Why The Waste?

We meet David in a cave, King David in a cave, Thirsty. When David spoke aloud the physical condition of his thirst, the Three Chiefs in the cave went out to retrieve him some water. The water source they must use was the well in Bethlehem. The Philistines garrison was there, in Bethlehem, hence the reason David was in the cave. The Three made it back successfully; the risk of their lives was of that water, making the water’s worth more than just any other water. This water was retrieved for the thirst of King David. But King David did a funny thing when the water was placed into his dehydrated hands; “he poured it out before the Lord.” When David poured the water out, he wasn’t just pouring it out to bid to God what water was, but turning that water into what’s called a Drink Offering. The drink offering was what you gave to God before sacrificing the perfect lamb or the best livestock for the Lord. You gave a drink offering onto the alter, Jacob, in Genesis, is the first to have done this, he poured wine, then oil onto the alter before making a animal sacrifice. He was giving to God the sacrifice made for that water, the life risked for that water, making the water sacred, making the water worth more than David’s thirst. Walter brueggemann says, “That such a costly commodity is appropriately used for such a sacramental act.” David wants God to have the best, so by giving him water that is found sacred, his act of worship to the Lord was sacrificing what he found sacred, and that is sacred because of the risk and it is sacrificed as Holy, to a God that is holy.
To a Lord that would sacrifice what is sacred for us. David found what he could give, and gave it to God. These sacrifices are acts of worship to a God that is worth more than anything we find sacred. He is worth our praise, and praise can be poured out, poured out through the sacrifice. When Jesus’ sacred time was approaching, a women pours out her heart onto to Jesus through a alabaster jar of expensive perfume. The sacrifice wasn’t through the monetary value found in the perfume, what was sacred was what the perfume represented to her, Her Heart. The love her poured out by anointing Jesus with her soul and heart, and with every drop that leaves the bottle bestowing beauty and fragrance, and lavishing Jesus with what He deserves, Her Heart, Her Life, Her Sacrifice.
But the disciples ask a very logical question, “why the waste?” they ask, “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and given to the poor.”Valid point.But Jesus makes a bigger point, this act of worship unto Jesus was a sacrifice for His sacrifice, he says, “she did it in preparation for my burial”.
She was honoring the fact, Jesus is here. God is here. Love is here. And pouring out your love is the best sacrifice in worship. Sacrifice to sacrifice.
Pouring out what you have to offer to others can be a sacrifice. Doing what is hard for you can be a sacrifice. And that is an act of worship to God, an act of reverence to the ultimate sacrifice that he has given. But making this sacrifice is not always fair; you may hear that voice saying,Why the waste?
Breaking yourself open and pouring out your heart, your soul, your worth in expensive perfume. But the risk in dumping out the contents of your soul can be a waste, but it’s the act of doing so that’s the sacrifice. The risk in the sacrifice in saying, Love is here. God deserves the best. He deserves the part of us that is holy. The action. The part that can bring others to him.Our heart and soul, poured out onto the altar.