Expressing His Appreciation

At the end of his life, David looked back at how God had blessed him in spite of his failures and sinful nature and thanked the Lord for having had such a great life, and for the promises for the future, in II Samuel 23:1-5.  “Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said, The spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.

The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.  And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.  Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow.”

In his mercy and grace, God had promised an everlasting covenant with David’s family.   Even though they frequently were unfair and di not always obey God, he had honored their efforts to do what he said.  Those who refused to make such an effort could expect no such promises, as he stated in II Samuel 23:6-7.  “But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands: But the man that shall touch them must be fenced with iron and the staff of a spear; and they shall be utterly burned with fire in the same place.”  Anyone who associated with the wicked would need to be constantly on guard against them, and eventually they face eternal destruction. 

One of the things that made David a great leader was his recognition of what it cost his people to follow and support him.  He went out of his way to avoid asking too much of them, and as a result they were willing to give everything they had for him, as we see in II Samuel 23:13-17.  “And three of the thirty chief went down, and came to David in the harvest time unto the cave of Adullam: and the troop of the Philistines pitched in the valley of Rephaim.  And David was then in an hold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem.

And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!

And the three mighty men brake through the host 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: nevertheless he would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto the LORD.  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.”

David had just said he would like a drink from the well in Bethlehem and three of his most highly skilled special forces went to get it for him, risking their very lives to get him a drink.  David realized what they had risked, and refused to drink it just to satisfy his own desires, instead pouring it out as an offering to the Lord.  He realized he did not have the right to risk men’s lives just to satisfy a whim, although he appreciated their willingness.