A Measure of Devotion
It was 150 years ago next week on November 19, 1863, that US President Abraham Lincoln arrived to help dedicate the new National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the sight of the largest battle ever fought in North America, by sharing “a few appropriate remarks.” Lincoln was not the featured speaker that day; that honor fell to Massachusetts’ Edward Everett who was regarded as one of the great orators of the period. He was at various times a politician, pastor, educator, and diplomat. He served as U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, the 15th Governor of Massachusetts, Minister to Great Britain, and United States Secretary of State. He also taught at Harvard University and served as its president. At Gettysburg, Everett spoke for two hours, Lincoln for two minutes. No one remembers a word Everett said, but Lincoln’s words have become among the best-known in American history.
November 10, 2013
2 Samuel 23:13-17, A Measure of Devotion
Doug Scalise, Brewster Baptist Church
[vimeo 79112179 w=500&h=375]
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On June 1, 1865, less than two years after the Gettysburg Address and less than two months after President Lincoln was murdered, Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner commented on what is now considered Lincoln’s most famous speech. In his eulogy on the slain president, he called The Gettysburg Address a “monumental act.” He said Lincoln was mistaken when he said that “the world will little note, nor long remember what we say here.” Rather, the Bostonian remarked, “The world noted at once what he said, and will never cease to remember it. The battle itself was less important than the speech.”
The Gettysburg Address concludes with these words: “It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
As I thought about Veteran’s Day tomorrow and the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address, it made me think about a Bible story that I suspect is less familiar to many of us than say the 23rd Psalm. It’s a small vignette about devotion, bravery, and service involving David and some of his mighty warriors – it’s found near the end of the book of 2 Samuel 23:13-17. “13 Towards the beginning of harvest three of the thirty chiefs went down to join David at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim. 14 David was then in the stronghold; and the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem. 15 David said longingly, “O that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!” 16 Then the three warriors broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and brought it to David. But he would not drink of it; he poured it out to the Lord, 17 for he said, “The Lord forbid that I should do this. Can I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it. The three warriors did these things.”
When you think of devotion and bravery, what individuals, groups, or images come to mind? We often think of warriors like David’s men or the soldiers who fought at Gettysburg or even current servicemen who’ve won the Congressional Medal of Honor, or maybe police or firefighters, but there are many kinds of bravery and devotion like that shown by parents for their children, caregivers for loved ones, or people with a terminal illness who face it with courage. One such person who has been in the news the last few weeks is Sam Berns. A story in the Boston Globe a couple weeks ago (10/20/13 by Mark Shanahan and Meredith Goldstein) stated the following: “In some ways, 17-year-old Sam Berns is a typical, high-achieving kid. A junior at Foxboro High School, Berns is an Eagle Scout, he plays drums in the marching band, gets exceptionally good grades, and harbors dreams of becoming an inventor, “kind of Albert Einstein and Steve Jobs combined.” But in another way, Berns is unlike almost anyone else you’ll ever meet. He was born with Progeria, a genetic abnormality that causes accelerated aging, a syndrome so rare that Sam is one of only about 250 kids with it in the world. He’s also the subject of a new documentary, “Life According to Sam,” which premiered last month on HBO. (The film was made by Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine, whose credits include the Oscar-nominated doc “War/Dance” and “Inocente,” which won the 2013 Academy Award for best documentary (Short Subject).)
What we learn in this emotional film is that Berns’s parents, Dr. Leslie Gordon and Dr. Scott Berns, are both physicians and love their son enormously. They’re also trying, through a foundation Gordon formed, to set up a clinical trial that could lead to a treatment for the fatal disease. Gordon said that her and her husband’s medical training was useful in founding the foundation, but that it was their role as Sam’s parents that spurred their new life’s work. “When your child is in trouble, you can do anything. [Our medical training] wasn’t the key element,” Gordon said. “The key element is know what you need to do for children with Progeria.”
Enter Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who read a story about Berns in the Foxboro Reporter, and soon after invited him to a team practice before the Pats/Falcons game Sept. 29. Impressed with Berns, who’s an uncommonly sweet kid despite his condition, Kraft pledged $1,000 to the Progeria Research Foundation for every year of Sam’s life. Shrewdly, Sam had Kraft hold off on writing the check until his 17th birthday, which was Oct. 23.
In the meantime, the Pats owner arranged to attend the New York premiere of the film, and afterward offered to match every donation to the Progeria Research Foundation, up to $500,000, from then until Sam’s birthday. “I have fallen in love with Sam and I am sure that sentiment is shared by anyone who has ever spent time with him,” Kraft said. “Sam is a star and what his parents have achieved in their search to find a cure is incredibly inspirational.” Bravery and devotion can take many forms and, as much as we appreciate it, is not just the domain of soldiers. One measure of devotion is the commitment we demonstrate and what we’re prepared to do for the one or the cause to which we’re devoted.
In today’s scripture, what does it say about the devotion of David’s men that they were willing to risk their lives to grant his desire to drink water from his hometown well? Let me give you a little more background before you answer that question. In today’s scripture, we learn that David and his men are in “The cave of Adullam” which at another time was a place of refuge for David when he was fleeing from King Saul (1 Samuel 22:1) and now it is again. All of us need places of refuge where we can retreat, regroup, renew, restore, revive, review, and prepare to reengage. For David, it was the cave of Adullam; where is your place of refuge? It’s good to have a physical place to go whether in your home or nearby. It’s also good to know and believe the words of Psalm 46:1-3, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult.”
