“Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.” – Proverbs 27:6
When David had Uriah killed, he thought very little of it. After all, he gave Uriah a chance to live. Had he only gone home to spend some time away from battle with his wife, like David had suggested… It was ultimately his choice, his doing.
That’s how David looked at it. There was no guilt nor shame. David got what he wanted all along. And what he wanted was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen in his life. And since he was king, he could do whatever he pleased. He could even have someone murdered to save face and take his wife for himself.
But God looked at it differently. And so He told the prophet Nathan, David’s confidante and advisor, what had happened. And He informed Nathan to confront his king and strongly rebuke him.
“There were two men in a certain town,” Nathan begins. “One was rich, and one was poor. The rich man owned a great many sheep and cattle. The poor man owned nothing but one little lamb he had bought. He raised that little lamb, and it grew up with his children. It ate from the man’s own plate and drank from his cup. He cuddled it in his arms like a baby daughter.”
Nathan continued. “One day a guest arrived at the home of the rich man. But instead of killing an animal from his own flock or herd, he took the poor man’s lamb and killed it and prepared it for his guest.” David was furious. “As surely as the Lord lives, any man who would do such a thing deserves to die! He must repay four lambs to the poor man for the one he stole and for having no pity!” David said.
Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! The Lord, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. I gave you your master’s house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. Why, then, have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed?” (2 Samuel 12)
We’ve all done things that we ought not have done. In the heat of the moment, our thoughts can go unchecked and we run straight into the arms of temptation. And while it may feel good in the temporal moment, the shame and regret can last forever.
Fortunately for David, God had given him Nathan as his personal advisor. But that still didn’t stop David from going rogue sometimes. But each time he did, Nathan was there to reel him back in and tell him to repent and make things right with God.
Has God given you a Nathan in your life? Someone who isn’t afraid to tell you what you don’t want to hear? Someone who is willing to reel you back in after you’ve made a mess of things by deciding to go solo and doing your own thing?
Friend, we all need a person in our lives to keep us accountable; someone who is faithful to God, who has wisdom and discernment, and who can see some things that we ourselves can’t see. Every single one of us has a blind spot. And those blind spots can cause a lot of damage if we’re not paying attention. They can even get us killed.
Friends are important. But Nathans? Those are hard to find, because not everyone can be a Nathan.
So if you don’t have a Nathan in your life, pray for God to send you one. He will.
Former Blackout Artist 