Spear

Can I just say, ouch? When given the choice between showing mercy and taking vengeance, I hate to admit how often I want to choose the latter. How deeply infected my nature and my heart can be by this perverted sense of justice that so subtly and quickly turns into vengeance.

We all crave justice. That's hardwired into us as the *Imago Dei*, as God's image bearers. We crave justice. But here's the problem. When we take it into our own hands, it almost always, and by that I mean always, it almost always turns into this self-centered desire for vengeance.

This is a tricky thing, and it can come upon you quick. It comes upon most of us every time we get on the highway. Doesn't it? Maybe you're one of the rare exceptions. You just drive, and people cut you off, and you're like, hey, have a great day.

It's like... You know, I'm so embarrassed to acknowledge it, but it's just reality. I've had these mornings where I spend time with God, and I'm feeling so good about me and Jesus and how I am, and all it takes is one fool in a car, and I don't know where it goes. All of a sudden, I've got to cut him off. I've got to show him.

And you start thinking about all the things. Man, if I could say to them... This temptation, this maybe incessant need to be right and to prove ourselves right and to take vengeance for ourselves, it's deep.

In fact, when you look at the story of the Scriptures, the Bible, the first story out of the garden is this story. Cain and Abel bring their offerings to the Lord. Abel's is accepted. Cain's is rejected. And Cain is devastated. I brought mine. Why wasn't it accepted? And he's full of rage and anger.

And God comes to him. Do you remember this story? God comes to him and says, like, why are you so upset? If you do the right thing, it'll go well. But then God gives him this warning. He's like, sin is crouching at the door. And the imagery there is of a raging predator animal. It's ready to tear you apart. So be careful.

God pleads with him, be careful. And Cain has to take vengeance. He has to set things right according to his perverted sense of what is right. So he slays his brother, whose blood cries from the ground.

The temptation to take justice into our hands, slowly being corrupted into vengeance, is deep and real for every one of us.

Tomorrow we honor Martin Luther King Jr. He was a man who understood this struggle profoundly. And he was a man like any other, which means he had good parts of him and broken parts of him. But he was so deeply committed to justice and equality. But he knew that the way that was brought about mattered.

I remember reading about those who would march with Dr. King in the Civil Rights Movement. Before you'd be allowed to do that, you'd have to go through training. Because when you would engage in that march, you might have water hoses turned on you. You might have dogs released on you. You're going to have people calling you names and shouting, maybe throwing things at you. And one wrong response to that would jeopardize the whole task.

To respond to violence with violence, to respond to hate with hate, would be so antithetical to the heart of the movement and the man. King knew that human desire for justice could so easily slip into vengeance, destroying the cause and the soul.

So he said this, hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that. Radical. In some ways counterintuitive, but it's wisdom. Trusting that at the end of the day, the ways of God are going to be that which brings about the true and lasting justice that our hearts long for.

Mercy over vengeance, faith over taking immediate retaliation into our own hands, is the path that God has put us on.

So Romans warns us, vengeance isn't ours. It's God's. And rushing it only leads to falling. Mercy isn't weakness. It's wisdom under pressure. In a world where vengeance feels like justice, God calls us to something radical. Trust his timing. Trust his justice timing.

We have this nagging sense that we need to take it into our own hands. If we don't do it, it won't happen. God says, vengeance is mine. I will repay, says the Lord. And he's better at everything than we are. So maybe we should trust that.

We're reading 1 Samuel 26 this morning, and David is this beautiful example, once again, of what it looks like to trust in God and not take vengeance into his own hands.

So let's dive into the text this morning. Starting in verse 1, it says,

1 Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding himself on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the east of Jeshimon?”

Once again, the Ziphites, and we saw this in chapter 23, the Ziphites are actually related to David. These are his distant relatives. And back in chapter 23, they went to Saul and said, we know where David is. We'll deliver him unto you. Betrayed by his own family.

And so if you remember in chapter 23, Saul comes with an army. And he just about has David. In fact, he doesn't know how close he is to David. He stops and he goes into a cave to relieve himself. And that's where David and his men are hiding. And while he's relieving himself, David sneaks up and cuts off a corner of his robe. Remember this great story?

David has him in his hands. All of his guys that are with him are like, David, kill him. To you because their lives are on the line. David says, I will not raise my hand against the Lord's anointed. I will not take vengeance unto myself. So he cuts off the cloak and then when Saul goes out David comes out he goes hey look down look at your cloak could have killed didn't and Saul and it's all so dramatic “Oh David, my son, I'm so sorry, I'll never do it again! And on and on.

