In the golden days of evangelistic and revival song writing, various compilations were published including Celestial Songs. Included in Celestial Songs was a song based on 1 Chronicles 14:13-17, written by E. E. Hewitt (London: Pickering & Inglis, 167). Here is the first stanza:
There’s a rustling in the tree-tops,
There’s a cloud upon the sky;
There’s a promise of refreshing,
There are signs of mercy nigh.
Christians, gather with rejoicing,
Use the mighty arm of pray’r,
And in joyous expectation
Let hosannas fill the air.
"There’s a rustling in the tree-tops." To which Old Testament incident does the song writer refer, and on what basis did he adapt and apply the account to the Church today?
The account comes from the military campaigns of King David as recorded in 1 Chronicles 14. The Philistines, Israel’s inveterate enemies, had heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, and this coronation infuriated them. Accordingly, they set out in full force (14:8) to search for him. In the process they raided the villages in the Valley of Rephaim. When David heard about the invasion he immediately sought direction from God as to his response. "Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will You hand them over to me?" (14:10). Given the green light by God, David attacked and defeated his enemies, recognizing at the same time that it was God who enabled him to triumph: "As the waters break out, God has broken out against my enemies by my hand" (14:11).
But rallying their scattered troops and recruiting others, the Philistines undertook a second invasion of the valley. Again King David sought God’s mind. He would not presumptuously or proudly set out against the Philistines, supposing that God would give him the victory. God answered him but in this case outlined a very different battle plan (14:14,15).
"Do not go straight up, but circle around them and attack them in front of the balsam trees. As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the trees, move out to battle, because that will mean God has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army."
When David carried out these strange directions, God granted him the victory again and the Philistines were overwhelmingly defeated.
This is the incident referred to in Hewitt’s song. Hewitt understood that Old Testament accounts involving warfare and military victory often typify the spiritual warfare of the Church (indeed, even in the Old Testament period there were elements of spiritual warfare reflected in the battles either won or lost by Israel).
The spiritual application of this Old Testament account would include the following aspects: Whenever our Lord Jesus, David’s greater Son, is acknowledged as King, the enemy will react. He will seek to defeat and destroy God’s people. At such times God’s people need to have God’s plan to defeat the enemy. While there are always permanent principles, God’s plan is seldom duplicated. David was right in seeking God’s plan both times, and he learned that on the second occasion God’s plan included several unusual features. Let us learn from this incident what is involved in moving out when God moves in.
The Divine Evidence
First, before we can know victory over the enemy, we must look for the divine evidence: "As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees...." Here is the divine signal for David and his warriors: "the sound of marching"--not a mere rustling sound, but the sound of marching soldiers. The sound is to be heard in the tops of the balsam trees, not that the trees were creating the sound, but the sound was to be heard high about the ground. It was not a natural sound, for David had heard the breeze soughing in the trees many times, but it was a supernatural signal, probably the sound of the Lord’s army, for He is called the Lord of hosts or of armies.
Arthur Wallis comments: "This was to be the sign that ‘God’s host’(Gen. 32:1,2) was on the move, and that the powers of heaven were being thrown into conflict to secure overwhelming victory" (In the Day of Thy Power, p. 203. CLC).
It is not given to many to hear this sound of marching armies, but the ear of faith can pick up certain sounds that indicate that God is urging--indeed, is leading--His people on to victory and revival. We identify some of them here.
Rustling Pages--Can we hear the sound of rustling leaves, the pages of God’s Word, as His people search the Scriptures for His promises of renewal and revival and spiritual triumph? It is written in the Book of Daniel that Daniel was to close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Then this prediction is made: "Many will go here and there to increase knowledge" (Daniel 12:4). This would seem to relate not to an increase in general knowledge, but to an intensified perusal of the scroll of Daniel with the result that the knowledge of God’s plan is increased. This is what we are listening for--the thrilling sound of the pages of God’s Word being turned again and again as God’s people, Berean-like, examine the Scriptures every day to see that what is being claimed by preachers and teachers is true (see Acts 17:11).
