The Spear and the Jug: Restraint in a World of Vengeance Text: 1 Samuel 26:6-12
Introduction: The Temptation of the Easy Way
We live in a world that worships at the altar of immediate gratification. Our culture is defined by its impatience, its demand for quick fixes, and its celebration of whatever "works" to get you what you want. This is true in our politics, where compromise is seen as weakness and total victory is the only acceptable outcome. It is true in our personal lives, where we are encouraged to cut off anyone who inconveniences us. And tragically, it is often true in the church, where a pragmatic, results-oriented mindset can lead us to justify all sorts of compromises in the name of "effectiveness." We want the kingdom now, and we are sorely tempted to grab the spear and take matters into our own hands.
This is the precise temptation that confronts David in the wilderness of Ziph. For the second time, God delivers David's mortal enemy, King Saul, directly into his hands. Saul is not just a political rival; he is a paranoid, murderous tyrant who has been hunting David like an animal. He has thrown spears at him, slandered his name, and driven him from his home. By any human standard of justice, by any carnal calculation of what is "smart," Saul deserves to die. And David has the man, the means, and the motive.
This is not just a historical drama about ancient kings. This is a profound lesson in the nature of true faith, godly leadership, and the sovereignty of God. This passage forces us to ask ourselves a very pointed question: Do we trust God's timing, or do we trust our own spear? Do we believe that vengeance belongs to the Lord, or do we think He needs our help to carry it out? Abishai, a man of action and loyalty, represents the wisdom of the world. His logic is impeccable: "God has delivered him. Let's finish this." But David operates by a different logic entirely, a logic rooted in the fear of God and a deep understanding of His ordained order. David's restraint here is not weakness; it is a display of immense spiritual strength. It is a refusal to achieve God's ends by the devil's means.
As we walk through this passage, we must see it as a test. It is a test for David, certainly, but it is also a test for us. Will we learn to wait on the Lord, even when the spear is in our hand and the enemy is asleep at our feet? Or will we, like so many, give in to the pragmatic temptation to seize control, only to find that we have forfeited the blessing?
The Text
Then David answered and said to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, saying, “Who will go down with me to Saul in the camp?” And Abishai said, “I will go down with you.” So David and Abishai came to the people by night, and behold, Saul lay sleeping inside the circle of the camp with his spear stuck in the ground at his head; and Abner and the people were lying around him. Then Abishai said to David, “Today God has surrendered your enemy into your hand; so now, please let me strike him with the spear to the ground with one stroke, and I will not strike him the second time.” But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can stretch out his hand against the anointed of Yahweh and be without guilt?” David also said, “As Yahweh lives, surely Yahweh will smite him, or his day will come that he dies, or he will go down into battle and be swept away. Yahweh forbid that I should stretch out his hand against the anointed of Yahweh; but now please take the spear that is at his head and the jug of water, and let us go.” So David took the spear and the jug of water from beside Saul’s head, and they went away, but no one saw or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep, because a sound sleep from Yahweh had fallen on them.
(1 Samuel 26:6-12 LSB)
The Opportunity and the Companion (v. 6-7)
The scene is set with a stark choice and a willing volunteer.
"Then David answered and said to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, saying, 'Who will go down with me to Saul in the camp?' And Abishai said, 'I will go down with you.' So David and Abishai came to the people by night, and behold, Saul lay sleeping inside the circle of the camp with his spear stuck in the ground at his head; and Abner and the people were lying around him." (1 Samuel 26:6-7)
David is not a passive victim. He is proactive, taking the initiative to go into the heart of the enemy camp. This is an act of incredible courage. But notice his companion. Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, is the nephew of David and the brother of the infamous Joab. The sons of Zeruiah were known for being fierce, zealous, and often ruthless men. Abishai's immediate and unhesitating response, "I will go down with you," reveals his loyalty and bravery. He is a good soldier. But as we will see, being a good soldier and being a man of God are not always the same thing.
They arrive to find a scene of remarkable vulnerability. Saul is asleep, surrounded by his army, with his general, Abner, lying nearby. The detail about the spear is crucial. The spear was the symbol of the king's authority and power. Here it is, stuck in the ground right by his head, completely unguarded. It is an open invitation. The entire camp is asleep. This is not just a lucky break; it is a divinely orchestrated opportunity. The text will later confirm that a "sound sleep from Yahweh" had fallen on them. God Himself has set the stage.
The Carnal Interpretation (v. 8)
Abishai sees the situation and immediately interprets it through the lens of worldly wisdom and righteous zeal.
"Then Abishai said to David, 'Today God has surrendered your enemy into your hand; so now, please let me strike him with the spear to the ground with one stroke, and I will not strike him the second time.'" (1 Samuel 26:8)
Abishai's theology is simple and, on the surface, compelling. "God has surrendered your enemy into your hand." He gives God the credit for the opportunity. This is not the reasoning of an unbeliever; it is the reasoning of a believer who misinterprets God's providence. He sees an open door and assumes it is an invitation to walk through it in the most obvious way. His logic is: God gave us the chance, so let's take it. It is the pragmatist's creed.
