The Philistines yet again
launch an attack on Israel (1 Chronicles 14:13). It is uncertain as to the interval between the two attacks as well as the second attack's exact location, although the Samuel account indicates that it was in the same Valley of Rephaim (2 Samuel 5:22). Again, David carefully sought the Lord for guidance in battle, and this time instead of a frontal assault, he and his men were instructed to circle around and make a surprise attack from behind (1 Chronicles 14:14–17).1
The balsam trees referred to in 1 Chronicles 14:15 may be a shrub of sorts that drips sap when cut
2 but the exact identity is unknown. The Hebrew is bekaim, and the singular form, baca’, appears in the phrase Valley of Baca
(or Weeping
) in Psalm 84:7. The name of the tree may be connected with the verb bakah, to weep,
perhaps as a tree that exudes or weeps
some substance, in which case there may be a play on words here.3
On this occasion, the Lord not only gave David guidance as to the action he should take, but he also went before him into battle as evidenced by the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees
(1 Chronicles 14:15).4 The rustling of the leaves in the trees was most likely the Spirit of God, whose presence was heard as the sound of the heavenly army marching ahead of them. The noise was perhaps also designed to confuse the Philistine army (2 Kings 7:6).5 The word for marching
recalls the Lord’s triumphant marching through the wilderness on behalf of his people (Judges 5:4; Psalm 68:7 Deuteronomy 33:2; Habakkuk 3:3, Habakkuk 3:12). This elevates the battle into the cosmic realm where the Lord himself does battle with the false deities of the heathen world. David, as was the case earlier in another battle with the gods
in the form of Goliath, was victorious, and the enemy was pushed all the way from Gibeon to Gezer (1 Chronicles 14:16).
There is an important spiritual lesson to learn from this incident. Sometimes the believer is to simply wait until there is no doubt that God is preparing the way forward. Sometimes the decision to step out in faith is not a step in faith at all but a step in folly or presuming upon God. Waiting upon God means to refrain from acting until he gives the signal to go ahead; that is, the sound in the tops of the balsam trees.
Stepping out in faith is very often a sign of impatience in God's dealings with us. When God calls us to wait, we are to do so in trust, for failure to do so would amount to tempting him (see Psalm 95:8–9).
David’s success against the Philistines is a start to reversing the situation that existed at the time of Saul’s death. It can be likened to a return from exile (1 Chronicles 10:13–14).6 Unfaithfulness, as has been pointed out, is one of the key themes of the Chronicles. The Hebrew word ma’al means act of unfaithfulness
or sacrilege,
and is the sin that led to Saul’s fall: So Saul died for his breach of faith [ma‘alo]. He broke faith [ma‘al] with the Lord,
1 Chronicles 10:13).
David, however, does not commit ma’al; instead, because of his faithfulness to the Lord, his kingdom is highly exalted in the sight of Gentile rulers like Hiram (1 Chronicles 14:2). The Hebrew word for exalted
is lema‘lah, which contains the same consonants as ma'al (unfaithfulness, sacrilege
).7 Where Saul's brief reign was marked by exceeding unfaithfulness, the word for exalt
runs throughout the Chronicler’s account of the reigns of David and Solomon (see 1 Chronicles 22:5, 1 Chronicles 29:3; 2 Chronicles 1:1; see also on other faithful kings: Jehoshaphat, 2 Chronicles 17:12; Uzziah, 2 Chronicles 26:8).8 The choice then before the kings is between ma’al or ma‘lah, between sacrilege and exaltation. Unfaithfulness casts kings down, faithfulness exalts them.
13 And the Philistines yet again made a raid in the valley.