Yahweh forbid that I should put forth my hand against Yahweh's anointed: but now please take the spear that is at his head, and the jar of water, and let us go.
David’s reason for entering Saul’s camp was not to kill him but to teach him a lesson. By taking Saul’s spear, David would teach the king that he had the power of death, but chose to spare Saul’s life rather than take it. This symbolic act also communicated that the right to rule would be David’s eventually. By taking his water jug, a life-giving vessel since life in the Judean wilderness depended on drinking water, David taught him that he had the power to take Saul’s life. Perhaps the jug of water also symbolized that refreshment and blessing would also be David’s portion from the Lord. It was really the Lord who defended David by making Saul and all of his men sleep soundly (1 Samuel 26:12).