1 Chronicles 11:17-21

1Ch 11:17-19

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

18. And the three 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 Drought it to David: but David would not drink of it, but poured it out to the Lord,

19. And said, My God forbid it me, that I should do this thing: shall I drink the blood of these men that have put their lives in jeopardy [or, "shall I drink in this water the souls, and so the blood, of these men; for they have brought the water even for the price of their souls? "] for with the jeopardy of their lives they brought it. Therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three mightiest.

Unrecorded Heroisms

"AND the three brake through the host of the Philistines... with the jeopardy of their lives they brought it." Truly there were heroes before Agamemnon, as has been well observed. There are unrecorded heroisms in life, little things we take no notice of, which being interpreted by God assume grand importance, and will be deemed to be worthy of great rewards. Did not these three men anticipate in some degree the wonderful words of Christ, "Whosoever giveth unto you a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple shall in no wise lose his reward"? These men did give to David, as it were, in the name of a disciple. He was their friend and leader. We may see the character of David through this action as clearly as the character of the men themselves. What love and devotion some men inspire! These men had seen David in the whole of his illustrious career, and they were willing to risk their lives for him, because he asked for water from the well of Bethlehem. Do men throw away their lives for nought? David himself was helpless at the time of his prayer, and yet his friends arose on his behalf, and forced their way through the outpost in front of Bethlehem, and brought the water that was desired. We think of the men in this case, and deservedly praise them as heroes; but we must not forget the other side of the picture namely, the aspect which it gives of David's personal character. "For scarcely for a righteous man will one die," that is, for a merely strict, severe disciplinarian. Who would not rather say, He lived by the law, let him be judged by the law? But the Apostle Paul says, "Yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die." By the "good man" he means the generous, benevolent, sympathetic soul, the genial spirit, that was interested in others, and that spared not itself when the fortunes of others were interested. Judged by this standard David comes out well in this instance. The men, who had everything to lose and nothing to gain by the transaction, went forth on behalf of their leader, and brought to him the water which he coveted. As they went on their way what musing was in their hearts! Did they not say to one another, He is worthy for whom this should be done; for the moment he is a disabled lion-heart; he is brave, he is truly grand; this is only what he himself would have done for us had we been in similar need; there is nothing too much that we can do for him, for he is every inch a king a very son of God. Thus circumstances test quality; thus hypocrisy is brought to bay, and sincere friendship is allowed to disclose itself under its most fascinating forms.

It is in this way that Christians show the character of Christ. What devotion has Christ inspired in our hearts? What are we prepared to do for him? Let the Apostle Paul answer " Neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry that I have received of the Lord Jesus." And again he says "I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." We do not see all that is in Christ when we simply look at Christ himself. There is a sense in which it would seem to be necessary to study the character of Paul, before we can really and accurately estimate some of the qualities of his Lord. Consider what Paul was: how great in mind, how high in position, how reputable in status amongst his brethren; and yet this man, probably the greatest man of his time, counted all things but loss that he might win Christ; said, "For me to live is Christ;" said, "God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of Christ;" said that he had no other object in life than to magnify Christ, whether by life or by death. All this shows us the fulness of Christ himself, he satisfied the most capacious intellect, he inspired and thrilled the most heroic heart; he was all and in all to the greatest man of his time. In this direction it is in our power also to reveal the riches of Christ to the world. The rich man may so distribute his wealth in Christ's name and for Christ's cause, as to compel the world to say what a wonderful Christ he must be who inspires such trust, devotion, and love. Nor is this a mere matter of giving; for if it were limited by simple donation it might be equalled by some of the heathen sacrifices. Not only do men give to Christ, they suffer for him; they study his law, they endeavour to walk according to the purity and exactions of a heavenly discipline; day by day they pay a tribute, not of gold and silver, but of a wholly different kind, which really taxes the heart, and through immediate poverty brings ultimate wealth. There is a giving that may be but a species of bribery or self-flattery, but all the giving that is done at the cross carries with it an expression beyond itself, and is meant to testify that along with the gift the whole heart goes with all its force and passion. It is in the power of Christians to show that the love of Christ constraineth them, and that nothing is kept back from the appeal of that infinite tenderness.

"These things did these three mightiest"( 1Ch 11:19 ).

Not mighty only; for mere power is seldom praised and is indeed seldom to be admired, but in a very partial and discriminating way. We must not be deterred by the word "mightiest" in the text, or say to ourselves that if we were mightier we would do more, or because we are not mighty we will not attempt anything; this would be mere excuse and subterfuge. Yet there are men who flatter themselves that if they were rich they would give much, if they were strong they would fight hard, if they were agile they would run swiftly in the race. All this, is the simplest self-deception. If a man will not give out of his "little" he would never give out of his "much." If a man will not give according to his ability, whatever it is now, he simply tells lies to the Holy Ghost when he says what wonderful things he would do if his circumstances permitted him. The miracle is not in the extent but in the spirit of doing. To double the first gift is to complete the only miracle that God asks at our hands. We shall make a right use of all that was done by mighty men, by taking encouragement from it to attempt something ourselves. Knox, Luther, and Wesley are not to be regarded as deterrents, driving away all humble-minded and poorly gifted servants of the Cross; they rather stand out among the mightiest, to show that even the humblest labourer does not go without recognition and reward. Spinoza, Leibnitz, and Descartes do not stand at the head of philosophy to rebuke all humble pupils, but rather to encourage them, saying from the heights, Follow us, little by little, a step at a time; and if you are afraid that dizziness will overpower you, remain where you are, and be content that you have been faithful according to the measure of your ability. Let each of us look at the mightiest and say I, too, am a man. Let us look at the immortals and exclaim I, too, am alive. Let us in all things consider that in the great household there are vessels of gold, and silver, and of inferior material, and remember that it is enough for us to be a vessel in the household of God. There were three mightiest; there may be a countless host of mighties, and yet the very poorest woman who seeks to touch the hem of the Saviour's garment, may receive power to go forward and heal and comfort others.