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2nd Samuel 12:1-14 And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. (2) The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: (3) But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. (4) And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him. (5) And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: (6) And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. (7) And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; (8) And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. (9) Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. (10) Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. (11) Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. (12) For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. (13) And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. (14) Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.
How would you define a “faithful” person? The wise man, Solomon, tells us in Proverbs 14:5 A faithful witness will not lie… and again in Proverbs 27:6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend… and he asks in Proverbs 20:6 …a faithful man who can find?
It seems that Solomon looked at a faithful person, not as someone who faithfully toes the line to stay in good standing and to gain advantage, but as someone who, when it’s necessary, is willing to take on great risk to themselves and their reputation in order to speak truth; not just for the sake of calling things out, but with a much deeper reasoning…the hope of righting some wrong that is creating a negative impact on others. Such a man was the prophet Nathan!
What God considers to be faithful and what people consider to be faithful can be two very different things! Nathan was convicted by Jehovah to go and deliver a difficult message to the king. It would be a message that would no doubt be unpopular with those who surrounded the king and maybe even with the king himself. But, Nathan knew the message had to be delivered.
Nathan’s Divine Mission
2nd Samuel 12:1 And the LORD sent Nathan unto David…
The king, being the highest position in the land, was probably not used to anyone being so bold and forward with him. He was probably use to platitudes and placating language that would almost guarantee their place in the king’s good graces. But, Nathan knew his message was ordained by God and therefore feared God alone rather than fearing what the king, or anyone else, could do to him.
We call Nathan faithful, not only because he was faithful to God in delivering this very heavy message when others would have chosen to stay silent, but, we call him faithful because he was also faithful to David.
When Nathan could have chosen his own self-interests over the will of God; when he could have chosen to go his own way and “mind his own business”, which in turn would likely have allowed David to incur the wrath of God in a much more severe way, he chose to deliver the message, suffer the possible displeasure of the king, and at least give the king the opportunity to hear it from someone rather than letting David remain in ignorance and suffer the consequences.
God’s Message Through Nathan Did Not Happen Right Away
We have to remember that Nathan delivered his message to the king just before the illegitimate child of David and Bathsheba was born. So, we’re talking about nine months or so from the time of David’s sin with Bathsheba to the time Nathan delivers his message.
During this time, there were those around David who knew about this situation. 2nd Samuel 11:3-4 And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? (4) And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her…
We don’t read of anyone telling David that his actions were wrong in the eyes of God or that this action was going to hurt other people…why not? Maybe it’s because they thought the king was out of their reach. Maybe some feared losing promotional opportunity if they said something. Who knows? Again, what God considers to be faithful and what people consider to be faithful can be two very different things!
Even Joab started to realize something was amiss. Consider the following scriptures:
- 2nd Samuel 11:6 And David sent to Joab, saying, Send me Uriah the Hittite. And Joab sent Uriah to David.
- 2nd Samuel 11:15 And he (David) wrote in the letter (to Joab), saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.
- 2nd Samuel 11:20-21 And if so be that the king’s wrath arise…(21) …then say thou, Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.
So, we see that the error of David had been going on for a while and others were aware of it and that it was wrong. But, only Nathan would have the wherewithal to actually speak up about it, not to harm David, but to help him and all who were affected by his actions.
During this nine months or so, could David play the trumpet and harp with joy unto the Lord? Could he say With my whole heart have I sought thee…(Psalms 119:10)? Not likely!
What a joyless year he must have experienced! So it is when we are fighting against the conviction of God Himself! To fight against the only true joy-giver is to ensure that no joy is experienced, but rather the slow painful process of a dying spirit…as I’m sure David must have been experiencing!
Nathan understood that reproof, especially of someone who resides at a higher social level such as king David, should only be presented according to the will of God; not according to who deserves it nor according to one’s own whims. This calling requires careful prayer and consideration before it is carried out.
When Nathan understood this to be the will of God, he humbly obeyed. We do not find that he delivers the message with a spirit of retribution or to attack. But, it is delivered in the spirit of duty to the Lord. This way the response of the king and any possible rejection of those around him would have no bearing on his obedience.
Nathan brings this message to a climactic close when he tells David in 2nd Samuel 12:14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme… In other words, “It isn’t just about you and protecting your image…you have given the enemies of God ammunition, not only to use against you personally, but also to use against what God is trying to do through you, and now our people are suffering and have to work harder to overcome that stigma!”
David’s Favorable Response
When Nathan told David those famous words in 2nd Samuel 12:7 …Thou art the man…, we don’t read of David trying to come up with a reason why he wasn’t to blame. He simply said …I have sinned against the LORD…(2nd Samuel 12:13).
When Nathan was tasked to deliver this message, it was never in the heart of God nor in the heart of Nathan to try to hurt David. Nathan’s faithfulness is found, not only in that he delivered a difficult message to the highest ranking person in the land, but also in that he meant it for David’s good. Nathan had too much conviction to just let this wrong go on as others seem to have been doing.
2nd Samuel 12:15 And Nathan departed unto his house… After delivering the message God sent him to deliver, Nathan did not stand around to see if David would take notice of his good intentions and reward him for his bravery and faithfulness to God. David needed Nathan more than he realized!
Obeying the Lord was all the reward Nathan needed! He could say as the prophet Daniel would later say in his generation in Daniel 5:17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another…
We can rightly say that the prophet Nathan was a faithful reprover because he was faithful to God and faithful to the one to whom God sent him. Only the love of God in someone’s heart can help them have sympathy and love for someone they must deliver a strong message to; especially if that person is someone they once greatly respected!
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