September 3, 2009 THE WATERS OF SATISFACTION SCATTERED

2 Samuel 23:16b - …But he would not drink of it. He poured it out to the LORD

King David was staying at the cave of Adullam, a place southwest of Bethlehem where, many years before in the days of King Saul, he had found refuge. While there, David finds himself reminiscing about his days in Bethlehem, a city now occupied by the Philistines.
David remarked longingly to his men, “Oh, how I would love some of that good water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem.” So the Three broke through the Philistine lines, drew some water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem, and brought it back to David. But he refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out as an offering to the Lord. (2 Samuel 23:15-16)
His men risked their lives to bring him that which he desired, but when they gave it to him, David didn’t drink it. Instead, he says:
“The Lord forbid that I should drink this!” he exclaimed. “This water is as precious as the blood of these men who risked their lives to bring it to me.” (2 Samuel 23:17)
I can’t imagine what the men might have been thinking and we aren’t told. Without an understanding of who God is and a relationship with Him, David’s actions could be seen as a waste – an insult to the men who put themselves in great danger to bring him this gift. But when we know God and live our lives for His glory, we can see what an absolutely appropriate action this was on David’s part. This water represented more than a bit of liquid refreshment. It represented bravery, loyalty, and the selflessness of his men. It may have also represented to David something he desired so strongly that his men were willing to risk everything to bring it to him. Once he had it, the only right thing to do was to give it to God.

Chambers opens today by asking:
What has been like water from the well of Bethlehem to you recently – love, friendship, spiritual blessing?
What do I long for? What is my hearts desire? And when I receive those blessings, what do I do with them? Chambers goes on to say:
You can never sanctify to God that with which you long to satisfy yourself. If you satisfy yourself with a blessing from God, it will corrupt you; you must sacrifice it, pour it out, do with it what common sense says is an absurd waste.
When we have a gift, whatever it may be, how do we use it? I think most obviously of gifted musicians – if they use their talents for themselves, they may have every earthly desire fulfilled: wealth, accolades, fame. And yet, all of this is completely empty because none of those ever satisfy. Instead, there begins a cycle of constantly seeking more and with each accomplishment another is sought. The world is full of successful people seeking just a little more: a little more money, a little more acknowledgement, a little more fame. In the world, there is no end to that.

But when we use our gifts for the Lord – when we pour all that we have out to Him, earthly accolades, wealth, fame, none of that is even on the radar screen. We seek only to honor God and praise Him through our offering. When we seek to offer our blessings and gifts to the Lord, there will be many people who question why we do what we do. They may say “but you could make so much money if you’d use that talent in THIS way” and they may see our “pouring out” of our gift as a waste.

Chambers closes by saying:
If you are always taking blessing to yourself and never learn to pour out anything unto the Lord, other people do not get their horizon enlarged through you.
Using our gifts and blessings with only the purest of motivations ensures that God can use them for His purposes, not our own.