The Spear Not Thrown (1 Samuel 26)

Jesus’ command to love enemies presses into real life, not superhero movies or history textbooks. The word “enemies” names personal relationships, the people who are hard to love, the people whose words still echo in the head, the people who drove someone out, hurt someone deeply, or made life miserable.

David’s story with Saul puts flesh on that command. Saul had once liked David, but jealousy took over when people praised David and when Saul saw that David would be king next. Saul threw a spear at David twice, and David had to run for years, away from home, family, worship, and safety. Saul brought 3,000 men to hunt him down, but God put the whole camp into a deep sleep, and David and Abishai walked right up to the sleeping king.

Abishai saw the spear and thought revenge made perfect sense. “I won’t strike him twice” carried a little dig at Saul, because Saul had thrown the spear twice. David refused. Saul was still the Lord’s anointed, and David would not take vengeance into his own hands. The Lord would deal with Saul, whether by age, battle, or some other way. David took the spear and water jug as proof that Saul’s life had been in his hands, but he did not destroy him.

Christ’s love keeps sinners from throwing the spear. Revenge makes sense to the sinful nature. Hurt back, insult back, throw back. But love for enemies does not begin by staring at the one who caused the wound. Christ loved while sinners were still enemies. God sent his Son while hatred still lived in human hearts, and that mercy becomes the only place from which forgiveness can flow.

David’s mercy also shows that love can be wise. David did not walk back to Saul and hand the spear over face to face. David did not pretend everything was fine. David told one of Saul’s young men to come get it, and then David went one way while Saul went another. Love does not require pretending repeated sin is harmless. Love can forgive, refuse revenge, speak honestly, set boundaries, hang up the phone, or part ways.

Jesus gives the deepest reason to love enemies. Great is the reward in heaven, even when mercy gets abused. Nate Saint’s story shows that such love is only possible through Christ. God has a Son. He was speared, but he did not throw the spear back.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Christ keeps hands off the spear. Revenge often feels clean and logical to the sinful nature, especially when the spear is already sitting right there. David’s refusal shows that righteousness is not merely having the power to strike, but entrusting judgment to the Lord when striking seems easy. Christ’s love does not deny the wrong, but it breaks the reflex to become like the wrongdoer. [27:54]
• 2. Forgiveness begins by looking at Christ. The heart cannot find enough strength for enemy love by staring at the person who caused the wound. The power to forgive comes from seeing Christ love enemies first, while hatred still lived in human hearts. Forgiveness is not pretending the hurt was small, but receiving the massive mercy of the cross until that mercy becomes the measure for another person. [28:56]
• 3. Love does not mean unsafe closeness. David spared Saul, but David did not hand the spear back within striking distance. Wise love can refuse revenge and still refuse a situation where repeated harm is treated as normal. Grace is not the same thing as foolish exposure, and forgiveness does not require pretending trust has been restored. [35:06]
• 4. Boundaries can be faithful mercy. A clear boundary can be an act of love because it names sin without throwing sin back. The hard conversation, the ended phone call, or the separate road can protect a person from becoming bitter while also refusing to enable destruction. Such wisdom needs prayer, but it fits the pattern of David, who loved Saul without returning to Saul’s control. [37:03]
• 5. The speared Son did not retaliate. Jesus was pierced, but he did not pierce back. That line reveals the deepest shape of Christian enemy love: God’s Son absorbed violence and answered with redemption instead of revenge. Only the work of Jesus can make such mercy possible, whether in David’s restraint or in a son worshiping beside the man who killed his father. [42:52]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [18:10] - David Finds Saul Asleep
• [20:19] - Naming the Hard-to-Love Person
• [21:18] - Jesus’ Command to Love Enemies
• [23:02] - Saul’s Jealousy Against David
• [24:08] - David’s Chance for Revenge
• [25:34] - Abishai Wants to Strike
• [27:36] - Christ’s Love Stops the Spear
• [30:09] - David Calls Out Abner and Saul
• [31:28] - Saul Says He Acted Like a Fool
• [35:06] - Love Wisely, Not Foolishly
• [36:32] - Boundaries With Difficult People
• [39:37] - Nate Saint and Enemy Love
• [42:52] - Jesus Was Speared and Did Not Strike Back

