Continuing our series on David’s Mighty Men today. Click on their titles to read the first one, Frozen to the Sword and yesterday’s But Shammah took his stand.
All for a cup of water
Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear. ~Ambrose Redmoon
“These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite; he was chief of the three. He wielded his spear against eight hundred whom he killed at one time.” 2 Samuel 23:8
“And this is the number of the mighty men whom David had: Jashobeam, the son of a Hachmonite, the chief of the thirty; he lifted up his spear against three hundred and slew them at one time.” 1 Chronicles 11:11
Josheb-basshebeth or Jashobeam (much easier to pronounce!), we are talking about the same person here, chief of The Three, David’s elite warriors.
There is no contradiction here in the two verses. Even the difference in names could easily be a nickname, or as we have middle names today and it could be just a variation of his name. Obviously, here in the two passages there is a huge difference in the number that he defeated, ahem, killed in battle. In 1 Chronicles it mentions he lifted up his spear to defend himself and killed 300 and in 2 Samuel it says he killed 800 at one time. Assuming these are two different instances, Jashobeam was certainly a fearless and mighty man. He wasn’t afraid to take on something bigger than himself.
If you thought that Eleazar, Shammah and Jashobeam were fearless on their own, look at what they did when they got together!
“During harvest time, three of the thirty chief men came down to David at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. At that time David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem. David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!” 2 Samuel 23:14-15.
This story is just amazing on so many levels. David and his Mighty Men were at the cave of Adullam and the Philistines were camping in the Valley of Rephaim. The Philistines had a garrison, or a permanent military post, inside the walled city of Bethlehem, the City of David.
David was battle-weary and so were his men. He was ready for the fighting to be over and in his state of exhaustion just uttered the words, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!” He longed for the water from the well of his youth; he could almost taste it. But it wasn’t just the water that he was longing for; his statement was displaying how he wished for the battle itself to come to an end. The running, the hiding, the fighting had taken a toll on him and his men.
David didn’t command for someone to get him the water, he didn’t even ask, he knew it was impossible; it was just something he said, possibly just in a sigh of weariness. But Mighty Men don’t just sit around waiting for things to happen, they MAKE them happen and one of them, or all three, heard their king say he was thirsty and that was all it took.
Now picture this, Eleazar, Shammah and Jashobeam had to travel 12 miles to get this water! They had to break through the lines of the enemy to do it but they didn’t even think twice, they were on their way.
Risking their lives for a drink of water?
Oswald Sanders is credited for saying, “Courage is that quality of mind which enables men to encounter danger or difficulty with firmness. The highest degree of courage is seen in the person who is most fearful but refuses to give in to it.”
They weren’t doing it for the water, they were doing it for their king.
The Three were committed, they believed in their leader and if he wanted water they would get it. If he had uttered that he wanted steak on a plate? They would have gotten that too! They were all about unity and selflessness. It wasn’t about them, it was about one who was in need at the time.
So they accomplished the task and brought back the water for David. Now here is the interesting part: David will not drink it! “So the three mighty men broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the LORD. “Far be it from me, O LORD, to do this!” he said. “Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?” And David would not drink it.”
Their act of bravery, of putting him first before their own lives so overwhelmed him that he cannot bring himself to even taste the water that he has longed for! He honored their sacrifice with his own by pouring it out as an offering to the Lord.
In a culture of selfies and so focused on what we see in the mirror, would we risk our lives to bring a cup of water to someone in need?
Risk Our Lives? Unity in the Body of Christ will bring about this type of sacrifice for others.
This is the picture of The Mighty Men of yesterday and of today; those that will risk their lives so that others might find deliverance from their pain and suffering here in this life and in the eternal one to come. This is the picture of those that want to give back to the One who gave so much.
What can YOU do today to be a Mighty Man or Woman of God to someone around you? Can we pray this prayer together? Lord Jesus, please make me sensitive to the needs of others around me that I might be willing to go the extra mile for their salvation. Send me to someone that is thirsty that I may offer them Living Water that only comes from You. In the Name above all Names, Jesus Christ. Amen.
