The Water of the Well: A Libation of Loyalty Text: 2 Samuel 23:13-17
Introduction: The Cost of True Kingship
We live in a soft age, an age that misunderstands the nature of loyalty, leadership, and sacrifice. We think leadership is about polls and public relations, and that loyalty is a consumer choice, easily discarded when a better option comes along. We want our kings to be managers and our saviors to be therapists. But the Word of God continually confronts our trivial assumptions with the hard, glorious realities of a kingdom built on blood, sweat, and fealty.
This short account, embedded in the list of David’s mighty men, is one of those bracing confrontations. It seems like a simple anecdote, a battlefield story. But it is far more than that. It is a profound illustration of the kind of king David was, the kind of men he inspired, and the kind of kingdom God was building. It is a story about the intersection of desire, devotion, and dominion. It is a picture of true lordship, which inspires a loyalty so fierce that men will risk their lives for a cup of water. And it is a picture of true righteousness, which recognizes that such loyalty cannot be consumed for personal gratification but must be offered back to the God who inspires it all.
David is in the cave of Adullam. This is where his kingdom began in earnest, not in a palace, but in a hole in the ground, surrounded by the discontented, the indebted, and the distressed. He is a king in exile, hunted by Saul, opposed by the Philistines. He is not yet the glorious monarch of Jerusalem, but the fugitive captain of a band of outlaws. And yet, it is here, in the dirt and the danger, that we see the quality of his reign. A true king is not defined by his throne, but by the hearts of his men. And David had the hearts of his men.
This passage is a living parable. It shows us the kind of devotion that a true king inspires, and it points us forward to the greater King, Jesus Christ, who inspires an even greater devotion. It teaches us about the nature of sacrifice, the value of loyalty, and the ultimate object of our worship. We are called to be mighty men and women for a greater David, and this story shows us what that looks like.
The Text
Then three of the thirty chief men went down and came to David in the harvest time to the cave of Adullam, while the troop of the Philistines was camping in the valley of Rephaim. And David was then in the fortress, while the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. Then David had a craving and said, “Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!” So the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water from the well of Bethlehem which was by the gate, and carried it and brought it to David. Nevertheless, he was not willing to drink it, but poured it out to Yahweh; and he said, “Be it far from me, O Yahweh, that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?” Therefore he was not willing to drink it. These things the three mighty men did.
(2 Samuel 23:13-17 LSB)
The King's Longing (vv. 13-15)
We begin with the setting and the desire that sets this whole event in motion.
"Then three of the thirty chief men went down and came to David in the harvest time to the cave of Adullam, while the troop of the Philistines was camping in the valley of Rephaim. And David was then in the fortress, while the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. Then David had a craving and said, 'Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!'" (2 Samuel 23:13-15)
The scene is set with stark contrasts. David, the anointed king, is in a cave, a fortress of rock. The Philistines, the enemies of God's people, are camped in a fertile valley and hold a garrison in Bethlehem, David's own hometown. The irony is thick. The "house of bread," Bethlehem, is occupied by the enemy, and the king of Israel is a fugitive in the wilderness. This is the reality of the now-and-not-yet of any kingdom. The king is anointed, but his reign is contested. He has a right to the throne, but he must fight for it.
In this context of hardship and conflict, David has a moment of profound longing. This is not just thirst. The text says he had a "craving." This is a deep, nostalgic desire. He wants water from a specific well, the one by the gate of his childhood town. This is the water he grew up drinking. It is a longing for home, for peace, for the days before he was a hunted man. It is a sigh, a wistful expression of the weariness of his soul. He is not issuing a command. He is musing aloud, expressing a heartfelt wish, likely never expecting it to be acted upon.
This is a very human moment for David. Great leaders are not emotionless machines. They feel the weight of their calling, the pain of exile, and the longing for rest. But what is most significant here is not David's desire, but the effect of his desire on his men. His words, spoken in a moment of private reflection, are heard by men whose loyalty is absolute. They don't hear a suggestion; they hear the desire of their king. And for them, the king's desire is their command.
The Men's Loyalty (v. 16a)
The response of the three mighty men is immediate, audacious, and breathtaking.
