[2Sam 23:13-17] But He Refused to Drink It

John Lim

2 Samuel 23:13-17                                                                            

“But he refused to drink it.” 

                                                                                                               

          

“During harvest time, three of the thirty chief men came down to David 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, "Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!"  So the three mighty men 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 before the LORD.  "Far be it from me, O LORD, to do this!" he said. "Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?" And David would not drink it. Such were the exploits of the three mighty men.”

 

We have here in this passage a magnificent picture of the relationship between David and his mighty men who were under his charge.  David as we know had been a warrior all his life so much so that God would not allow him to build a temple in his time.  David was not a perfect man but fraught with personal foibles and flaws.  Our Scripture does not portray any character in the best of light but offers us a complete view as a mortal man.  And David is no exception.  In spite of his shortcomings however, God says of David that he was a man after His own heart. 

 

This scene takes place in trying times for David as he was fleeing from Saul and band of men started to gather around him as men came from near and far to join this band of rag tag bunch, and rallied around David. 

 

During this time, there were numerous conflicts between Philistines and Israelites.  They were locked in battles throughout the region as the Philistines tried to subdue Israelites.  On this particular occasion, the Philistines had an upper hand by occupying Bethlehem which was historically an important city for the Israelites.  David and his men were perched up in stronghold looking down at the valley seeing the occupation of Bethlehem by the Philistines.  Look at verse 13-14.

 

“ During harvest time, three of the thirty chief men came down to

            David 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.”

 

For David, the city of Bethlehem meant even more because this is the town where Ruth, his great grandmother came from the land of Moab as a destitute and ended up marrying Boaz, David’s great grandfather by the grace of God.  So David understood the implication of this occupation by the Philistines who did not worship God of Israel who now has taken over the town.  Feeling helpless and not being able to take back the town of Bethlehem, we can very well imagine David’s aching heart. 

 

This land belonged to Israelites but because of their inability to mount an effective attack to take back the town, David was morose and looked down the valley longingly. 

 

So, David utters some extraordinary words that seem quite out of place.  Look at verse 15.

 

            “ David longed for water and said, "Oh, that someone would get me

            a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!"

 

It may have been that David was thirsty and being consumed by his longing to take back the town of his great grandparents, these words might have escaped his lips.  But regardless, he openly exclaimed these words. 

 

I don’t believe that there was no other water source than the well near the gate of Bethlehem.  Water is critical for survival.  And it is very unlikely that everyone in the camp with David were dying of thirst.  David’s utterance comes as a result of many other factors.  When he said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem,” he meant much more than the water itself.  David was expressing his frustration and longing at the same time of taking back the town that meant a great deal to him personally and to the Israelites.  Water was symbolic of his longing to take back the town of Bethlehem from the hands of Philistines. 

 

Lo and behold!  As soon as the words escaped David’s mouth, look at what happens in verse 16.

 

            “So the three mighty men 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 before

            the LORD.”

 

Three mighty men from the band of David broke through the Philistines lines, drew water from that exact well near the gate of Bethlehem that David referred to and brought it back to David. 

 

With our Western cultural understanding, it may be somewhat difficult to grasp the full impact of this scene.  What is even more amazing is what David did afterwards.  This is the picture of a man whose heart was right with God.  This scene shows that loving kindness between David and his men who would gladly die for him. 

 

David, who worships God of Israel, understood that he held these men’s lives in his hand and that their loyalty and faithfulness or loving kindness or “hesed” were of the noblest kind and that he would not take advantage of it for his personal gain.

 

Had David actually drank that water, he would have been no better than all the despots and dictators around the globe today who would welcome and encourage such sacrifice in order to bask in their own narcissistic frame of mind and their own political ascendancy. 

 

David was a man after God’s own heart.  Instinctively and simultaneously, David realized what he had  just done in regards to his perhaps careless words.  We don’t have the full context or the complete picture of what may have taken place when he uttered those words.  Is it possible that David was merely thinking out aloud not realizing that there were men who were listening? 

 

However, I do not believe David was saying these words to challenge his men to go out and prove themselves either in a reckless manner.  Also I don’t believe David uttered these words to see who among them would prove to be the most loyal warriors.  That would be just as reckless while being manipulative and demeaning.  Those are not qualities of a leader whose heart is after God’s. 

