Can You See the Mulberries Moving?

"And it shall be, when you hear a sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall go out to battle, for God has gone out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines" (1 Chronicles 14:15, NKJV)

Sounds in the tops of the mulberry trees - what a glorious picture of the presence and the power of God in the life of any man He may choose to lead, beloved! Do you know the story? If not, then let me tell you. If so, then it is worth hearing again.

David had just at long last been proclaimed king over all Israel. A great festival attended by everyone had taken place with worship and rejoicing that the nation had her rightful king upon the throne. Finally the nobles and commanders and all visitors returned to their homes and the land grew quiet. The Philistines had been watching from afar with growing paranoia and hostility. Seeing that the people were finally dispersed, they flooded into the land of Judah, filling the Valley of Rephaim with an army that was seemingly innumerable. David inquired of the Lord and was directed to assault them directly. David and the forces of Israel did so and won a great victory.

Still again the Philistines came into the Valley of Rephaim in great numbers. Once again David inquired of the Lord, refusing to act upon the basis of his previous victory. Good thinking! This time God directed him to come around behind the armies of the Philistines and to camp against them where the mulberry trees grew. Then God gave to David an unusual directive, as our focal verse of Scripture reveals. He was to wait until he could hear the sounds of an army moving through the leaves at the tops of the mulberry trees, then he was to attack them from behind. Again, David obeyed God implicitly and again God routed the Philistines before him.

I have heard it said and have read from any of a number of theologians and writers that possibly the "sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees" could easily have been the hosts of heaven leading the way for David to the victory which he inevitably realized. Whether that understanding is literally true, what a glorious picture it is nonetheless of how God goes before us in every situation that we face! In a beautifully poetic way, God said to David, "Wait until you see Me move, then you move and follow Me!"

How often today do we find ourselves on the wrong path simply because we did not think to wait for the leaves in the tops of the mulberry trees to move, beloved? Are you facing a set of circumstances right now in which you need the clear leading of God in your life? Then, do what David did. Wait for the evidence of God's moving and then follow Him wherever He may lead! For us today as Christians, that moving of the leaves comes to us as we study His Word and follow His leading there. Are the mulberry leaves moving yet in your life? Are you moving forward in obedience to God's will?

Ron

How Does God 'Taste'?

"O taste and see that the Lord is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!" (Psalm 34:8)

"Have a blessed day!" How many times has someone said that to you, beloved? Or how about the ever popular "God bless you!"? The issue of being "blessed" is certainly one with which we seem to be fascinated today, judging by our choice of expressions anyway.

You will forgive me, I am sure, if I share thoughts with you in this devotion which are a bit more personal, a bit closer to home than usual. There is absolutely no doubt about it - I am a blessed man! I have the most wonderful wife that any man could ever be so "blessed" as to have. She is a treasure to me and, as the writer in the book of Proverbs says: "Her worth is far above jewels" (31:10). So in that one sense alone I have been privileged to "taste and see that the Lord is good"!

Then there are my three wonderful kids. Kids? I'm not sure they would appreciate me calling them that since they are 42, 40, and 37 respectively. But make no mistake about it, beloved, our two daughters and our son are the best! They are wonderful parents in their own right and I love the way that they love their mother and how much they respect her and look up to her. Nor could I possibly forget to say how blessed I am with the "in-law" kids that marriage has brought to me. Our two sons-in-law and our daughter-in-law are simply the best! All of that is another "taste" of God's goodness that just keeps bringing me back for more!

And have I shown you pictures of my grandchildren yet? No? Then you've just got to see them! Those 4 girls and 5 guys fairly make their Pop's vest buttons burst with pride. When I think about them, I am afraid that I am guilty of getting that famous "Jello pudding grin" you've been seeing on the commercials. How good God has been in blessing me with each one of them!

Another "taste" of God's goodness comes in the form of my extended family, both by blood and by marriage. Too many to possibly name here, they know who they are and know how much I love them and appreciate them.

One very special "taste" of God's goodness has been for many years and still is today the blessed privilege of being able to share His Word with believers as a pastor and preacher of the gospel. Very simply, I have been blessed to have the best "job" in the world! I cannot even begin to count the blessings that have accrued to me because of this one taste of God's goodness. Some of the most wonderful friends whose love I enjoy now have been my stalwart companions in the vineyard of God's kingdom. I cherish every one of them and praise God for them.