David’s cave of refuge is near the valley of Rephaim which is located between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. 2 Samuel 5:17-25 describes an earlier battle between David’s men and the Philistines in the same valley. Today’s story is likely from that time. In 2 Samuel, every time David engages the Philistines in battle, he wins (5:17-25; 8:1; 21:15-22; 23:13-17). For David, there was almost certainly some emotion and sentimentality thinking back to younger days of growing up in Bethlehem. At the moment, his hometown is occupied by the enemy; this had to be a very difficult for David to accept. This is a human view of David yearning out loud for water from his hometown well.
David’s men are utterly devoted to him. They regard his wish as their command. The loyal, brave men get the water from Bethlehem at great risk to themselves; they easily could have been captured and killed. We don’t know who the men were, they’re not named, but the sons of Zeruiah (ze-ro̅o̅ʹyah), who were familiar with Bethlehem would be a good guess. One American Medal of Honor winner from World War Two, John “Bud” Hawk, who died this past Monday, once said, “Courage is not the absence of fear, having no fear would be the absence of intelligence. Instead, bravery is overcoming that fear.” That kind of bravery is demonstrated by David’s men, it’s being demonstrated by Sam Bern’s and his parents, and by many other people we don’t know in countless circumstances.
David’s men loved him enough to risk their lives to serve him and get him something he wanted. Their devotion to their leader exceeded any fear they might have had of the Philistines. What a difference it can make when we let our actions be shaped and determined by courage and devotion rather than fear. Fear holds us back and prevents us from trying new things, taking risks, and it whispers in our ear that if we try something and fail that we’re a failure and will be embarrassed. Courage and devotion inspire us to be free to take risks and understand that the only way we will go through life and never fail is if we never try anything and never really engage with life. Nothing we learn from is a failure and in fact, if allow them to, our failures can make us better people.
When David’s men returned covered in dust and sweat, and smiles of great satisfaction with a skin filled with water from Bethlehem’s well, I wonder if David was mad at himself for expressing his longing in front of his men? On the one hand, his honest sharing shows his connectedness to his men and his own humanity. On the other hand, he may have been more careful if he’d known his men would risk their lives to get him a drink. David is as devoted to his men as they are to him and he instinctively grasps that water brought at such risk and such devotion can’t be treated as an ordinary drink brought by one of lower rank to a commander. It’s almost like a sacrament when David poured out the water that had been acquired at the risk of the men’s lives, it was not an act of ingratitude on his part. The water is so valuable that can be offered only to God. He regarded the water as equivalent to the warrior’s blood; it represented life that only God was worthy to receive. David at this point in his life still has a level of innocence and solidarity with his men that is more important than satisfying his own needs. Sadly, that wouldn’t always be the case. This story near the end of 2 Samuel is a touching reminder of the leader David was – his humanness, solidarity with his men, and instinctual leadership that brought him with God’s blessing to the throne. Unfortunately, like so many people who get elevated to the highest levels of power, his character couldn’t handle the opportunities and responsibilities that came with being at the top and he abused his power leading to tragedy and loss for him personally and for the nation. He forgot the devotion of his men and people.
Part of what made President Abraham Lincoln such a great leader was that he never lost touch with ordinary people; he welcomed them in the White House and wrote letters to common citizens who had lost husbands and sons in the Union cause. I think it’s interesting that the end of 2 Samuel includes two lists of the brave warriors who brought David victory (23:8-12, 18-39) and this brief narrative about David and his three mighty men – which all serve as reminders that David had a lot of help in forging Israel’s future. Real leadership comes from solidarity with people and with God.
One final point about this story: we know that it was in Bethlehem that Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother and father may have tasted water from the same well that David remembered so fondly. As an adult, Jesus would have an experience at Jacob’s well where he would ask a Samaritan woman to give him a drink. He said (John 4:10, 13b -14), “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” … “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.”
David wouldn’t drink the water his men brought him because it was equivalent to their blood saying, “Can I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?” Jesus demonstrates his love for everyone by giving the last full measure of devotion in not only risking his life, but sacrificing his life on the cross. In John 19:34, when Jesus is crucified, we hear this description: “one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out.” The blood and water that flowed from Christ have served ever since to provide a spring of eternal life for all of us. When we believe in Christ then the words Jesus spoke in John 7:38 are fulfilled, “And let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’ ” In Jesus we find courage, refuge, love, and one who is worthy of our deepest devotion.
In John 6:35, Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
Questions for Reflection or Discussion
When you think of devotion and bravery, what individuals, groups, or images come to mind?
What does it say about the devotion of David’s men that they were willing to risk their lives to grant his desire to drink water from his hometown well?
The three mighty men’s devotion to their leader, exceeded any fear they might have had of the Philistines. What difference can it make when we let our actions be shaped and determined by courage and devotion rather than fear?
In hindsight, was it wise, appropriate leadership on David’s part that he expressed his longing in front of his men? In what circumstances may we need to discipline our own desires so as not to jeopardize or risk hurting others?
Why do you think David refused to drink the water after all the men risked to get it for him? What is the significance of him pouring it out to the Lord?
How do we know when we should keep something for ourselves versus offering it to the Lord in gratitude and devotion?