2 Samuel 23:13-17 - Stewardship par excellence

The account we are reading in these verses describe another outstanding thing another three of David’s thirty men did for him. This took place when David and his men were encountering the Philistines. He was taking a temporary sanctuary in a cave in Adullam. Here he was thinking about the water from the well in Bethlehem that he was accustomed to when he was a youth. He thought aloud wishing for a drink from that well. For these three who overheard what he said, it was an opportunity to make his wish come through. So they broke through the camp of the Philistines which were occupying Bethlehem and managed to get the water from that well for their king. What loyalty! Every leader, we can be sure, would wish for men who are loyal and fearless. Men who would take great risks to accomplish a mission just to honor their leader.

However, when the three brought back the water for David, he refused to drink it. For how could he drink something that his men had put their lives at risk, just to secure the water for him? To David what truly matters was their well-being. He felt overwhelmed that they had put their lives in extreme danger just to satisfy his need. David was not rejecting the effort they had made. To him, this was a sacrifice made with a price too great, with a motive too high and a love so great that only God deserved. So he refused to drink the water but instead offered it to the Lord.

This is stewardship par excellence. And this is the kind of stewardship that God deserves and the kind that He expects of us. If David’s three would rise to that level to serve a human king, how much more should we rise to that level of stewardship as we serve the King of kings. Jesus our Lord deserves the equivalent of such acts and much more. It is needful that a steward is found faithful. And such stewards we must be. Christ Jesus offered His best to serve us and shouldn’t we give our best to serve Him in return? Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:15 reminds us that “He (Christ) died for all, so that (we) who live might no longer live for (ourselves) themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on (our) behalf.” The only kind of stewardship the Lord deserves should be nothing short of  100 percent of the very best that we can bring to Him. Amen!