Praying Voices--Are we listening for the sound of praying voices? In the early Church we read of an occasion when facing opposition from the religious and civil rulers of Jerusalem, the disciples "raised their voices together in prayer" (Acts 4:24). This kind of prayer has to be submissive--the disciples began, "Sovereign Lord...." It has to be specific: "Stretch out Your hand...." And sustained: we are certain that prayer meeting was not over in five minutes! Do we really believe that God moves in answer to the intercessions of His people? Is there the sound of praying voices to be heard in the Church worldwide?
Broken Hearts--And is the sound of broken hearts to be heard, the sobs and sighs of those who are contrite before God? We need to remind ourselves constantly that "the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit" and that our God will not despise a broken and contrite heart (Psa. 51:17). God dwells in a high and holy place, but He condescends to come down to dwell with "him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite" (Isa. 57:15). There is a lot of noise in our churches today, but is there the sound of hearts that are truly shipwrecked on God?
Fervent Praise--Again we ask: Is there the sound of fervent praise being heard in the Church? The psalmist exhorted the saints in these words: "May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands" (Psa. 149:6). God desires His warriors to be armed with both the song and the sword of the Spirit. The penitent’s psalm clearly establishes that the revived heart is a rejoicing heart, but it also affirms that purity precedes praise. If we do not come before the Throne of Grace with pure hearts God will accept neither our praises nor our prayers (see Isaiah 1:10-15).
Marching Feet--Finally, do we hear the sound of marching feet, the feet of God’s angelic army? If the prophet Elisha could see Heaven’s horses and chariots of fire (2 Kings 6:15-17), then is it possible for the ears of faith to hear the sound of their feet marching to the help of God’s people? "As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move out to battle, because that will mean God has gone out in front of you...."
There’s a sound of marching in the trees;
The Lord of hosts has come.
It is the army of the angels
Who march to Heaven’s drum.--Ted Rendall
These are sounds to listen for--rustling pages, praying voices, broken hearts and fervent praise and marching feet. But says someone, most of these are earthly sounds. Yes, they signify human hands, tongues, lips, but in a deeper sense these sounds are divine. David heard the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees; the trees caught and communicated the sounds, but essentially it was God and His angels marching forth to conquer! In the same way, the ear of faith catches the sounds coming from the hearts of God’s people and understands them to be God at work and at war.
Let Herbert Lockyer, English Bible teacher of a previous generation, press home the significance of these heavenly sounds:
"Are we listening for sounds? Have we learned the necessary lesson of listening, hearkening to, and then obeying, these heavenly sounds? David is here pictured as clinging to God for His direction, even in minutest details. Is this our attitude? Do we hear the gentle breeze of the wind of the Holy Spirit playing upon the tops of the spiritual mulberry trees? The child of God waits for the sound of a going, not on earth, with its siren, contradictory voices, but in the air, even for the moving of the breath of the Spirit who bloweth where He listeth. Oh, for ears open for the sound of the coming revival, eyes open to see how God can slay the Philistines of sin and unbelief!" The Mulberry Trees (Eerdmans).
The Divine Explanation
But not only are we to listen for the divine evidence, we are to believe the divine explanation. To David God said: "As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move out to battle, because that will mean God has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army" (1 Chron. 14:15).
Divine Interpretation--Here, first, is divine interpretation: "...that will mean...." David is not left to his own interpretation of the sounds in the tree tops. He is clearly instructed by God Himself as to the significance of the marching feet. It was Thoreau who said, "If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." Surely it is God’s soldier who can make these words his own, for by the ear of faith he hears the sound of a different drummer and a different army.
In the eighteenth century there was a remarkable revival in Britain and in America. We believe that it was a movement of God by His Holy Spirit through the preaching of God’s Word. That is, we believe the biblical interpretation of what happened. But there are those who want to reduce it all to a man-made performance. The success of George Whitefield is attributed to such features as his dramatic gift, his oratorical skill, or his understanding of the value of publicity. While it cannot be denied that these features were present, they do not explain how hundreds of people on both sides of the Atlantic had similar experiences of God that produced holiness and godliness of life and conduct.