This is what separates David from other ruthless military leaders of the past who view men as nothing more than means to achieve their objectives.  Men’s lives are precious and ought to be treated with dignity and respect.  Tyrants and dictators around the world have no honor and so they have exacted ultimate sacrifice from their men in order to achieve their end.  The end does not justify the means. 

 

That precious water brought to David by his three mighty men who loved David, their commander more than their own lives, was not be enjoyed by David.  That water symbolized something far more than water that would quench David’s seeming thirst.  Look at verse 17 in what David says.

 

             "Far be it from me, O LORD, to do this!" he said. "Is it not the blood

            of men who went at the risk of their lives?" And David would not drink it.”

 

David was a man of God who knew that he was a mere mortal who was not worthy to receive his men’s devotion and loyalty.  He was firmly rooted in who he was in relation to God.  He did not dare forget that he started out as a youthful shepherd who had been chosen by God to serve God.   

 

David was a man who found his strength not in weapons or his men but in God.  David was the commander of his men but his commander was God Himself.  David would not drink that water because that would mean that he was worthy to receive his men’s devotion.  David says, “Far be it from me, O LORD, to do this!”

 

David came to realize just what he had done and what could have happened because of perhaps careless words that slipped from his mouth.  He continues, “Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?” 

 

David clearly understood that this water his faithful and loyal men brought back to him to drink at the peril of their own lives was blood of men who risked their lives to get it.  So he would not drink it.  David expresses his own unworthiness to receive such devotion from men.  He knew that he was unworthy and that only God Himself is worthy to receive that devotion. 

 

This is the beauty of David’s character and his depth of understanding because of his own relationship with God.  David’s ego was not so great that he thought naturally he should receive such devotion and loving kindness or “hesed.” 

 

The Scriptures tell us in two places that he would not drink it.

 

            But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the LORD. (vs. 16)

            And David would not drink it.  (vs. 17)

 

There is no doubt that David did not partake of this sacred water that represented the very blood of his men. 

 

David was an ultimate warrior at heart.  He commanded his men and he also had a commander in God.  As much as he led his men, he would always know that God would lead him.

 

What is truly beautiful about this scene is that David does his job as a commander and the three mighty men do their job as subordinate soldiers.  The three men give of themselves to honor their commander in David.  David as their commander does not take their devotion lightly but deflects their willing sacrifice to God for he knows that God is the ultimate commander to whom we are all accountable.  God alone is worthy to receive our devotion. 

 

In our Christian lives, we serve our God with similar understanding and acknowledgment.  God is our commander who leads us against all our foes.  We trust and believe on Him with our lives.  Regardless of what happens to us, we know in the end that we are in His hands and that He would care for us. 

 

Is there a better commander for us than God in our Christian life?  God who did not spare His one and only son Jesus Christ for us, isn’t He worthy to receive our constant devotion?

 

Our earthly commanders are mere mortals and are not perfect.  Even David himself failed miserably in his dealings with Batsheba and also Uriah, her husband later on.  This commander whose heart was after God’s own heart being a mere man succumbed to adultery and murder.  But as a believer, David found grace in God’s eyes and repented of his sins and was forgiven. 

 

That water the three mighty men brought is symbolic of the blood of Christ who died on the cross two thousand years ago on our behalf.  David’s utterance,

 

            “Oh, that someone would get me

            a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!"

 

is as if we were uttering, “Oh, that someone would get me an entry to heaven.”

 

We know that it is impossible for us to get this entry to heaven on our own.  And Jesus Christ, the Son of God literally descended to hell and conquered death and brought back for us eternal life in heaven. 

 

We were powerless to do anything about it for we could never attain eternal life on our own.  No matter how much we wanted to gain an entrance to His Kingdom, we do not have the means to achieve this. 

 

And Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior did not hesitate but gave himself up on the Cross at Mount Calvary to hang instead of us to purchase redemption for us.  That is what Jesus Christ accomplished for us on that day.

 

And because of His sacrifice, His blood, we now look forward to that day in His Kingdom when we depart from this world and join our loved ones who have gone before us.   Jesus is the one who willingly gave up his life on the cross that he might gain for us that propitiation that we might have eternal life.