14 And David was then in an hold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Beth-lehem.
15 And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Beth-lehem, which is by the gate!
16 And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Beth-lehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: nevertheless he would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto the Lord.
17 And he said, Be it far from me, O Lord, that I should do this: is not this the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives? therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three mighty men. (2 Sam. 23:14-17)
Think how devoted to David these men were, who wanted to get him a little drink of water from the Bethlehem well just to make him happy. And too, consider how brave they were that they would attempt this risky mission against a host of the enemy, to break through and then to hold them off while one of them drew water from the well. Consider that they had to make their escape and defend themselves while one must hold the water pot. (Or maybe they concocted a way to carry it hands-free so all three could fight.)
David was right to refuse to drink the water, touching as his men’s devotion was. He would not want to be responsible for starting a precedent of rulers demanding men to sacrifice their lives just to obtain some trivial thing for the ruler to consume on his lusts.
So, David poured out the water before the Lord, and this language suggests it was it was done as a sort of sacrifice, suggesting an important lesson. Though it isn’t fit to embark on risky missions to gratify a mortal leader’s trivial desires, certainly it would be great if we were to risk everything to gratify our God’s will. In that respect, the three brave men are well worth emulating.
I find this story helps me see my own struggles with clearer perspective. I can tell myself, “Okay, Michaela, so you’re having troubles contacting people as part of your calling? Are you in any physical danger as you’re doing this? No? Then don’t you think you could do a little more with a cheerful heart?”
Okay, yes, I think I could.
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