David wouldn't drink it

2Samuel 23:15-17 David had a sudden craving and said, “Would I ever like a drink of water from the well at the gate of Bethlehem!” So the Three penetrated the Philistine lines, drew water from the well at the gate of Bethlehem, and brought it back to David. But David wouldn’t drink it; he poured it out as an offering to God, saying, “There is no way, God, that I’ll drink this! This isn’t mere water, it’s their life-blood—they risked their very lives to bring it!” So David refused to drink it.

Here is recounted one of the exploits of David’s three mightiest warriors. They risk their lives to get some water from a particular well, the well of David’s birthplace. So why doesn’t David drink it? First of all, he certainly didn’t want to encourage such foolhardiness. Yet to scold the men after their brave deed would have smacked of ingratitude. So he chooses a middle course. He recognizes that it is not worth the lives of his men to satisfy his own passing physical cravings, that only God is worthy of such honor as his men have demonstrated, so he pours the water out as an offering to God, the only one worthy of such reckless and all-encompassing devotion.

I get the feeling sometimes that people with wealth and privilege, some of our leaders of industry, forget this simple fact. They think that money can buy devotion, that their position of power gives them the right to expect other humans to be at their beck and call, to satisfy their every wish, no matter how outrageous, that their greed is more valuable than the life-savings of their employees. I wish more people in positions of responsibility would recognize that as a sacred trust, as David does here. He honors his men; he doesn’t exploit them. It would be easy for such devotion to go to his head, for him to start thinking he is some hot stuff, but he has a clear understanding of his own human limitations, of God’s limitlessness, and he knows he doesn’t deserve such fealty from his troops. He is remarkable, perhaps, for his ability to maintain a sense of humility in the face of the loyalty and passion he inspires in his followers.

Prayer: Dear God, Fortune has placed me in a position of privilege in this culture. Keep me ever mindful of that privilege, and aware of those who do not share it. Keep me humble in all my interactions, remind me of expectations that may be inappropriate, and help me remember that we are all simply human beings and equal in your sight. Amen