirred with sympathy for sinners, then is the time to "pull them out of the fire." If the Holy Spirit is striving with us, then is the time to strive with Him to save men from eternal death. As God moves in us, let us move for the salvation of those within our reach.

IV. A TIME OF TRIAL IS OFTEN A TIME OF ESPECIAL BLESSING. I have read of a German baron who stretched between the towers of his castle a set of iron wires. In calm weather the wires were silent. But when the winds arose these metallic chords began to play, and in the height of the gale this hurricane-harp gave out glorious music. So is it with a child of God. In seasons of calm and quiet prosperity he may too often become silent, inactive, useless. But when the storms of trial strike him his soul-harp awakes to new melodies of love and faith, and his life becomes as a stringed instrument struck by the hand of Jesus. Open your heart to the voice and the influences of the Divine and Loving Spirit. Let the time of trial be the time for doing God's will, and at least one soul will taste the joys of a true revival!

(Theodore L. Cuyler, D. D.)

The word "again" contains the kernel of the special teaching here.

I. HOW DAVID ACTED HERE.

1. A wise self-distrust. Self-distrust may be sinful, as it was in the case of Moses, who could not overcome his diffidence even when God had given him the greatest of all encouragements, saying "Certainly I will be with thee." But there is a distrust of self, which is healthy and which leads a man on to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might; and that was what David had now and what secured his success.

2. A full confidence in God. He confided all the circumstances of his case to God.

3. A spirit of obedience. He was ready to abide by the Divine directions.

4. A recognition of wisdom beyond his own.

II. HOW DAVID MIGHT HAVE ACTED.

1. He might have said the means which I had before will be enough now; I have very recently defeated those Philistines; their resources I know are much impaired, mine are not; I will go out against them at once. Such reasoning would have been wrong. Means which we have had before, even though intact, are not of necessity enough for us in a new emergency. The same circumstances seldom happen with every incident precisely alike. We may not see where the differences lie, but they may exist nevertheless; and perhaps it is precisely one of those unseen differences which will defeat us.

2. He might have contented himself with thinking generally that God would be with him. For this particular enterprise David asked specific advice. Specific acts of recognition of God receive specific blessings. Lessons —

1. The value of all close contacts with God.

2. We need not be afraid of wearying God with our frequent comings.

3. The value of new infusions of God's wisdom and strength into all old, well known, well tried and successful means. The means will never be any more to us than what God enables them to be.

4. Nothing need grow old with God to keep it fresh.

III. WHAT CAME OF DAVID'S ACTING THUS? In all probability escape from defeat. The way which God pointed out in answer to David's inquiry, involved much from him.

1. Apparent cowardice.

2. Much self-restraint; but all these were but the preliminaries to triumph — the short time of waiting before God's plan was perfected in victory.Let us permit God's answers to work themselves out. They must generally evolve. We cannot consult God with reverence, obedience and love, without His taking an interest in whatever we bring before Him.

(P. B. Power, M. A.)

I. A SPECIAL CHANGE OF TACTICS.

II. A SPECIAL SIGN BY WHICH THESE TACTICS ARE CARRIED OUT.

1. A supernatural sign.

2. A disciplinary sign. Requiring an upward look, an open eye to see, an attentive ear to hear.

3. A typical sign. In the setting up of Christ's kingdom, disciples waited to be equipped for work.

(J. Wolfendale.)

I. GOD'S ANSWER TO MAN'S PRAYER.

1. Prayer for knowledge of duty.

2. Prayer for assurance of Success.

II. GOD'S HELP IN MAN'S CIRCUMSTANCES.

III. GOD'S SIGNAL FOR MAN'S ACTION. We need not only to know, and strength to obey God's will, but the signal to "go" at the right time. A detachment on one occasion waited for orders, longed to join their comrades in battle, instead of standing in silence, exposed to danger. At length Wellington gave the command, and the attack was successful. "They serve who stand and wait."

(J. Wolfendale.)

