Right after Saul died - the Philistines took over the land of Israel. David was anointed king but he had to fight to reclaim the kingdom that Saul lost. He and some mighty men were in a cave in the mountains and he had a desire for some water from the well of Bethlehem. Here is the account:
1 Chro 11:17 And David said with longing, “Oh, that someone would give me a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!” 18 So the three broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David. Nevertheless David would not drink it, but poured it out to the LORD. 19 And he said, “Far be it from me, O my God, that I should do this! Shall I drink the blood of these men who have put their lives in jeopardy? For at the risk of their lives they brought it.” Therefore he would not drink it. (emphasis added)
David does four things:
- He was unabashed in acknowledging his desire - without limitations.
- He is offered a fulfillment of part of his desire.
- He lays the semi-fulfilled desire before God.
- He trusts God for the true fulfillment of the fullness of desire.
I have often wondered why David would not drink of the water his mighty men had so valiantly brought to him. Then I realized that David's true desire was to drink 'freely and unrestrained' from the well at Bethlehem. He was offered a one off chance to drink at great risk. Why would he say No to that seemingly lavished offer?
The answer to that questions lies at the heart of God, which David writes about in the psalms. Therefore, David looks to God to provide the way to fulfill his desire without constantly having to risk to fulfill it. He pours the "expensive" drink before God - as an offering. Thereby he puts a demand on God to truly fulfill the desire without having to fight for it constantly.
As the story goes, David and his men did end up risking their lives and fighting the Philistines. With every battle won, God was giving them territory and pushing the enemy out till one day David truly possessed the whole territory of Isreal. Then he could have as much water from the well at Bethlehem that he wanted!!!! His desire was truly fulfilled.
Now brining it home
We all have in us seeds of true desire. Even acknowledging those desires requires great faith and boldness. It is quite worth the pain required to identify and boldness required to acknowledge TRUE desires - especially if those desires are so out of reach. It is possible that in those unabashed desires we find the seeds of our God breathed destiny.
Having identified those desires, we have an opportunity to look to God to provide the means of fulfilling it without having to "break the rules" or fight for it regularly. Temptations will come that would give the illusion of fulfillment of desires but with a very subtle "only if" clause attached. We have the opportunity then to "pour that drink to God" and look to him for means to fulfill the desires in a sustainable way.
In the end, the fulfillment of desire itself is not as important as the trust we gain by leaning on God in every situation. I am not sure when David got a chance to drink from the well at Bethlehem. He had to fight many battles, some even far away from Bethlehem. David chose to trust God in every situation/battle he was facing no matter where it was. Then there came a point in time when he could drink of the well freely and unrestrained. So it is with us, after we identify our true desires, we have the opportunity to say no to temptations of settling and trust/lean on God to bring the fullness of that desire in a sustainable way.
