A Prophet Who Dares to Confront the King
Nathan (2) is a prophet during the reign of King David. The Bible has two stories about Nathan.
When David has established his kingdom and enjoys a time of peace, he shares an idea with Nathan. He wants to build a temple for the Lord.
Nathan tells David to proceed, that God is with him.
We don’t know if Nathan gave David his blessing on his own accord or if it came from God. Nevertheless, that night God speaks to Nathan, telling him that David is not the one to build the temple. That privilege will fall to another.
In reading God’s revelation to Nathan, it first seems as though it’s a forward-looking prophecy to Jesus, who will establish a spiritual temple, one without end.
Yet as we continue to read God’s words, they shift into talking about a literal king who will accomplish this task.
Perhaps the prophecy refers to both Jesus and his eternal supernatural temple, as well as David’s son Solomon and the physical temple he will build here on earth.
Regardless, David does not build a temple for God as he wished.
Another time Nathan confronts David by sharing a parable. It’s of a rich man who steals his poor neighbor’s sheep to feed guests. David is irate over the rich man’s greed.
That’s when Nathan reveals that David is the man in the story. Though he didn’t take his neighbor’s sheep, he did kill his neighbor after taking the man’s wife.
It’s the story of David committing adultery with Bathsheba and killing her husband, Uriah, so the king can take her as his wife.
David confesses his sin.
And though God forgives him, David suffers the consequences of his mistake for the rest of his life.
When have we approved of something only to have God later correct our perspective?
How do we react when confronted with our sin?
[Read about Nathan in 2 Samuel 7:1–17 and 2 Samuel 12:1–25. Discover more in 1 Kings 1:7–46.]
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Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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