The High Price

UV 916/10,000 The High Price 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. 2 Samuel 23 v 16 The shepherd- King David had a trusted bodyguard of 30 brave soldiers. David was once taking refuge in a cave while the Philistines were in control of Bethlehem, his native place. David longed to drink water from the wall near the gate of Bethlehem. No sooner had he stated his desire than three of his bravest broke through the Philistine garrison that guarded the gate of Bethlehem, drew water from the well of Bethlehem and brought it to David to quench his longing. But David seeing that they had risked their lives to procure it for him, poured out the water as a sacred drink offering to the Lord, saying that “ Is it not the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?” The three mighty men did it for the sake of one man, their king and commander. The water symbolised the salvation that the Messiah-King Jesus was going to obtain for all mankind at the cost of every drop of His own blood. Three ordinary men became inspired to be mighty and brave under David’s leadership. They vied with each other to prove their bravery, prowess and loyalty. But Jesus the mighty God and King became meek in order to prepare Himself for the ultimate and perfect sacrifice. Jesus, a lineal descendant of King David, broke through the enemy ranks, laid down the most precious life in all of the universe and all of history and poured out every drop of His blood as an offering and payment for us. It is written that the last time He set out for Jerusalem He set His face like flint towards the cross. Nothing could deter Him or steer Him off this course, not even the agony of separation from the Father as He hung in condemnation on the cross. Our response as believers should be similar to that of David –to pour out our lives as an offering to the Lord. David valued the water of the well of Bethlehem but he valued the life of his men even more. We too need to long for the water of salvation that will quench our longing for eternity. We need to value Jesus even more than our own salvation. We need to always have in mind the high price He paid to secure so great a salvation for us. The three men of David’s guard only risked their lives but Jesus tasted death for us for three days that we should not undergo eternal death ourselves. We need to value the Word, the very water of life that will quench our spiritual thirst. Prateep V Philip