Too Precious to Drink: What Gives a Gift Its True Value

II Samuel 23:16–17
“Then the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water from the well of Bethlehem by the gate. They carried it and brought it to David, but he would not drink it. Instead, he poured it out to the Lord and said, ‘Far be it from me, O Lord, that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?’ Therefore, he would not drink it.”

Before David was a king, he was an exile. Hunted by Saul, he hid in the cave of Adullam—thirteen rugged miles southwest of Bethlehem. From the mouth of that cave, David could not see the city of his youth, but he could see the plain where it rested. And with that view came pleasant memories.

He remembered a well near Bethlehem’s gate. In David’s mind its waters were cool, sweet, and unmatched. He remembered returning home weary and thirsty, how that water always tasted better than any other. Standing there in the shadows, David longed for it—not as a command, not as a plan, but as a sigh. A quiet, absent-minded wish. He knew it was impossible. A Philistine garrison occupied the town.

But David was not alone.

Nearby stood three of his mighty men—Josheb-basshebeth, Eleazar, and Shammah. When they heard their leader’s passing desire, they did not debate its wisdom. They did not calculate the odds. They gave each other a knowing look and a nod and took up their weapons.

They marched purposefully the thirteen miles to Bethlehem, launched themselves into the Philistine camp, and fought their way to the well by the gate. Two likely held off the stunned enemy warriors while the third drew the water—perhaps into a small pitcher or leather skin. Then, with enemies closing in, they fought their way back out of the city and began the long return to Adullam.

When they arrived, they were exhausted. Bloodied. Victorious. They placed the water into their leader’s hands.

David was stunned!

What they offered him was, on the surface, worth almost nothing. A small container. Ordinary water—not much different from a thousand other wells in Israel. Yet in that moment, its value became incalculable. This water had been purchased with courage, with suffering, and with blood. These men had risked their very lives to obtain this gift for their leader.

In that moment David understood something profound: no man was worthy to drink a gift that precious.

So, he did the unthinkable. He refused it. And in an act of worship, he poured it out before the Lord.

“Shall I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?”

What cost blood was too holy for personal consumption. Only God was worthy to receive it.

Scripture tells us that even our best offerings are like “filthy rags” compared to God’s righteousness (Isaiah 65:1–7). Yet God, in grace, receives what we bring and makes it precious. What gives an offering its value is not what it is—BUT WHAT IT COSTS.

The water was ordinary. The sacrifice was not.

This truth echoes in the story of the poor widow in Mark 12:41–44. She gave two mites—nearly worthless coins—yet Jesus declared her gift greater than all the rest. Why? Because it cost her everything.

So, the question confronts us:

When we offer God our time, our money, our service, our ministry, or our worship—what does it cost us? Is it truly a sacrifice, or merely what we can spare? Some things are too precious to consume for ourselves. They belong only on the altar.

How worthy is God to you?

Believe me, I’m asking myself that same question.

Just a Follower of Jesus,

Alan W. Harris