Okay, specifically, I’m asking about 1 Chron 11:17-19
David expressed a desire: “Oh, that someone would give me a drink from the cistern by the gate at Bethlehem!” Thereupon the Three broke through the encampment of the Philistines, drew water from the cistern by the gate at Bethlehem, and carried it back to David. But David refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out as a libation to the Lord, saying, “God forbid that I should do such a thing! Could I drink the blood of these men who risked their lives?” For at the risk of their lives they brought it; and so he refused to drink it. Such deeds as these the Three warriors performed.
Now, I know that David is supposed to be a man after God’s own heart. I also know that David blows it rather badly with Bathsheba. This, to me, seems to be more of a Bathsheba moment. I mean, it is good and all that he realizes at some point the selfishness of his request — a drink of water versus the lives of three of his most loyal men — but, really, isn’t that a little late? Why would you even voice a request like that, knowing that you have 3 people around you who are more than willing to risk themselves for your every whim? And once you have the water, isn’t it kind of a smack in the face to the people who risked their lives to get you the drink, to not drink it?
He *does* offer it to the Lord, but would this have been an offering which God would have wanted?
Any comments would be appreciated. :)
3 responses so far ↓
1 Kasia // Nov 21, 2008 at 11:30 am
It does seem a bit like a Bathsheba moment, especially in that he doesn’t seem to have thought much about what the implications of him opening his mouth would be. And yeah, at least in our modern context, to not even drink it after that seems like adding insult to potential injury.
On the other hand, he probably still really wanted the drink, and pouring it out as a libation to the Lord probably was really hard for him to do. Imagine being painfully thirsty and pouring your water out onto the ground because you realized it was ill-gotten. (Like if he had decided to give up marital intimacy with Bathsheba but still honor her as his queen, maybe?)
I don’t have my Bible handy and I’m too lazy to go online and look at the surrounding context, but it looks to me like the passages are more about The Three than about David. Is the point of the section to talk about David’s actions, or about the bravery and selflessness of The Three?
2 Jaibee // Nov 21, 2008 at 11:41 am
With the marital relations analogy, perhaps if he couldn’t have conjugal relations with Bathsheba, but wasn’t restricted from conjugal relations with any of his other wives.
Yes, I know the passage was more about the Three, but I think it spoke of David’s nature as well. That, and the fact that the Three, while very physically capable, seem to have a certain lack of discernment….
Hmm….
To completely give over to ANYTHING that your king asks of you — I suppose this could be a good model for how we are supposed to follow God.
But then again, David *wasn’t* God and *was* prone to bad decision-making at times….
At any rate, worth pondering. :)
3 Michael Jones // Dec 8, 2008 at 9:05 am
“He poured it out to the Lord. This may at first seem wasteful of David, and ungrateful, but it is a gesture showing great value. He likens the water to the blood of his men, and for David to drink the water obtained at the risk of their lives would have been to take their blood lightly. But to pour it out before the Lord was a way of saying that he was not worthy of it, and he was offering it to the Lord instead. Such “drink offerings” were often poured out before the Lord: see Gen. 35:14; Num. 15:7–10; 28:7–15; etc.”
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