Nathan was enraged. The King had not only yielded to adultery, but had a man killed to cover it up. And not just any men— one of his select men— Uriah! He was one of only a very select group of individuals who knew what was going on. But he was the only one of them who was a prophet. He was the only one who was tasked by God to give God’s message, no matter what. Being a court prophet is tough— one is supposed to give the word of God, but one must also deal with the toxic political intricacies of the royal court.
Unfortunately, Nathan had no idea how to do it. The King was a man who feared God, and yet was very… complex. His ability to rationalize was truly impressive. When young, he could live as a rebel against his predecessor, King Saul, and still claim to be a loyal subject. He could shake down landowners for food and lodging while denying he was a criminal. He could even serve the hated Philistines while believing that he was not treasonous. If he simply tells the king the truth? Well, David would certainly have his story already set up.
“Oh no, Nathan,” King David would surely say. “You have things completely misunderstood. It is too bad about Uriah… but I did not kill him. Death is a part of war. It is sad, but true. And now he has left behind a grieving and pregnant widow. I will take care of her. It is the least I could do for my dear friend.”
As a court prophet, Nathan knew all too well how politicians are. He realized that a frontal assault would not work. Much like a battle, he must strike the king where his defenses were weakest.
The King was the richest and most powerful person in the kingdom. But that was not how he looked at himself. Even all these decades later he would tell stories of his life as the youngest son of a family of shepherds. He saw himself as the underdog attacked by beast, giant, and king. Those days were long gone, but he still saw himself as one who is weak who must fight against the powerful.
That is the trick! He must tell David a story where he would identify with the one who was unjustly treated… unjustly treated by a powerful abuser. Anyone else would clearly recognize David as that powerful abuser— he is the king after all. But Nathan would not tell anyone else– only King David himself.
A sleepless night of reflection and prayer and he had it.
When David was alone, Nathan knew it was time. “Oh King, I must tell you a story of great injustice.”
“There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.
“Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.”
David burned with rage. He thought of the lion and the bear who tried to steal his sheep. He thought of King Saul who in jealousy tried to kill him. Jealous of a shepherd boy who had almost nothing? Ridiculous!! He killed the beasts as they deserved. He did not kill Saul— it was not his place to do that. But things have changed. David was now the king and he can execute swift and righteous judgment on such a greedy and godless man as the one Nathan described.
“As surely as the Lord lives,”
cried David,
“the man who did this must die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.”
Nathan responded matching the power and emotion in David’s voice,
“You Are That Man!”
The trap was sprung. David stepped into it— there was no sidestepping. There was no backing up. As the curtain lifted, there was no knife or spear to strike him. Instead, he was face to face with a mirror. He could not look away.
