2 Samuel 23:13-17: a reflection

13Three of the thirty chief men went down, and came to David in the harvest time to the cave of Adullam; and the troop of the Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim. 14David was then in the stronghold; and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. 15David said longingly, “Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!” 16The three mighty men broke through the army of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate and took it and brought it to David; but he would not drink of it, but poured it out to the LORD. 17He said, “Be it far from me, LORD, that I should do this! Isn’t this the blood of the men who risked their lives to go?” Therefore he would not drink it. The three mighty men did these things.

When David, hiding in a stronghold during a Philistine occupation, longs aloud for water from the well of Bethlehem by the gate, three of his warriors take him at his word. They break through the Philistine lines, at the risk of their lives, draw water from that well, and bring it to David. But David, moved, will not drink it. He pours it out to the LORD, saying, Far be it from me, O LORD, that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives? The water was too precious, bought at too great a cost, to be drunk casually.

Notice David's response to the costly sacrifice of his men. They had risked their lives for his longing, and the water they brought was, in his eyes, more than water; it was, as it were, the blood of the men who risked their lives to get it. He would not treat such a sacrifice lightly, drinking it for his own casual pleasure; instead he poured it out to God, offering to the LORD what had been won at such cost. He honored their sacrifice by consecrating it, not consuming it selfishly.

That is a moving example of honoring costly sacrifice. When others sacrifice for us, at real cost to themselves, we can treat it lightly, taking it for granted, consuming it casually. David would not; he treated his men's risk as too precious to take lightly, and offered it to God. When others make costly sacrifices for you, do not take them lightly or consume them casually. Honor them; treat what was won at great cost as precious; and, like David, consecrate such sacrifices to God rather than treating them as your due. And above all, remember the costliest sacrifice, Christ's own life given for you, and do not treat that lightly, but honor it with a consecrated life.

Lord, when David's three warriors risked their lives to bring him water from Bethlehem's well, he would not drink it casually, but poured it out to you, treating their sacrifice as too precious to take lightly. Teach me to honor costly sacrifice. When others sacrifice for me, at real cost to themselves, I can take it for granted, consume it casually, treat it lightly. Help me instead, like David, to treat what was won at great cost as precious, honoring the sacrifices others make for me, and consecrating them to you rather than treating them as my due. And above all, help me never to treat lightly the costliest sacrifice of all, the life of Christ given for me. Let me honor his sacrifice with a consecrated life, treasuring what was won at such infinite cost.