Bible Reading

1 Samuel 26:7-25
“So David and Abishai went to the army by night, and there was Saul lying asleep inside the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying around him. Abishai said to David, ‘Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I won’t strike him twice.’ But David said to Abishai, ‘Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless? As surely as the Lord lives,’ he said, ‘the Lord himself will strike him, or his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed. Now get the spear and water jug that are near his head, and let’s go.’ So David took the spear and water jug near Saul’s head, and they left. No one saw or knew about it, nor did anyone wake up. They were all sleeping, because the Lord had put them into a deep sleep. Then David crossed over to the other side and stood on top of the hill some distance away; there was a wide space between them. He called out to the army and to Abner son of Ner, ‘Aren’t you going to answer me, Abner?’ Abner replied, ‘Who are you who calls to the king?’ David said, ‘You’re a man, aren’t you? And who is like you in Israel? Why didn’t you guard your lord the king? Someone came to destroy your lord the king. What you have done is not good. As surely as the Lord lives, you and your men must die, because you did not guard your master, the Lord’s anointed. Look around you. Where are the king’s spear and water jug that were near his head?’ Saul recognized David’s voice and said, ‘Is that your voice, David my son?’ David replied, ‘Yes it is, my lord the king.’ And he added, ‘Why is my lord pursuing his servant? What have I done, and what wrong am I guilty of? Now let my lord the king listen to his servant’s words. If the Lord has incited you against me, then may he accept an offering. If, however, people have done it, may they be cursed before the Lord! They have now driven me from my share in the Lord’s inheritance and have said, “Go, serve other gods.” Now do not let my blood fall to the ground far from the presence of the Lord. The king of Israel has come out to look for a flea—as one hunts a partridge in the mountains.’ Then Saul said, ‘I have sinned. Come back, David my son. Because you considered my life precious today, I will not try to harm you again. Surely I have acted like a fool and have been terribly wrong.’ ‘Here is the king’s spear,’ David answered. ‘Let one of your young men come over and get it. The Lord rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness. The Lord delivered you into my hands today, but I would not lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed. As surely as I valued your life today, so may the Lord value my life and deliver me from all trouble.’ Then Saul said to David, ‘May you be blessed, David my son; you will do great things and surely triumph.’ So David went on his way, and Saul returned home.” [17:58]

Romans 12:19
“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.’” [26:57]

Matthew 5:44
“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”

Romans 5:8
“but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” [29:01]

Observation questions

1. In 1 Samuel 26, what reasons does David give for not killing Saul, even when the spear is right there and the opportunity seems perfect? [26:04]
2. What details in the passage show that David spared Saul without pretending everything was suddenly safe or restored between them? [33:16]
3. How does Saul describe his own behavior after David confronts him from a distance, and what words does he use about David’s mercy? [31:28]
4. What examples come to mind when “enemies” are described not as armies far away, but as real people in personal relationships? [20:19]

Interpretation questions

1. David says the Lord will deal with Saul in the Lord’s own time. What does that show about the difference between justice and personal revenge? [26:57]
2. Jesus commands people to love enemies, and Romans 5:8 says Christ loved while people were still sinners. Why does looking at Christ matter so much when someone is trying to forgive a person who has deeply hurt them? [29:45]
3. Saul says, “I have sinned,” but David still does not walk back into Saul’s reach. What does that suggest about the difference between hearing sorry words and seeing trustworthy change? [32:19]
4. David values Saul’s life, yet he also keeps a wide space between them and sends a young man to collect the spear. How can mercy and boundaries fit together without cancelling each other out? [35:06]

Application questions

1. Jesus uses the word “enemies” for hard personal relationships. Who is hard to love right now: someone from family, work, church, or the past? What makes that person especially difficult to love? [20:52]
2. Revenge often feels natural: hurt back, insult back, shut down, expose, or get even. What does “throwing the spear” tend to look like in everyday life for this group: words, silence, gossip, coldness, online posts, or something else? [27:54]
3. Forgiveness begins by looking at Christ, not by staring at the wound. When hurt rises up again, what helps a person actually turn their eyes back to Jesus and his mercy? [28:56]
4. Love does not require pretending repeated sin is harmless. Is there a relationship where a clearer boundary is needed right now: a phone call that needs to end sooner, a visit that needs limits, or a situation that may need distance? [37:03]
5. David did not hand the spear back face to face. Where might someone in this group need to stop confusing forgiveness with unsafe closeness? [35:59]
6. Jesus says there is reward in heaven even when mercy is abused. How does that promise help when loving someone does not lead to quick change, gratitude, or reconciliation? [39:08]
7. Jesus was speared and did not strike back. In one painful relationship, what might it look like this week to refuse retaliation while still speaking honestly and walking wisely? [42:52]