2 Samuel 23:13-17 – Service When It Feels Like A Waste
Probably the most well-known of the events recorded in this chapter is what we read in verses 14-17. Three of the chief men overhear David, and they go and break through the Philistine camp and get water and bring it back to David. And when he realises what they’ve done, and that they’ve risked their lives to get it, he won’t drink it. He sees it as blood-water, because of what they’ve put on the line to get it for him. Psalm 72, speaking prophetically of Jesus, says that the blood of his people is precious in his sight. And it was the same for David. And so what does he do with this precious water? He pours it on the ground. He’s pouring it out before the LORD. It’s not an act of waste, but an act of worship. When all is said and done, the men who’ve risked their lives have nothing to show for what they’ve done. And yet a beautiful thing has happened. They’ve risked their lives for their king. David himself realises that he is not worthy of it, and he pours it out before the Lord as an act of worship.
If you think about it, we don’t often have a lot to show for our service for God. Think about how we spend the Lord’s Day. How we devote it to him. I’m sure we could all do a lot with a Sunday if we used it for ourselves. But what do we have to show after a day of worship and fellowship? Not a lot in tangible terms. Someone might look at it and say we’re doing the equivalent of pouring water on the ground. But worship is never a waste.
And what about that day at home where you get nothing done, you mothers of young children? Not because you’re lazy, but because the small people seem to be plotting against your every attempt to do anything! And maybe you think: I could be doing so much more than this. And yet at the end of that apparently unproductive day, those small people are still alive. They know they’re safe. They’ve been disciplined when they’ve stepped out of line. They’ve been watching, they’ve been learning. They’ve been loved. They’ve been trained up a little bit more in the way they should go, as Proverbs 22.6 says.
When what you’re doing is for Jesus, whether that’s your worship or your unglamorous work for him, the world says: ‘Why this waste?’ Jesus says: “She has done a beautiful thing for me”.
Question
- How can we be encouraged that our service to God is not a waste?
Prayer Points
- Give thanks that nothing we do for Christ is ever a waste.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.