Honor God And Value People
Three of the thirty chiefs came down to David to the rock at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. At that time David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem. David longed for water and said, "O that someone will get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!" So the Three broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out to the LORD. "God forbid that I should do this!" he said. "Should I drink the blood of these men who went at the risk of their lives?" Because they risked their lives to bring it back, David would not drink it. Such were the exploits of the three mighty warriors. I Chronicles 11:15-19
David was thirsty for water. He wasn't longing for just any type of water. He longed to taste water from a particular well near the gate of Bethlehem. It was rather impossible to get that particular water to drink because Bethlehem was under the control of the Philistine army. But David's Three mighty men secretly went off at the risk of their lives, broke through enemy ranks and brought back water from the well that David longed to drink from. It was a surprise gift.
What was David's reaction? He poured out the water on the ground as an offering to God saying, "God forbid that I should do this!...Should I drink the blood of these men who went at the risk of their lives?" There is a lot to ponder in David's reaction.
First: David was a man who deeply honored God. He recognized that God had protected the warriors who risked their lives to fetch him the water from the well. His "natural" reaction was to pour out the water as an offering to God. It was simply too "holy" to drink. He would not touch what he considered sacred to satisfy his personal craving. David honored God.
Second: David valued people. David realized that the men had fetched him the water at an incredible risk to their lives. Pouring out the water as an offering to the God they served was a message to the men that he valued them so much that he would use their "feat" as an offering to God. He did not take them for granted by selfishly drinking "blood water."
Recently, I challenged our church to give sacrificially toward our building project. I made a simple appeal and challenged us to respond to enable us to reach a particular goal. I was astonished by the incredible sacrifice made by the church. My private response was, "Lord, please help me never to let your children down. This sacrifice is so sacred that I need your grace to manage it with great wisdom and integrity. This is so sacred." The sacrificial response from the church overwhelmed me and has caused me to look at every contribution with a totally different understanding and perception. I was inspired by what David did with the water.
Take a moment to reflect over the response of David. Honor God and value people. Never take the sacrifices of God's people for granted.
What was David's reaction? He poured out the water on the ground as an offering to God saying, "God forbid that I should do this!...Should I drink the blood of these men who went at the risk of their lives?" There is a lot to ponder in David's reaction.
First: David was a man who deeply honored God. He recognized that God had protected the warriors who risked their lives to fetch him the water from the well. His "natural" reaction was to pour out the water as an offering to God. It was simply too "holy" to drink. He would not touch what he considered sacred to satisfy his personal craving. David honored God.
Second: David valued people. David realized that the men had fetched him the water at an incredible risk to their lives. Pouring out the water as an offering to the God they served was a message to the men that he valued them so much that he would use their "feat" as an offering to God. He did not take them for granted by selfishly drinking "blood water."
Recently, I challenged our church to give sacrificially toward our building project. I made a simple appeal and challenged us to respond to enable us to reach a particular goal. I was astonished by the incredible sacrifice made by the church. My private response was, "Lord, please help me never to let your children down. This sacrifice is so sacred that I need your grace to manage it with great wisdom and integrity. This is so sacred." The sacrificial response from the church overwhelmed me and has caused me to look at every contribution with a totally different understanding and perception. I was inspired by what David did with the water.
Take a moment to reflect over the response of David. Honor God and value people. Never take the sacrifices of God's people for granted.
Prayer: Father, I thank You for the privilege to serve You and Your church family. Please help me to honor You and value Your children. Amen.
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