And here we are three chapters later, and the Ziphites come to Saul.

2 So Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph with three thousand chosen men of Israel to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.

You've got to understand what's going on here. David has been marginalized. He's been anointed and chosen by God to be king, and he has been cast out of society, cast out of the towns and the villages. He's dwelling in caves and mountains. He's in the wilderness, which biblically is the place of chaos. It's the place of monsters. It's the place of evil. It's the place for the outcasts. It's the place where when God brought Israel out of Egypt, they wandered for 40 years in the wilderness before they got to the land.

Now they're in the land. David's been chosen and anointed as king in the land, and he's got to hide in the wilderness. So now we have these echoes, I think, of the Exodus.

So now we've got a king with his elite troops chasing a true Israelite into the wilderness. It's heartbreaking. Elite troops versus the underdog. God's man hiding in the wilderness.

3a And Saul encamped on the hill of Hachilah, which is beside the road on the east of Jeshimon.

Y'all know where that is, right?

3b When he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness, 4 David sent out spies and learned that Saul had indeed come.

I love this about David. Saul's like, I'll never do this again. And then David's like, hey, David's guys come to him like, Saul's here with a bunch of warriors again. And David's like, well, we better see what's going on. So he sends out the spies and finds out that it's true.

5 Then David rose and came to the place where Saul had encamped. And David saw the place where Saul lay, with Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army. Saul was lying within the encampment, while the army was encamped around him. 6 Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Joab’s brother Abishai the son of Zeruiah, “Who will go down with me into the camp to Saul?” And Abishai said, “I will go down with you.”

Think about this. Saul's there with 3,000 elite troops. David's got some mighty men with him, but they've been hiding out in the wilderness. So here's this superior force camped down there. And David's like, who wants to go down there with me? It's amazing.

7 So David and Abishai went to the army by night. And there lay Saul sleeping within the encampment, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head, and Abner and the army lay around him.

So David's not completely crazy. He's going to go down, but I'm going to wait until it's dark. He's going to go down by night.

And there lay Saul sleeping within the encampment with his spear. With his spear. It's a sign of his authority. A sign of his kingship. It's also the thing that David's been dodging for a few years. His spear is stuck in the ground at his head, and Abner and the army lay around him.

So this night infiltration, in ancient Near Eastern cultures, when a king would go out with his army, they would set up their encampment in a circular manner, and the king would be at the center with his army around him, protecting him. So that's what David and Abishai encountered. They come in, and they start walking through the camp, and they get into the center where the king is. And there he is sleeping. He's got the spear next to him. The irony in this, right?

So the people that are supposed to be protecting him are sleeping. And now the one that he's been chasing, trying to kill, the enemy, is standing above him. And what is he actually going to do?

8 Then Abishai said to David, “God has given your enemy into your hand this day. Now please let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear, and I will not strike him twice.”

Oh, there's something really important to wrestle with here. I'm a lot like Abishai. You're probably a lot like Abishai.

We want to interpret circumstances according to how we want those circumstances to be interpreted. So God brings them into the camp. We're going to see here in a minute that God is actually putting them all to sleep into this deep slumber. And Abishai is like, God's doing this clearly. The reason God has done this is so that we can kill Saul and we can go home to our wives and kids, right? Like, clearly, right?

And do you see it? See how easy it is to do that? To take the circumstance, to take what God is doing and put our spin on it? That's what Abishai is doing here.

Okay, here's what I want. I want to kill Saul. God's put Saul to sleep, so this must be what God is doing. Very real, constant danger for us to interpret the work of God according to our perverted desires rather than acknowledging his.

Abishai says this. He says, "Please, let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear. I won't even have to hit him twice." Well, he is sleeping so not much of a challenge. But he's like, with his own spear, just once, whack, pin him to the earth. Please, David. God, delivered him to us.

9 But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand against the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless?”

Yes, God has rejected Saul as king, but God has not removed him from the throne. And see, it's God's people, it's God's land, it's God's kingdom, it's God's rule. And so David says, listen, I know he's been trying to kill us. I know we're in the wilderness. I know it might look like this is what God is doing, but here's what I do know, is that you can't go against God's anointed and be guiltless.

