"And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of
Bethlehem, which is by the gate!" (2 Sam. 23:15). Such was the breathing of David’s heart_a
breathing which met with a speedy and hearty response from three members of that devoted and
heroic band which flocked around him in the cave of Adullam. "And the three mighty men brake
through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the
gate, and took it, and brought it to David." There was no command issued. No one in particular
was singled out and commissioned to go. There was the simple utterance of the desire, and this
it was which afforded the opportunity for genuine affection and true devotedness. Had there been
a specific command given to any one, it would merely have afforded an occasion for ready
obedience; but the utterance of a desire developed that ardent attachment to the person of David
which is so lovely to behold.

And mark the actings of David in this most touching scene:"Nevertheless he would not drink
thereof, but poured it out unto the Lord. And he said, Be it far from me, O Lord, that I should
do this; is not this the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives? therefore he would
not drink it. It was a sacrifice too costly for any save Jehovah Himself, and hence David would
not permit the sweet odor of it to be interrupted in its ascent to the throne of God.

How little did those three mighty men imagine that their act of loving devotedness should be
recorded on the eternal page of inspiration, there to be read by untold millions! They never
thought of this. Their hearts were set on David, and they counted not their lives dear unto them
so that they might gratify him or refresh his spirit. Had they acted to get a name or place for
themselves, it would have robbed their act of all its charms, and consigned it to its merited
contempt and oblivion. But no; they loved David. This was the spring of their activity, and they
proved that he was more precious to their hearts than life itself. They forgot all in the one
absorbing object of serving David, and the odor of their sacrifice ascended to the throne of God
while the record of their deed shines on the page of inspiration, and shall continue to shine so long
as that page endures.

Oh! how we long for something like this in reference to the true David, in this the day of His
rejection. We do greatly covet a more intense and self-sacrificing devotedness as the fruit of the
constraining love of Christ. It is not, by any means, a question of working for rewards, for a
crown, or for a place, though we fully believe in the doctrine of rewards. No! the very moment
we make rewards our object, we are below the mark. We believe that service rendered with the
eye upon the reward would be defective. But then we believe also that every jot or tittle of true
service will be rewarded in the day of Christ’s glory, and that each servant will get his place in
the record, and his niche in the kingdom according to the measure of His personal devotedness,
down here. This we hold to be a great practical truth and we press it as such upon the attention
of the Christian reader. We must confess we long to see the standard of devotedness greatly raised
among us, and this can only be effected by having our hearts more entirely consecrated to Christ
and His cause. O Lord, revive Thy work!

(From Short Papers, Vol. 2. Copyright 1975 by Believers Bookshelf, Sunbury, Pennsylvania.

Used by permission.)