There is a scene in the film Ratatouille that depicts the nostalgic power of food. In the film, a famous Parisian restaurant has been in a rut, lacking new creative dishes. Suddenly, a mysterious new chef appears with inspired recipes, leading the restaurant to become the talk around town. One day a famously harsh food critic arrives to see and taste for himself what the hubbub is all about. The mysterious chef makes a dish called ratatouille, a traditional French vegetable stew that would almost never be served in such a fancy restaurant. The food critic takes one look at the dish, and this happens:
Nostalgia is a powerful force, especially when you’re feeling down. You want that taste of home, you want comfort food. When I spent a month in India in 2023, we had pizza a couple times. But it wasn’t pizza like my favorite, Capricios pizza just around the corner from where I live in Smoketown, PA. When I got home from India, I wanted Capricios!
As we continue the account of David’s mighty men 2 Samuel 23, verse 13, we read that David seems gripped by nostalgia:
“During harvest time, three of the thirty chief warriors 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!’”
That’s very precise, isn’t it? David mentions that he wants water from the specific well near the gate of Bethlehem. Why is David so into that specific water? We all have our favorites, right? Maybe you have a brand of water you really like. Maybe you are on a well, and you think your water tastes great. I’ve been to a retreat center in the Pennsylvania mountains that has water with strong sulfur smell.
At my house, we have a well, and we also have a water filter in our refrigerator for ice and drinking water. I love the taste of our water. It has a natural feel to it. My church building, however, has public water, and I can taste the difference. Maybe you use a water filter that makes water taste great.
David wanted Bethlehem well water. Why? That was where he grew up. It was his favorite water. He wanted the water of his childhood and teenage years. I suspect David is feeling nostalgic. In 2 Samuel 23, David is holed up in the Cave of Adullum, his stronghold, and feeling the emotions and frustrations of war. Do you have a food or drink that makes you nostalgic? Something your mom cooked regularly?
David wants water from his favorite hometown well. But there’s a problem, the enemy Philistines occupy Bethlehem. It’s frustrating when you want something so badly, but you can’t have it. It’s not like David is asking for a new palace. He just wants water from his boyhood home. But even that he can’t have. Sometimes we can feel like the world is against us in not just the big ways but the small ways too.
David’s men, however, are listening. They love their king and want to serve him. What they do next is wild.
“So the three mighty warriors broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David.”
Those guys risked their lives to get David a drink of water. What courage. What devotion. How many Philistines lost their lives that day because David wanted a drink of water?
You can imagine how proud, how grateful David must have been. Probably shocked too. I imagine him thinking and maybe even saying, “You did what? That was stupid. I was totally fine drinking other water. I can’t believe you guys took me literally.”
How does David respond? Did he enjoy this favorite water?
“But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the Lord. “Far be it from me, 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.
Woah. He refused it. Even poured it out! What a waste, right? How could David not drink it? Were his soldiers offended?
Notice what the narrator of the story says in verses 16 and 17. David poured the water out before the Lord, then he prayed to God.
That sounds good. Pouring it out before the Lord sounds religious. Prayer is definitely religious. But it also sounds crazy. If those men risked life and limb, you’d think David should honor them by drinking the water.
What is going on in David’s heart and mind? I think David is feeling a mixture of embarrassment and humility. He knows he is not worthy of the massive sacrifice those men just made. They put their lives on the line to get special water for David. In David’s mind, there is no way he is worth that. He’s right. Even though he is the king, he is not worth men risking everything so he can drink his favorite water.
For David, it is obvious what must do with this precious water. He must present this water as worship to the Lord. In the Bible we often read about the people of Israel sacrificing animals to God, but there is a provision in the Mosaic Law for a daily drink offering to the Lord (see Exodus 29:40 and Numbers 15:4–10)
It seems that David is performing a kind of drink offering to God, the only one who is worthy of such a sacrifice. David pours out the water to God, and offers a prayer. David’s act reminds us to see ourselves in proper perspective. If you live in a culture like that of the USA, you likely have the financial means to be choosy, to indulge in many ways, big and small. Do you place yourself in proper perspective like David? Or do you think of yourself more highly than you ought (see Romans 12:3)?
David rightly reminds us that God is the one truly worthy of the absolute best.
Photo by amirali mirhashemian on Unsplash
Engaging Scripture 