On and on my list of ways that the "taste" of God's goodness in my life is delicious could go, beloved. But let me simply bring this to a close by saying that the most glorious proof of God's goodness is without a doubt the blessing of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I could 'rare' back and shout whenever I think of how His love and mercy have washed over me again and again! O to be sure, God is good! So how does God "taste" to you, beloved? I hope that you can say with me that He tastes "good"!

Ron

Where Is Jesus Going?

"And seeing them straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night, He came to them, walking on the sea; and He intended to pass by them" (Mark 6:48)

One of the most overlooked facts about that night on the Sea of Galilee when Jesus came to His disciples walking on the water in the midst of a storm concerns the reality of where He was headed when He found them floundering in the midst of the storm! Clearly, as John Mark has recorded, Jesus was not headed for their boat but for the opposite shore. You may recall that where Jesus was going was where He had sent them the evening before following the feeding of the 5,000:

"And immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the multitude away" (v. 45)

So Jesus was not heading toward their boat when He appeared on the horizon that night, but rather toward the same destination which He had given to His disciples! Surprisingly perhaps, He was not on the surface of the sea that night to once again bail them out of trouble, but rather to reach His intended objective.

It is so in our lives as Christians today, beloved, a truth that many of us still have to learn. Jesus does not "trail along" after us in life, stepping in to help whenever we mess up. He is rather on a mission of His own and that mission He has plainly outlined for us to understand:

"Jesus said to them, 'My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work'" (John 4:34)

Just because Jesus did end up getting into the boat with His disciples early that morning, beloved, does not mean that He is following us around so that He may "rubber-stamp" whatever it is that we want to do in life. He only got into the boat because Peter had called out to Him and asked to join Him out on the water. Otherwise, as Mark makes clear, He would have kept right on going.

It is vital, then, for us to answer for ourselves this question - "Where is Jesus going?" It is not He who is desirous of joining us in what we are doing. It is we who need to find out where He is going and join Him in that! Just as He said to the disciples of John when they asked where He was going - "Come and see" (John 1:39) -so today He invites you and me to join Him in what He is doing for the Father's kingdom! Where is Jesus going? Find out and join Him!

Ron

Higher Ground!

"If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:1-3)

In 1898 businessman and leisure-time lyricist Johnson Oatman, Jr. wrote words that were later set to music, one of some 3,000 songs written by him. This one became a favorite of the church of Jesus Christ. Oatman, himself a licensed Methodist Episcopal preacher of the gospel, expressed beautifully in his lyrics his own desire for a higher plane of fellowship with God than he had at the time of this writing. His words illustrate wonderfully for us the exhortation by the Apostle Paul written to the believers in the church of Colossae:

I'm pressing on the upward way,
New heights I'm gaining every day;
Still praying as I onward bound,
"Lord, plant my feet on higher ground"

"Lord, lift me up and let me stand
By faith on heaven's table-land,
A higher plane than I have found:
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground"

The "higher plane" about which Oatman wrote, beloved, the apostle here describes as "things above." The Greek word ano refers specifically to a different plane than the one upon which believers commonly live. The clear contrast is between the kingdom of this earth and the kingdom of heaven!

Furthermore, the command to "keep on seeking" is a translation of the Greek verb zeteo which speaks of pursuing a thing passionately, even of coveting it above all else. Paul's focus cannot possibly be misunderstood. He was talking about each believer living on this plane of existence seeking as the focal point of his thoughts and actions daily a different plane - the kingdom of heaven. And the reason given is simply that as followers of Jesus Christ we have "died" to this world through our identification by faith with Him in His death, burial and resurrection. We have awakened spiritually to a new realm, to a "higher plane," as Oatman so describes it.

And what of those who profess faith in Christ yet who are content to focus only on this sphere? In his letter to the believers in the city of Philippi, this same apostle wrote these somber words:

"For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things" (Philippians 3:18-19)

"Who set their minds on earthly things" - do you see Paul's contrast, beloved? That is precisely what Oatman meant when he through his prayerful lyrics petitioned God to plant his feet on higher ground! Where is your own personal focus today? Are you seeking the interests of the kingdom of heaven above all else? Do your feet itch to walk the shores of higher ground? My hope is that all of us will be able to say with hearts of passion, just as Johnson Oatman, Jr. did - "Lord, plant my feet on higher ground"!

Ron