10 And David said, “As the Lord lives, the Lord will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish. 11 The Lord forbid that I should put out my hand against the Lord’s anointed. But take now the spear that is at his head and the jar of water, and let us go.”

Gotta think Abishai was a little disappointed.

12 So David took the spear and the jar of water from Saul’s head, and they went away. No man saw it or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen upon them.

So the Lord was involved. And this is something we've seen over and over again in the story. When God put Adam to sleep in Genesis chapter 2 so that Eve could be created. When Abraham in Genesis 15 receives his vision and covenant from the Lord, God puts him into this deep sleep. And so we see God's sovereignty in the midst of this story.

But unlike Abishai's interpretation that clearly this must be God wanting us to kill Saul, David saw something else. An opportunity to trust God. So he takes the spear and the water as proof. Not as trophies, but as symbols.

Think about what those two things are. The spear, a weapon of violence, a weapon of war, a weapon of man's power. I will, with the spear, make you do what I want you to do. And then water. David and his men have been in the wilderness where water is a big deal because water is life.

So here, Saul's... God's given some nighty-night time, right? And he's out. And David takes these two symbols, the symbol of life, the symbol of power and authority, and he takes them away from Saul. Symbolically, showing what he could have done.

David could have let Abishai do his thing and taken the life and authority of Saul immediately. But he's going to trust God.

13 Then David went over to the other side and stood far off on the top of the hill, with a great space between them. 14 And David called to the army, and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, “Will you not answer, Abner?” Then Abner answered, “Who are you who calls to the king?”

You got to think about the context... These guys knew each other. In fact, at one time, not too long ago, David had been the commander of the army. So Abner had been underneath David's authority. Now Abner's coming after him with the elite troop that David used to command.

And so Abner's got one job. Keeps Saul alive. Got one job. And David's like, you messed up. You messed up, Abner.

David said to Abner, "Are you not a man who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not kept watch over your lord the king? For one of the people came in to destroy the king your lord."

15 And David said to Abner, “Are you not a man? Who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not kept watch over your lord the king? For one of the people came in to destroy the king your lord. 16 This thing that you have done is not good. As the Lord lives, you deserve to die, because you have not kept watch over your lord, the Lord’s anointed. And now see where the king’s spear is and the jar of water that was at his head.”

Do you see the irony? “You were supposed to protect him. I came into the camp. I could have killed him. I'm the one that protected him.”

17a Saul recognized David’s voice and said, “Is this your voice, my son David?”

What a tragic pathetic response from the King. David, I love this. He doesn't respond with rage. He responds with reason.

17b And David said, “It is my voice, my lord, O king.” 18 And he said, “Why does my lord pursue after his servant? For what have I done? What evil is on my hands?

This is what David has been saying over and over and over again. What have I done? If I've done something, tell me. What have I done? Why are you trying to kill me? You just promised that you weren't going to kill me, and here you are again trying to kill me.

19 Now therefore let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it is the Lord who has stirred you up against me, may he accept an offering, but if it is men, may they be cursed before the Lord, for they have driven me out this day that I should have no share in the heritage of the Lord, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’ 20 Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth away from the presence of the Lord, for the king of Israel has come out to seek a single flea like one who hunts a partridge in the mountains.”

This is crazy. You're bringing 3,000 elite troops to chase after a flea, a partridge? It's crazy. It's like using a flamethrower to kill a spider. Now, I'm for that, by the way!

But then Saul repents and it’s not the first time we've heard Saul say this:

21 Then Saul said, “I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will no more do you harm, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Behold, I have acted foolishly, and have made a great mistake.”

I've sinned. I've missed the mark. I've broken faith. I've done the wrong thing.

Show of hands, who believes Saul? This is a reality we've all lived through. Is there anything more painful sometimes than a... Then a bad apology. An insincere apology.

David doesn't believe him either.

22 And David answered and said, “Here is the spear, O king! Let one of the young men come over and take it. 23 The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness, for the Lord gave you into my hand today, and I would not put out my hand against the Lord’s anointed.

Here's the symbol of your authority back, but understand, there's no authority in that spear. You've been rejected by the Lord. I've been chosen by the Lord. But I'm actually going to do what the Lord wants, which is trust him.

That God rewards people that are faithful. That God rewards people that are obedient. That God rewards people that go his way rather than going their own way. You can have your spear back, whatever good that is to you.

