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2 Samuel 5:17–25

So David went to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there; and he said, “The Lord has broken through my enemies before me, like a breakthrough of water” (v. 20a).

The author of 2 Samuel now seems to step back in time, to the period immediately after David’s anointing by all the tribes of Israel, to report on his first victories as king over Israel’s archenemies, the Philistines. What Abner foresaw (3:18) now comes to pass.

When the news reaches Philistia that David has become king over all Israel, the Philistines gather “to search for David.” They apparently made no move against him when he was king over Judah only; after all, a divided Israel was a much less potent threat to Philistia. But now that Israel has united under this most capable of men, it will not be so easy to push around. Therefore, the Philistines decide to try to get rid of David as soon as possible, before he can consolidate his power. So they assemble for battle in the Valley of Rephaim, a few miles southwest of Jerusalem. Reverting to his “desert fox” tactics, David takes his men back to their old wilderness strongholds. He then very prudently inquires of God as to whether he should strike and whether God will give him victory, and God answers yes to both questions. David therefore attacks the Philistines and routs them so thoroughly that they drop their idols in their haste to flee, and David and his men collect them, presumably to destroy them. David then gives God full glory for the victory, saying He swept the Philistines away like a torrent of water unleashed. His term for God, Baal Perazim (“Master of Breakthroughs”), becomes the name of the battle site.

The Philistines, however, are not finished—they find reinforcements and assemble in the Valley of Rephaim once again. Therefore, David once more asks for divine guidance, and this time God gives very specific battle instructions—David is to circle around behind the Philistine forces and confront them in front of a stand of mulberry trees. Then, God says, He Himself will go before David to strike the Philistines, marking His advance by the sound of marching in the tops of the trees. God intends this as a sign both for David (that he should attack) and probably also for the Philistines (that they might know that fighting against David means fighting against David’s powerful God). So it goes, and David drives the Philistines back to Gezer, completely out of the Judean hill country and onto the coastal plain, to the border of Philistia itself.

Coram Deo Living before the face of God

Paul said it best when he asked rhetorically, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31). The answer is obvious—no one. And the testimony of Scripture is that God is with those who trust and love His Son. He will give His people victory. Seek Him with all your heart and look to Him to deliver your soul from all its foes.


For Further Study
  • Pss. 27:7; 63:1
  • Matt. 6:33
  • Col. 3:1
  • Heb. 11:6

    A Home at Last

    A Morning of Joy for David

    Keep Reading Counting It All Joy: The Acts of Christ in the Third Century

    From the August 2003 Issue
    Aug 2003 Issue