I just finished the book of 2 Samuel.  It was quite a roller coaster of events and some really choppy water. The last water-related verse from yesterday’s post took me by surprise.  The passage seemed out of place and was all about fetching “water from a well in Bethlehem”.

It occurred to me as I was hitting the snooze alarm this morning, and still pondering this passage, that this seemingly odd passage just might contain a hidden well of meaning. As far as I know this verse is not considered to be one of the prophetic verses about Jesus, but what if God was providing a preview of Jesus, the living water, that would come from Bethlehem?

If we consider this story as an allegory, the three warriors would be playing the role of the faithful followers of God, people like Nathan and the prophets.  They faithfully carried the “water” of God for generations.  In the passage they go fetch the water at the request of David.  I think David could represent the perpetually stubborn Israelites who seem to have such trouble remembering God.

David rejects the water that is provided and it is poured out — just like Jesus is rejected by the Jewish leaders of His day, and is “poured out” for us on the cross.  The Israelites did not accept the water God was providing so he sent them living water in the form of a baby boy named Jesus.  Who would have thought there could be a story of Emmanuel…God with us… embedded in the battles and blood of 2 Samuel.

Prayer: It is so amazing that You arrived as living water in Bethlehem, and You were willing to pour Yourself out for us.