Precious Offerings

"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!'  So the three [of thirty chiefs (v. 15)] 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."  (1 Chronicles 11:16-18)

David had been on the run from Saul, hiding out in caves and deserts.  Now after Saul's death, he was on the attack against Philistines in the same desert near the same caves.  And, not surprisingly, David was thirsty.  Far from home, he longed for the familiar water of Bethlehem.  Three of his warriors decided to do something about it.  They broke through Philistine lines and brought back the coveted water to quench David's thirst.  David's response?  He poured it out to the Lord.

Those of us from capitalist societies cringe at his wastefulness.  The water came at such great sacrifice, at such enormous risk, that David could at least show his appreciation by drinking some of it!  But David had a higher goal than quenching thirst.  His desire was to offer the Lord whatever was most precious to him.  And this water was precious.  Three of his right-hand men had risked life and limb to get it, even though there were surely closer sources of water than the well at Bethlehem.  They did it because they loved David.  The water, therefore, was immediately one of David's most treasured possessions.  And treasured possessions make the best offerings.

We could learn from that.  We give generously to God at times, but we save our most treasured possessions for ourselves.  The first 10 percent of our income is one thing; the precious items we secure with the rest of it are another.  God loves expressions of sacrifice.  The greater the sacrifice, the greater the love demonstrated.  If we hold things tightly, we love less fully.

Consider the things we give God.  Do we give Him not only the first of our incomes, time and talents, but also the best of them?  Do the things we treasure become the things we most want to honor God with?  When each of us survey our own individual domains, we will see things we hold dear and things that are expendable.  Which do you give to God?  Which do I give to God?  Do we long to give Him what is most precious to us?