"So the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water from the well of Bethlehem which was by the gate, and carried it and brought it to David." (2 Samuel 23:16a)
There is no record of a committee meeting. There is no risk assessment. There is no weighing of pros and cons. There is only action. They hear the king's longing, and they translate it into a mission. They "broke through" the enemy camp. This was not a stealth operation in the dead of night. This was a direct, frontal assault. They fought their way in, and they fought their way out, all for a cup of water.
This is the kind of loyalty that our modern, individualistic world cannot comprehend. This is not the loyalty of a paycheck. This is the loyalty of covenant love. These men had bound themselves to David. His fight was their fight. His honor was their honor. His desire was their delight to fulfill. Why? Because they saw in David not just a charismatic commander, but God's anointed. They were serving Yahweh by serving Yahweh's chosen king. Their allegiance was ultimately theological.
This kind of loyalty is what builds kingdoms. It is what establishes civilizations. It is born out of a shared love for a worthy king and a shared commitment to his cause. These men were not mindless fanatics; they were warriors who understood that some things are worth dying for. And for them, the honor of their king was one of those things. They loved David, and so they loved what David loved.
The King's Libation (vv. 16b-17)
What happens next is perhaps the most startling and instructive part of the story. The men return, victorious, with the precious water. But David's reaction is not what we would expect.
"Nevertheless, he was not willing to drink it, but poured it out to Yahweh; and he said, 'Be it far from me, O Yahweh, that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?' Therefore he was not willing to drink it. These things the three mighty men did." (2 Samuel 23:16b-17)
David refuses to drink the water. To our modern sensibilities, this might seem like an insult to his men. They risked everything, and he just pours it on the ground. But that is to completely misunderstand the spiritual grammar of this act. David does not pour it out in contempt; he pours it out in worship. He makes it a drink offering, a libation, to Yahweh.
David's reasoning is profoundly theological. He looks at the water and sees not H2O, but the lifeblood of his men. "Shall I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?" The water was consecrated by their sacrifice. It was too holy for him to drink. To drink it would be to treat their incredible act of devotion as a means to gratify his personal thirst. It would be to consume their loyalty for his own comfort. A good king does not consume his men; he honors them.
By pouring the water out to Yahweh, David does three crucial things. First, he acknowledges that such loyalty and courage come ultimately from God. He deflects the glory from himself to the God who gives such men. Second, he consecrates their sacrifice. He takes their act of fealty and elevates it to an act of worship, presenting it to the only One truly worthy of such devotion. Third, he shows his men that he values their lives more than his own comfort. He is a king who will not be served at the cost of his subjects' blood. This act would have bound these men to him with cords of loyalty stronger than steel. They would die for a king like that.
The Greater David and the Living Water
This entire narrative is a beautiful, earthy picture that points us to a greater reality. David, the anointed king in his Adullam cave, is a type of Christ. Jesus is the true King, who came to His own, and His own received Him not. He was a king in exile, establishing His kingdom not from a palace, but from a cross.
And like David, He inspires a fierce and loving loyalty in His followers. He calls to Himself the distressed, the indebted, and the discontented, and He makes them His mighty men. He calls us to break through the enemy camp, to risk our lives for His name's sake. The Christian life is not a safe enterprise. It is a glorious, dangerous mission for our King.
But the typology deepens. David longed for water from the well of Bethlehem. Centuries later, in that same town of Bethlehem, the true "house of bread" and the source of "living water" was born. Jesus is the one who provides the water that truly satisfies. He stood and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water" (John 7:37-38).
And here is the most glorious reversal. David's men risked their blood to bring him water. Our King, Jesus, poured out His own blood to bring us living water. David poured out the water because it was as precious as his men's blood. God the Father poured out His wrath on His Son, whose blood is infinitely precious, so that we might drink the water of life freely.
David refused to drink the water of sacrifice. But Christ drank the cup of God's wrath to the dregs so that we would not have to. He did this so that He could offer us the cup of salvation. Our devotion to Him is a response to His ultimate sacrifice for us. We risk our lives for Him because He gave His life for us. We pour out our lives as a drink offering (Philippians 2:17) because He poured out His life for our redemption. This is the gospel logic. His sacrifice precedes and empowers our own. He is the king worthy of all our loyalty, all our courage, and all our love, because He is the King who drank the bitter cup of death so that we might drink the sweet water of eternal life.