1 Chronicles 11:10

1 Chronicles 11:10 says, These also are the chief of the mighty men whom David had, who strengthened themselves with him in his kingdom, and with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the Lord concerning Israel.  Though David was king by God's appointment, he still had mighty men around him to help him establish his rule over the people.  God doesn't send us alone to proclaim the gospel, though we should be willing to do so if necessary.  Verse eleven adds, And this is the number of the mighty men whom David had; Jashobeam, an Hachmonite, the chief of the captains: he lifted up his spear against three hundred slain by him at one time.  The first mentioned, Jashobeam, had killed three hundred by himself at one time.  We should not allow overpowering odds to keep us from doing what God calls us to do.  Verse twelve continues, And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighties.  Then, Eleazar was called one of the three known as the mighties..  Verse thirteen states, He was with David at Pasdammim, and there the Philistines were gathered together to battle, where was a parcel of ground full of barley; and the people fled from before the Philistines.  Eleazar had been with David when they encountered a group of Philistines in a valley full of barley that the people of Israel had fled from.  Verse fourteen adds, And they set themselves in the midst of that parcel, and delivered it, and slew the Philistines; and the Lord saved them by a great deliverance.  Eleazar and David set themselves in the middle of the valley and killed the Philistines and delivered the valley back to the people of Israel by God's power.  Even if other Christians run away from the battle against the forces of evil today, we must stand firm by the leadership and power of the Holy Spirit.  Verse fifteen says, Now three of the thirty captains went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the host of the Philistines encamped in the valley of Rephaim.  Then, we are told of another time when David had three of his captains with him in a cave in the battle against the Philistines.  He was basically hiding out at this point.  Verse sixteen adds, And David was then in the hold, and the Philistines' garrison was then at Bethlehem.  While David was in the hold, or cave, the Philistine's were in Bethlehem.  David did not always have an immediate and easy victory, and we may not either.  Verse seventeen continues, And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, that is at the gate!  David expressed a personal longing for some water from the well at the gate of Bethlehem, which was controlled by the Philistines.  We should never allow our personal desire to become more important than what God wants of us.  Sometimes, we seem to be dissatisfied with what we have and want something that we see as better.  Verse eighteen states, And the three 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: but David would not drink of it, but poured it out to the Lord.  These three great captains of David broke through the Philistines and got David the water he wanted, but he would not drink it and poured it out to God instead.  David recognized the sin of selfishness in his life and realized that men had put themselves in danger to satisfy his selfishness, and he would not put himself above his men, and he had by asking for or mentioning his desire for the water.  David poured the water out to God in devotion to Him.  This was something he wanted, but not more than He wanted to be devoted to God.  We need some of these same attributes today.  Verse nineteen adds, And said, My God forbid it me, that I should do this thing: shall I drink the blood of these men that have put their lives in jeopardy? for with the jeopardy of their lives they brought it. Therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three mightiest.  David said because these three men put their lives in danger just to fulfill a desire he had that he would not drink the water.  We need to consider what our desires might cost others if we are acting selfishly and refuse to endanger others just to fulfill our own selfish desires.