act.  And so he treats it in a religious way.  He is anxious to separate it from himself, although done for him, and get it into a service done for God; and he may have thought that he had himself been a little selfish.  To his mind it would have been a mean and low repayment to these men to drink their water with loud praises of their valor.  They had done a Godlike deed, and so he will transfer it to God, and make it an act as between them and God.  I do not know that those lion-faced, deer-footed warriors understood or appreciated his treatment of their act; but David himself very well knew what he was about, and you can see that he acted in a very high and true way.  He will not drink the water, but pours it out unto the Lord, and lets it sink into the ground unused, and, because unused, a sort of sacrifice and offering to God.  Water got with such valor and risk was not for man, but for God.  Much less was it right to use it to gratify a dreamy whim that had in it perhaps just a touch of selfishness.  The bravery and danger had made the water sacred, and so he will make a sacred use of it.

If any one thinks that David was carried away by sentimentality, or that he was overscrupulous, one has only to recall how, when actually in want, he took the consecrated bread from the Tabernacle at Nob, and ate it and gave it to his followers.  His strong common-sense told him that even consecrated bread was not too good for hungry men; but that same fine common-sense told him that water procured at the risk of life, when not actually wanted, had become sacred, and had better be turned into a sort of prayer and offering to God than wantonly drunk.

And now, having the story well in mind, I will close by drawing out from it one or two lessons that seem to me very practical.

Suppose we were to ask, Who acted in the noblest way—­the three strong men who got the water, or David, who made a sacrifice or libation of it?  It does not take us long to answer.  The real greatness of the whole affair was with the three men, though David put a beautiful meaning upon it, and exalted it to its true place.  Their act was very brave and lofty; but David crowned it with its highest grace by carrying it on into religion—­that is, by setting it before God.

I see a great many people who are living worthy lives, doing a great many kind acts and rendering beautiful services, but do not take God into their thoughts, nor render their services as unto Him.  I think everybody must see that this act of these lion-faced men was more complete when David took it before God than as rendered for himself.  Why, it might take long to tell; but, briefly, it was because the nameless grace of religion has been added to it, and because it was connected with that great, dear Name that hallows everything brought under it.