His offer is brutally efficient. "Let me strike him... with one stroke, and I will not strike him the second time." Abishai is confident. He is saying, "This will be clean, quick, and decisive. No mess, no fuss. The problem will be solved permanently." This is the allure of the shortcut. Why continue to live as a fugitive in the wilderness when one swift, decisive action can end the whole affair? This is the voice of temptation, and it is all the more dangerous because it is cloaked in the language of piety and common sense. It is the temptation to do God's will, but in our own way and on our own timetable.
The Covenantal Prohibition (v. 9)
David's response cuts directly against the grain of Abishai's logic. It is a firm and absolute prohibition, rooted not in strategy, but in theology.
"But David said to Abishai, 'Do not destroy him, for who can stretch out his hand against the anointed of Yahweh and be without guilt?'" (1 Samuel 26:9)
David does not argue about the odds. He does not debate whether they could get away with it. He goes straight to the principle: Saul is the Lord's anointed. The term "anointed" refers to someone set apart by God for a specific office, in this case, the office of king. To attack the king was not merely a political act; it was a sacrilegious act. It was to attack the office that God Himself had established. Saul was a terrible king. He was faithless, disobedient, and murderous. But his personal failings did not nullify his office. The office belonged to God, and only God had the right to remove the man He had placed in it.
This is a principle that our egalitarian and anti-authoritarian age has almost completely forgotten. We believe that if a leader is flawed, he forfeits all respect and authority. But David understood that God's ordained structures of authority must be respected, even when the person holding the office is unworthy. To raise a hand against the Lord's anointed is to presume to take God's prerogative into your own hands. It is to declare yourself the judge, jury, and executioner. And David says this cannot be done without incurring guilt. It is a sin against the divine order.
The Patience of Faith (v. 10-12)
David then articulates the alternative to Abishai's carnal solution. It is not inaction, but rather an active, confident trust in the sovereign justice of God.
"David also said, 'As Yahweh lives, surely Yahweh will smite him, or his day will come that he dies, or he will go down into battle and be swept away. Yahweh forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the anointed of Yahweh; but now please take the spear that is at his head and the jug of water, and let us go.'" (1 Samuel 26:10-11)
David is not letting Saul off the hook. He is absolutely certain that judgment is coming for Saul. "As Yahweh lives, surely Yahweh will smite him." This is not wishful thinking; it is a statement of profound faith. David then lists the possible means God might use: divine judgment ("Yahweh will smite him"), natural death ("his day will come that he dies"), or death in battle. The means are up to God. The timing is up to God. The responsibility belongs to God. David's job is not to bring the judgment, but to wait for it.
This is the opposite of a personal vendetta. It is the essence of what the Apostle Paul would later write: "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord'" (Romans 12:19). David is practicing Romans 12 centuries before it was written. He understands that his role is to remain faithful within the boundaries God has set for him, and to trust God to handle what is outside those boundaries.
So what does he do? He takes the evidence.
"So David took the spear and the jug of water from beside Saul’s head, and they went away, but no one saw or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep, because a sound sleep from Yahweh had fallen on them." (1 Samuel 26:12)
He takes the spear, the symbol of Saul's power, and the jug of water, a symbol of his life. This is not a passive act. It is a prophetic demonstration. It is a way of saying, "Your life and your kingdom were in my hand, and I gave them back to you. I will not take what God has not yet given me." He is making an appeal, not to Saul's conscience, which was fickle, but to the facts of the case. He is demonstrating his righteousness and trusting God to vindicate him.
The final clause underscores the entire event. The "sound sleep from Yahweh" shows that this was not a test David stumbled into by chance. God orchestrated this entire scenario to test David's heart. Would he seize power, or would he wait for God to give it? Would he trust in the spear, or in the God who ordains the king? David passes the test, not because he is a pacifist, but because he fears God more than he fears Saul.
Conclusion: Leaving Vengeance to God
The lesson for us is profound and deeply counter-cultural. We are constantly presented with opportunities to "help God out," to nudge His plan along, to take the pragmatic shortcut. Abishai's voice whispers in our ear: "God has given you this opportunity! Don't be a fool! End the problem now." It might be the temptation to slander a rival at work to get a promotion. It might be the temptation to cut theological corners to make the church grow faster. It might be the temptation to embrace worldly political tactics to "win" the culture war.
In every case, the logic is the same: the ends justify the means. But David shows us a better way. The way of faith is to trust that God is sovereign over both the ends and the means. Our task is obedience to His revealed will, not the clever manipulation of circumstances.
David knew he was the rightful king. God had already anointed him through Samuel. But he refused to ascend to the throne over the dead body of his predecessor. He would wait for God to remove Saul. And because he waited, because he honored God's established authority even when it was held by a corrupt man, God established his throne. The man who refused to grasp the spear in rebellion was the man God entrusted with the scepter of the kingdom.
We too must learn to leave the spear in the ground. We must learn to trust that God's justice will roll down. He will deal with the tyrants. He will settle all accounts. Our job is to be faithful, to walk in integrity, and to refuse to touch the Lord's anointed, leaving all judgment and vengeance to the one to whom it truly belongs. This is not weakness. It is the quiet, unshakeable strength of a man who knows that his times are in God's hands.