He’s done nothing to earn whatever gifts God had seen fit to bless him with, so he figured he had no reason to take pride in them.”
–Chris Bennett (Insurrection)
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”
–James 1:17 (NKJV)
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I want to look this morning at a different Thanksgiving story. It involves three men, actually four. Men who served with each other; men who were pledged to each other because of war. These men were bonded together because of blood, no, not the blood of family, but the blood of each other. Warriors, all four.
Growing up there was nothing better than Boulder water. It came from the Arapaho Glacier and there was a bank in Boulder with a water fountain that used this cold, pure water. I remember traveling and trying to drink water in other areas. Too hard, full of all sorts of minerals, not the pure mountain water of melted snow. David must have had a similar experience.
“And David said with longing, ‘Oh, that someone would give me a drink of the water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!’ So the three mighty men (Adino, Eleazar, and Shammah) 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 he would not drink it, but poured it out to the LORD. And he said, ‘Far be it from me, O LORD, that I should do this! Is this not the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?’ Therefore he would not drink it. These things were done by the three mighty men.”
–2 Samuel 23:15-17(NKJV)
These men sacrificed their lives to bring David this special gift, one that he was longing for. In our way of thinking David was foolish and silly by dumping the water on the ground. What did the men think? They dared to bring it to him and he does not even take a sip. However, there is something deeper here. What can be more significant than to give it as a sacrifice to the Lord? David even considered this water as a blood sacrifice because of the risk it took to bring it to him.
How does this relate to Thanksgiving? Think about it. The three warriors were so loyal and dedicated to David that they would risk their lives to bring him a special gift. They were thankful, not only for his leadership and the future that was promised through David, but they were grateful for his friendship. They knew he would risk his life for them so they risked theirs to bring him a gift.
David was overwhelmed. I remember well the times when we were blessed with Shauna and Kimberly. It was a daunting responsibility. God had given Annie and I two precious, special gifts of life and we were to raise them in accordance with His Word. One of the first things we did was to give our daughters back to Him. To some it may be but a symbolic ritual, something that is supposed to be done, but I trembled when we did it. Not in fear, but in awe of what God had given us. It was like David pouring the water out, giving it as an offering to God.
Do you not think that David was thankful for these three men? They had fought together, bled together, shared campfires together, now David was showing that he was thankful for their courage and loyalty as well as the risk of their lives. What more could he do, for to drink it would almost be shameful. For sure it would not have reached the pages of holy writ. He poured the water out in thankfulness for his friends, for their lives, for their daring as an offering to the Lord.
In this holiday season do not let the temporal and meaningless overcome the purposeful things. Do not let pumpkin pie take the place of the time and effort of the person who lovingly made it. Do not let a present, wrapped up so prettily take from the smile of the person watching you as you unwrap it. Use this time, these special holidays, to be especially thankful and grateful to the Lord who is with you every minute of every day and yet we often overlook Him. The blessings are wonderful, but the Giver is even more so.
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”
–James 1:17 (NKJV)
——————————–
I want to look this morning at a different Thanksgiving story. It involves three men, actually four. Men who served with each other; men who were pledged to each other because of war. These men were bonded together because of blood, no, not the blood of family, but the blood of each other. Warriors, all four.
Growing up there was nothing better than Boulder water. It came from the Arapaho Glacier and there was a bank in Boulder with a water fountain that used this cold, pure water. I remember traveling and trying to drink water in other areas. Too hard, full of all sorts of minerals, not the pure mountain water of melted snow. David must have had a similar experience.
“And David said with longing, ‘Oh, that someone would give me a drink of the water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!’ So the three mighty men (Adino, Eleazar, and Shammah) 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 he would not drink it, but poured it out to the LORD. And he said, ‘Far be it from me, O LORD, that I should do this! Is this not the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?’ Therefore he would not drink it. These things were done by the three mighty men.”
–2 Samuel 23:15-17(NKJV)
These men sacrificed their lives to bring David this special gift, one that he was longing for. In our way of thinking David was foolish and silly by dumping the water on the ground. What did the men think? They dared to bring it to him and he does not even take a sip. However, there is something deeper here. What can be more significant than to give it as a sacrifice to the Lord? David even considered this water as a blood sacrifice because of the risk it took to bring it to him.
How does this relate to Thanksgiving? Think about it. The three warriors were so loyal and dedicated to David that they would risk their lives to bring him a special gift. They were thankful, not only for his leadership and the future that was promised through David, but they were grateful for his friendship. They knew he would risk his life for them so they risked theirs to bring him a gift.
David was overwhelmed. I remember well the times when we were blessed with Shauna and Kimberly. It was a daunting responsibility. God had given Annie and I two precious, special gifts of life and we were to raise them in accordance with His Word. One of the first things we did was to give our daughters back to Him. To some it may be but a symbolic ritual, something that is supposed to be done, but I trembled when we did it. Not in fear, but in awe of what God had given us. It was like David pouring the water out, giving it as an offering to God.
Do you not think that David was thankful for these three men? They had fought together, bled together, shared campfires together, now David was showing that he was thankful for their courage and loyalty as well as the risk of their lives. What more could he do, for to drink it would almost be shameful. For sure it would not have reached the pages of holy writ. He poured the water out in thankfulness for his friends, for their lives, for their daring as an offering to the Lord.
In this holiday season do not let the temporal and meaningless overcome the purposeful things. Do not let pumpkin pie take the place of the time and effort of the person who lovingly made it. Do not let a present, wrapped up so prettily take from the smile of the person watching you as you unwrap it. Use this time, these special holidays, to be especially thankful and grateful to the Lord who is with you every minute of every day and yet we often overlook Him. The blessings are wonderful, but the Giver is even more so.