The Art of Spear Throwing: Lessons from Saul and David

Some people are remembered for the object in their hands. Michael Jordan — the basketball. Lionel Messi — a football. Bob Marley — the guitar. For King Saul, it wasn’t a crown or a harp that marked his life. It was a spear. Every time you see him in Scripture, the spear is nearby. He’s either holding it, throwing it, or sleeping beside it.

The spear became his signature move — the way he handled fear, threat, and insecurity. And that’s where the story presses on us: what’s your spear? What do you reach for when you feel cornered, insecure, or out of control? Because the truth is, we’ve all got a piece of Saul in us.

Saul’s Mastery of the Spear

Close your eyes and picture Saul. What do you see? Not a steady crown, not a man of worship like David with his harp — but a spear.

The text tells us: “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” (1 Samuel 26:7).

Even when he slept, Saul kept the spear within reach, as if it could guarantee his safety.

It was more than a weapon; it was his way of life. The tragedy is that the more he mastered the spear, the less he mastered his own heart. The spear revealed not strength, but insecurity. And history doesn’t remember Saul as a man of faith. It remembers him as a man who trusted a weapon more than he trusted God.

And if we’re honest, that hits close to home. We’ve each mastered our own “spears”: sharp words that cut others down, silence that punishes, anger that flares, control we grip tightly. Some wield sarcasm, others manipulation, others pride. These may feel like survival tools, but the more we master them, the more they master us.

David’s Refusal of the Spear

Now step into David’s sandals. He creeps through Saul’s camp at night with Abishai. The same verse continues:

“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’” (1 Samuel 26:8).

Can’t you feel the temptation? One quick thrust, and years of running would be over. No more caves. No more hiding. The throne would be his.

But David answers differently:

“Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand against the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless? … 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” (1 Samuel 26:9, 11).

David refuses to let the weapon that defined Saul’s kingship define his own. He knew that if you pick up the spear to build your kingdom, the spear will always be part of your kingdom. So he chose restraint. He chose trust. He left the outcome in God’s hands.

And that choice still whispers to us today: when wronged, when jealous, when angry — we can always pick up the spear. But we don’t have to. There’s another way.

The Futility of the Spear

The irony of it all? Saul mastered the spear. David refused the spear. But in the end, the spear saved no one.

Scripture says:

“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” (1 Samuel 26:12).

The spear, for all its sharpness, was useless. It couldn’t protect Saul. It couldn’t secure the throne. It couldn’t stop God’s plan. It was just metal stuck in the dirt.

And so it is with the spears we cling to — our sharp words, grudges, pride, or need for control. They make us feel powerful in the moment, but they never bring lasting peace. They don’t heal relationships. They don’t secure our future. They only keep us restless and exposed.

Putting the Spear Down

The gospel invites us to do what Saul never could: put the spear down. Because the things we’ve mastered can’t save us. Only God can. Only His presence brings real peace. Only His strength secures the future.

Saul mastered the spear. David mastered restraint. The lesson is clear: greatness is not found in throwing spears but in refusing to.

👉 Takeaway: The world will always give us reasons to pick up the spear. But real strength is found in laying it down, trusting God with the outcome, and refusing to let fear write the story of our lives.