Divine Intervention--In His interpretation of what was about to take place God informed David that there would be divine intervention. "That will mean God has gone out in front of you" or as another translation renders it: "That sound will mean I have marched out ahead of you...." (The Contemporary English Translation). Catch the connection: "As soon as you hear the sound of marching... God will be marching out ahead of you."
Julie Ward Howe caught the idea in her "Battle Hymn of the Republic." Concerning the heavenly Warrior she wrote:
He has sounded forth the trumpet call
that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men
before His judgment seat;
Oh, be swift my soul, to answer Him!
Be jubilant my feet!
Our God is marching on!
In every great awakening our God marches on.
Divine Intention--And let us not lose sight of the divine intention. "That will mean God has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army." As Commander of the army of the Lord (see Joshua 5:14), Christ leads His people from victory to victory. According to the psalmist the Lord arms us with strength, trains our hands for battle, gives us the shield of victory, and enables us to defeat our enemies (see Psalm 18:32,34,35 and 37). Hearing the sounds of marching in the tree tops David was to be assured that God was on the scene and would intervene on his behalf so that he could say: "With God we will gain the victory, and He will trample down our enemies" (Psa. 60:12).
The Divine Exhortation
We are to listen for the divine evidence and grasp the divine explanation. But we must also obey the divine exhortation. Here is our key verse again: "As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move out to battle, because that will mean God has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army." "Move out to battle...God has gone out in front of you."
Immediate Action--This command calls for immediate action. "Move out to battle!" Don’t delay. God is on the march. Follow Him now. Don’t form another committee, or call for another conference or congress. The Church is guilty at this point. There is no problem in identifying the enemy. There is no problem in interpreting the Great Commission. There is no reason to hold back or to retreat. "Onward, then, Christian soldiers, marching as to war!"
Obedient Action--We must make sure that when we respond to the divine exhortation we are acting obediently. Activity is not enough; it must be in conformity to God’s directions, however strange they may seem to the natural mind. To Joshua God said: "March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse" (Joshua 6:3-5).
To Jehoshaphat God’s prophet, Jahaziel said: "Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow march down against them...You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you" (2 Chron. 20:15,16 and 17). And on the next day Jehoshaphat placed a male-voice choir at the head of his army, and God gave the victory.
And to King David God said: "Do not go straight up, but circle around them and attack them in front of the balsam trees. As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move out to battle, because that will mean God has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army" (2 Chron. 14:14,15). And what was David’s response to this unusual battle strategy? "David did as God commanded him, and they struck down the Philistine army" (14:16).
In each case God called for an obedient response to the directions given. David did not alter or adapt God’s commands. He did not argue with God. He did as commanded.
Has God made His will clear to His people? Is His mandate comprehensible to each one of us? Then let us obey Him, carrying out His commands exactly as they have been given to us.
United Action--But God calls upon His front-line soldiers to undertake united action. There is no hint that David has a group of soldiers who were reluctant to move out to face and fight the enemy. There is no reference to rebellious soldiers. Indeed, the evidence is that David’s entire army moved as one man at God’s command.
Much has been made about church union, but there is something much deeper, and that is Christian unity, the unity of the Spirit, the unity that acknowledges Christ as the King and Commander-in-Chief of His army. That is what is needed as we respond to God’s call.
Confident Action--Of course, God expects confident action. God has promised to defeat the enemy: "This will mean God has gone out to strike the Philistine army." David and his men were inspired by the divine promise.
Before His death and resurrection the Lord Jesus assured His disciples of victory: "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." The present world system is aggressively antagonistic toward God and His people. We are called upon to oppose this evil world with the assurance: "This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God" (1 John 5:4,5).
Here’s another stanza from Hewitt’s song:
There’s a rustling in the tree-tops,
Pass along the word of cheer.
Go ye out to Gospel warfare,
For the pow’r of God is here.
There’s a sure and happy vict’ry,
For the Lord goes on before;
Rally ’round Immanuel’s banner;
Bless His name for evermore.
Praise God, there is the sound of marching, and that sound is a summons to march out and with God!
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