‭The Longing For And Prophetic Foreshadowing Of The Savior

Friday, March 20

2 Samuel 23:15 (KJV)

“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!”

Devotion

Have you ever experienced a season of chaos or severe disruption in your life and longed to go back to a time when things were simpler? To a time, the memories of which bring a sense of warmth, peace, and safety?

David and his men might already have had water with them, and the fact that David doesn’t explicitly command his men to get water makes his longing a curious one: “Oh, that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!”

What did he mean by that?

David is in a season of severe disruption at this moment in his journey. His life has changed drastically since he was a child. He is now a national leader and a fugitive warrior. He is constantly in danger and surrounded by conflict. The Philistines occupy his hometown of Bethlehem, and David is held up in a stronghold with three of his men—likely the cave of Adullam or a nearby refuge.

Contrast this moment with two words his childhood—his life before kingship and war—could probably be summarized by: peace and innocence. David’s longing for water reads more like a nostalgic yearning for fond memories of drinking water from the well during his childhood in Bethlehem. Of simpler days. Of his home before it was overtaken with disorder. Of the place where God first called him.

The fact that the well is by the gate of Bethlehem isn’t incidental, either. In ancient Israel, the city gate was the place of authority, where elders sat and judged cases, and where agreements and covenants were witnessed. In Ruth 4, for example, the redemption of Ruth happens at the gate in front of ten elders. The gate in this passage, then, might represent more than just the entrance to Bethlehem. It might represent ordered life, justice, and rightful rule.

Unfortunately, the gate of David’s hometown—the place of rightful order—is occupied by enemies. Enemies that David’s men, if they decide to fulfill the longing of their king, would have to risk their lives to break through. So, in this instance, David might not only be longing for a sense of the simpler and safer days he had as a child, he might also be longing for the restoration of his home—for peace instead of occupation and for rightful rule instead of disorder.

He might be saying in his spirit, “If only things were as they should be again,” making the water a symbol of life as it was meant to be. This has profound parallels to Jesus.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1), in the likeness of sinful man (Romans 8:3), but free from sin Himself (2 Corinthians 5:21), while humanity itself was living under the occupation of sin, death, and disorder and cut off from the source of life. But instead of sending others to retrieve life at great risk to themselves, Jesus entered the occupied territory Himself, passed through the gate of sin and death (Matthew 27:46; 2 Corinthians 5:21), became a gate Himself (John 10:9), and the source of living water.

In John 4:14, Jesus tells the Samaritan woman, “Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

And as He says in John 7:37–38, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink! Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

Today's Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for being the Source of Living Water. For every parched area in my life, fill my cup to overflowing, that I may not thirst again. For every broken, crooked place, make each path straight to align with Your will, so I may carry Your Living Water to others. Let it be as a river before me, for there is salvation in no other. In the Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Apply It Today

Nowadays, life can be chaotic; however, there is peace in the presence of the Lord. Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-30. Stay close to Him in the Word of God and in prayer, especially in uncertain times.

Resources

• Some wounds run deeper than we can see—but so does God’s healing. Don’t miss this powerful message, “Deep Wounds, Deep Healing”—it’s time to let your heart be restored.

• Recognize your “Bethlehem longing.” When we long for the peace of the past, it can be a spiritual nudge toward Christ. Use today’s prayer to invite God to restore and fill every dry area of your life.