24 Behold, as your life was precious this day in my sight, so may my life be precious in the sight of the Lord, and may he deliver me out of all tribulation.”

You see where David's hope is? In the way that I've treated your life as precious today, David doesn't say, may you (Saul) treat my life as precious. He says, may God treat my life as precious. May he watch over me.

See, when Saul goes low, David goes high. He goes to the top. He returns the spear, affirming God's justice. The Lord rewards.

25 Then Saul said to David, “Blessed be you, my son David! You will do many things and will succeed in them.” So David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.

Bittersweet end. Saul blesses David, but there's no reconciliation. There's no restoration. David's still out in the wilderness. And Saul is still not willing to truly repent and submit himself to God's authority.

This chapter is a blueprint chapter of what a true king looks like. How a true king exercises authority. It points to Jesus in so many profound and beautiful ways. As great a king as David is in this text, Jesus surpasses him as the ultimate and true king.

See, like David spares his enemy, refuses to take up the weapon. It's like Jesus in Gethsemane refusing the sword. You remember the night that he's betrayed, Judas goes and brings with him a cohort of soldiers armed to seize Jesus in the night.

And, of course, Petey, he's got his sword and he whips it out and he goes Mike Tyson on the guy and takes off his ear. And Jesus is like, dude, put it down. Put your sword down. Put it down.

Do you remember what he says? He says, "Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?"

Jesus could have taken up the sword. He could have called a thousand million gazillion ninja angels with flaming swords. But he didn't.

Here's the symbols, spear, water, and blood in the wilderness. 1 Samuel 26, spear, water, blood in the wilderness. David takes the spear and the water so that his blood would not be shed, verse 20, apart from God.

Jesus took the spear into his side. And blood and water flowed onto the ground, the same ground that Abel's blood cried out from. The blood of Jesus pours out on the outskirts, right? Golgotha, the hill of the skull, outside of the town, on the margins, in the wilderness.

Jesus' blood and water flows that he might redeem. That he might rescue.

The true king didn't trust in spears. He came to defeat spears. To turn the spears and swords into plowshares. To crush empire, not perfect it. The true king trusts not in swords, but in God.

Jesus shows us that you don't defeat evil with evil. And that the righteous don't take vengeance into their own hands, but rather entrust themselves to God. "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit."

So who's your Saul? Who's driving you crazy right now? Maybe legitimately, maybe illegitimately. Who gives you that sense of self-righteous anger?

Might be somebody you know. Might be a TV personality. Might be a political party. Might be all sorts of things, but you know what I'm talking about, right? Like this is a human reality. They're so wrong and I'm so right. And if I don't tell them how wrong they are, and if I don't tell them how right I am, well, then there will be no justice.

We've got a whole generation of keyboard warriors. God, save us from ourselves. God, save us from our incessant need to try to make justice on our terms.

God, give us grace and mercy to become the kind of people that trust you. May we be like David. May we be like Jesus.

Trusting that God is a God of justice. That he is the judge of the whole earth. That he sees everything that is wrong in better definition and detail than we could even hope to do. And that he is absolutely committed to setting things right.

I just want you to entertain this simple possibility this morning. And it's this, that God is better equipped and able to bring about justice than you and I will ever be.

And at those moments, those opportunities, when we're like Abishai and we're like, give me the spear. Just take one shot. I can get this done. May the spirit of God move us and mold us and speak to us.

This is an opportunity for us to trust in God. Mercy isn't weakness. It's the strength of faith.

So let me close how I began with 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.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

I don't really know what 2026 holds for all of us. Here's my guess. It's going to be a lot of evil. You're going to have countless opportunities daily. You're going to be called to make a choice.

And you're going to have this fleshly anger. And here's the scary part. Some of the time you're actually going to be right. You're going to have righteous anger. You're going to be on the right side.

You're going to be tempted to take that spear into your hand and make justice for yourself. We don't overcome evil with evil. We overcome evil with good.

As you encounter evil today, tomorrow, every day until God finally eliminates evil, you've got this choice. Who are you going to trust to bring about the justice that your heart truly longs for?

And may I and may you and may we together learn to consistently make the choice that David made in 1 Samuel 26, make the choice that Jesus made when he carried his own cross to the hill and he took the spear so that blood and water might flow, that we might have life and might be reconciled to God.

May we live the life of God together. A life of love. A life of faith. A life of mercy. And a life that trusts God.

Amen.