The Drink offering
Jack Davis
“And three of the thirty chief went down, and came to David in the harvest time unto the cave of Adullam: and the troop of the Philistines pitched in the valley of Rephaim. And David was then in an hold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate! And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: nevertheless he would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto the LORD. And he said, Be it far from me, O LORD, that I should do this: is not this the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives? therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three mighty men” - II Sam. 23:13-17.
In this chapter, we read of David’s mighty men; great heroes they were. David, at this time, was in a cave in hiding. These three mighty men along with others, were with him there. David’s enemies, the Philistines, were occupying Bethlehem; and it was well guarded. David had such a great thirst, a deep longing for his home. He yearned for the time when the city of Bethlehem would once more be in the hands of its God-given owners. So he said, “Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!” So these three mighty men broke through the host of the Philistines, drew out the water, and took it and brought it to David. Ah, now, David can have a drink! But, no. This heroic act touched his heart so much that he was crushed. He was overwhelmed. These men had greatly endangered their lives. They, like the Apostle Paul, did not count their lives dear unto themselves. They were themselves a “drink offering,” in honoring their leader and captain. Their feat of love reminds us of the overcoming of the saints mentioned in Revelation twelve. We read that they overcame “the accuser of our brethren…by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death” – Rev. 12:10-11. David said, “Be it far from me, O Lord, that I should do this.” David felt that this sacrifice was too sacred for him, so he “poured it out unto the Lord.” Let us learn that a drink offering which we pour unto the Lord is of great value.
In Genesis 35:1-3,14 we see where Jacob had cried unto God, and God delivered him, and was with him in the way which he went. God talked with Jacob, and told him to build an altar. Jacob did as he was told, and yet he went farther in expressing his appreciation. When he had set the pillar in the place where God had talked with him, he poured a drink offering thereon. Blessed communion with God calls forth a drink offering.
In Exodus 29:40 we learn that the drink offering was to be a part of the daily bunt offering. We know that wine is the product of a crushing process. The Lord so forcibly impressed a though upon me, when I returned to Wichita after attending the funeral of Sister Alice Mooneyhan. I could not sleep that night. I went into the living room and began worshiping the Lord. I cried unto Him, “Oh, let that same life which flowed out through her, flow through me. His answer came powerfully to my mind, “IT TAKES A CRUSHING!” It seems my flesh recoiled. We know that “the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Wine, in Scripture, is a symbol of Christ’s blood and of the blessing of the Gospel. It speaks of refreshing, of the exhilarating effects of the Holy Spirit’s fullness. In Ephesians five, wine speaks of the control that He will take in our lives, if we will let Him. We must yield, drink of the Holy Spirit and give Him drink.
We see in Lev. 23:13 that the libation was offered with the sweet savor offering, which speaks of the life of Christ. Its fragrance ascended up to the throne of God. It was to be prepared with the burnt offering – Num. 15:5. The strong wine was to be poured out in the Holy Place unto the Lord – Num. 28:7.
God still accepts a drink offering today. In Gen. 24:17-18 Eleazar said, pertaining to his meeting with Rebekah at the well, “Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher. And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink.” If we are going to give the Lord drink We, too, must let down our pitcher. Rebekah is typical of those special uncommon unusual saints who, today, are submitting to the Spirit’s control and giving the Lord drink; thus, satisfying His heart.
Jn. 4:5-7,10,14, Jesus was wearied with His journey. He, no doubt, felt somewhat like David – “Oh that one would give me drink!” This journey caused Him far more than physical weariness. This was not a happy scene, that He left heaven’s beauties to come to. His journey was among the unholy, harmful, defiled, sinful, and sick. Oh yes, He would enjoy being refreshed. Several different times in different words He said, “Give Me drink!” Now it is certainly refreshing to meet a hungry and thirsty heart. It is greatly refreshing to meet others who can share with us, entering into the things we feel and enjoy. What an exchange is offered here! We ask a drink, and He offers a well. He gives us an eternally effervescent well. Now, as we pour out to Him our deep love and wholehearted adoration, He floods our being, which causes us to bubble over and over and over. As we drink and give Him drink, He cause an outflow which becomes a river which cannot be passed over – a river of life-giving waters. But, how can we be refreshing until we are refreshed? Oh, how precious is the outflow of a living sacrifice.
Our lives may give daily evidence that our God is a living loving God. We may have a continual upspring and outflow; but, we must be full, if we are going to run over. Certainly, there are dry spells in the Christian’s experience; but it is our fault, not the Lord’s doing. He allows these at times so that we will appreciate the living waters. As we pour out to Him, He pours more into us. Now a vessel full of the wrong material is in poor condition to be filled. In John 7:39 we read a very significant statement, “The Holy Ghost was not get given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.” We are at first full of our own ideas, ambitions, and personal desires. We are prove to self-righteousness, self-sufficiency, self-centeredness, and are seeking self-glory. We are naturally so full of self that there is little room for Him. Sometimes He has to let our little apple cart get upset; tips us over and dumps out some of that old greedy stingy self-life to make room for Himself. Yet an empty vessel is ready to be filled; and one filled with Him will overflow unto the glory of God. Oh! Do you think we can bless and refresh God? The false humble self-life says, “Oh, no, not me: I am not worthy.” But David said, “Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy Name” – Psa. 103:1.
Psalm 23 – While walking with Him through the valleys, experiencing the comfort of His rod and staff, sitting with Him at the table He has prepared for us, allowing Him to pour in the soothing refreshing billows, our cup just cannot help but over flow!
The libation drink offering, in Paul’s terms, speaks of a life being spent or poured out in absolute devotion to the Lord. He presented His body a living sacrifice. Christ was being magnified in His body during His life and in His death. The pouring out of His life unto the Lord resulted in the outflow of the life of Christ unto others. In II Cor. 12:14-15 Paul speaks of gladly spending and being spent – spent on the saint’s behalf. But, notice, how he uses such a different tone with different saints. Some saints refreshed him. It seems that these Corinthians were pulling away from Paul. Listen to the tone he uses with the Philippians.
“Yea, and if I be offered (Greek – pour out as a drink offering) upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all. For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me.” Phil. 2:17-18. Their fellowship and rejoicing together a result of the offering. II Tim. 4:16, “I am now ready to be offered!” At the very moment he was writing to Timothy, his life was being poured out., a drink offering! We may be also. Oh, let us give Him drink!
