After his captains fought through enemy lines and returned with a bottle of water from the well at the gate of Bethlehem, David would not drink it. Instead he poured it out on the ground. This may have seemed inconsiderate, but actually, it was an appropriate response that honored his men.

David realized the danger these men faced to honor him. They put their lives at risk to fulfill his wish. He acknowledged he was unworthy. It would have been extremely arrogant for David to have drank that water. He would have been saying, “My comfort is worth more than your life.”

He chose rather to honor these loyal soldiers by giving their gift to God. He said, “I am unworthy of this gift, but God is worthy.” This gift is so valuable it should belong to none other than God. So, David poured out the water as a sacrifice to God. This is another truth we can glean from this story: Acts of selfless service make acceptable offerings

Acts of selfless service in Jesus’ name also make acceptable offerings. The things we do for others in Jesus’ name become acts of worship. Jesus said, “even if we give a cup of water in His name, it is worthy of reward.”