2nd Samuel 5:22 And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. 23 And when David enquired of the Lord, he said, Thou shalt not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees. 24 And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the Lord go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines. 25 And David did so, as the Lord had commanded him; and smote the Philistines from Geba until thou come to Gazer.
This passage of scripture reveals to us the sacred truth that there is no such thing as one size fits all, when it comes to deliverance from God, because everyone and every situation will be different, therefore we must never depend on past providences for guidance in dealing with present difficulties. This means that we will continually need to approach the throne of grace to find help in time of need, as various situations and perplexities may unfold in our lives, and furthermore, the manner in which God delivers, often differs greatly from the experiences of others, for He has a thousand ways and means at His disposal, to both confound and defeat His enemies. Let's read:
Deuteronomy 20:1 When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the Lord thy God is with thee".... 3 "Let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; 4 For the Lord your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.
Psalm 68:17 The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.
In this particular instance given in the above passage, David was faced with a known threat coming from the warlike philistines, and he did the right thing, by taking the matter to The Lord in prayer first, before making any move, and before making any plans. However, in stark contrast to the experience with Goliath, where David was instructed to face the giant head on, he was now cautioned against taking the bull by its horns, because the situation he faced was different this time around, and therefore The Lord chose to employ a different method and strategy in the utter discomfiture of the enemy.
The invisible army of angels under the direct command of Christ, would be advancing atop the mulberry trees, whilst David and his soldiers were instructed not to go up to fight the enemy directly, but rather to circumnavigate them from behind, so that there would be no way for them to escape when The Lord unleashed His army against them.
This way of using different methods and strategies on a case by case basis is a sacred truth that we need to understand, because it will prevent our expectations from being limited to past methods of deliverance, and thus it will ultimately throw open wide the door for limitless possibilities to be employed, to save us from existential threats, from foes within and without. For instance, if a Christian is facing a crisis with the mortgage note, and the lender threatens to foreclose and evict, The Lord may employ a method through the court system, whereby the case may be thrown out as being invalid, because of a lack of proper documentation.
But we should never conclude that this is the only means available to God, and thus expect a repeat of the same method in every instance. God can also provide the means to deliver using human agents, who may offer a greatly discounted settlement, or in some cases, He may send an angel with a mandate to deliver us in very unconventional ways and means. When Peter was imprisoned for preaching the gospel, a mighty angel was sent to deliver him, not in a circuitous manner, but rather with a display of daring intrusion which baffled not only God's enemies, but also Peter, who did not quite understand what was happening, until after it had occurred. Let's read:
Acts 12:5 Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. 6 "The same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. 7 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him"... 8 And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals".... "and follow me. 10 When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.
One thing is certain, and that is, in every daunting situation in which we may find ourselves, it is absolutely necessary for us to pray and ask God's guidance in moving forward, for He has a million and one methods in His arsenal, and thus we must of necessity seek His face to find out which one He will use in our particular case, so that we would not be found working contrary to His will, thus defeating or frustrating His good purposes to deliver us according to His good will. We therefore end with a passage which cautions us to wait upon God for guidance in all the affairs of life, for it will honor and glorify His name, and will bring peace and assurance to us in the midst of the storms of life. Let's read:
Exodus 23:20 Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. 21 Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not".. "for my name is in him. 22 But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night' and God bless!