Xerxes, monarch of Persia, had invaded Greece with an army and a fleet. Against the latter the ships of the Greeks were drawn up, and were ready to sail down the bay to attack the Persians. But Themistocles, the commander, delayed. The men grew impatient and began to fret at the delay. Still he refused to give the order to advance. Discontent now became almost mutiny. Some said Themistocles was a coward; others declared that he had sold out to the enemy. But Themistocles was waiting for the land breeze. He knew that every morning, about nine o'clock, the breeze blew from the land, and by waiting for it to spring up, it would be possible to use the sails and it would be unnecessary to use the oars, and so every rower would become a fighter — thus his warriors would be increased in numbers. His delay meant success and victory as the sequel proved. In the spiritual work of to-day there is a wise tarrying and a foolish haste. Oh, if we could hear more said about the spiritual preparation, we are sure more would be accomplished in aggressive inroads upon the enemy! Let us insist that the Church be led to look for and expect the breath of the Holy Ghost, and then every man will be a soldier.

1. A word of consolation in sore distress.

2. A word of encouragement amid inward conflict.

3. A word of exhortation to unconditional obedience of faith.

4. A word of assurance of the victory which the Lord gives.

(J. P. Lange.)

1. Dost thou wait for it at His bidding?

2. Dost thou hear it with the right heed?

3. Dost thou understand it in the right sense?

4. Dost thou follow it without delay?

(J. P. Lange.)

1. When it is beforehand humbly asked for according to the Lord's will and word.

2. When the battle is undertaken in the Lord's name end for His cause.

3. When it is fought with obedient observation of the Lord's directions and guidance.

(J. P. Lange.)

People
Beeliada, David, Eliphalet, Eliphelet, Elishama, Elishua, Elpalet, Gibeon, Hiram, Huram, Ibhar, Japhia, Nathan, Nepheg, Nogah, Shammua, Shobab, Solomon
Places
Baal-perazim, Gezer, Gibeon, Jerusalem, Tyre, Valley of Rephaim
Topics
Army, Attacking, Camp, Commanded, David, Gazer, Gezer, Gibeon, Host, Overcame, Philistine, Philistines, Smite, Smote, Struck
Outline
1. Hiram's kindness to David
2. David's fortune in people, wives, and children
8. His two victories against the Philistines

Dictionary of Bible Themes
1 Chronicles 14:8-17

     5087   David, reign of
     5290   defeat

1 Chronicles 14:13-16

     4528   trees
     8131   guidance, results

Library
God's Strange Work
'That He may do His work, His strange work; and bring to pass His act, His strange act.'--ISAIAH xxviii. 21. How the great events of one generation fall dead to another! There is something very pathetic in the oblivion that swallows up world- resounding deeds. Here the prophet selects two instances which to him are solemn and singular examples of divine judgment, and we have difficulty in finding out to what he refers. To him they seemed the most luminous illustrations he could find of the principle
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Promise in 2 Samuel, Chap. vii.
The Messianic prophecy, as we have seen, began at a time long anterior to that of David. Even in Genesis, we perceived [Pg 131] it, increasing more and more in distinctness. There is at first only the general promise that the seed of the woman should obtain the victory over the kingdom of the evil one;--then, that the salvation should come through the descendants of Shem;--then, from among them Abraham is marked out,--of his sons, Isaac,--from among his sons, Jacob,--and from among the twelve sons
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Chronicles
The comparative indifference with which Chronicles is regarded in modern times by all but professional scholars seems to have been shared by the ancient Jewish church. Though written by the same hand as wrote Ezra-Nehemiah, and forming, together with these books, a continuous history of Judah, it is placed after them in the Hebrew Bible, of which it forms the concluding book; and this no doubt points to the fact that it attained canonical distinction later than they. Nor is this unnatural. The book
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

Links
1 Chronicles 14:16 NIV
1 Chronicles 14:16 NLT
1 Chronicles 14:16 ESV
1 Chronicles 14:16 NASB
1 Chronicles 14:16 KJV

1 Chronicles 14:16 Bible Apps
1 Chronicles 14:16 Parallel
1 Chronicles 14:16 Biblia Paralela
1 Chronicles 14:16 Chinese Bible
1 Chronicles 14:16 French Bible
1 Chronicles 14:16 German Bible

1 Chronicles 14:16 Commentaries

Bible Hub
1 Chronicles 14:15
Top of Page
Top of Page