Observation: Nathan is an interesting figure in the scriptures. He is never listed as an official nor leader within David's government, and is not a priest. He is referred to as simply a 'prophet', however it is well accepted that David himself is also a prophet. Despite being a prophet, there are no writings of Nathan's in the scriptures, and he is never mentioned as one of the great prophets of the old testament era.
All that said, Nathan is the one who speaks correction to David more than once. Here, he is consulted about the temple, and while - thinking as a simple man - Nathan advises David to proceed, he will then receive a divine word that David is not to build a temple ... instead, the work currently being done is that the Lord himself is building David's 'house' and legacy in order to establish the legend of a worthy lineage for a future eternal king. Later, it will be Nathan who admonishes David's sin with Bathsheba, and he also appears several other times, always at times when David needs advice or correction.
Nathan is important to the story of Israel, but not because he is raised up and established as some great prophet who led a revival, or called down miracles, or guided the people in repentance, or poetically wrote down predictions about future events. Nathan was never thought of like Elijah, Moses, Isaiah, or Ezekiel ... he was never even seen like Joel, Amos, Micah, or Jonah ... he wasn't even David himself, whom Peter, speaking at Pentecost, reminded everyone was a true prophet and quoted him at the foundational moment of Christianity.
Nathan simply did two things. First, he listed for the true word of God, with the humility to accurately receive and understand that word, even when it defied his own human logic. Second, he had the courage to tell that word of God to one of the most powerful kings who ever lived, even when that word was critical of the king's thoughts and actions.
Application: Three days ago, a member of our church died. She was a young woman, married with three young daughters. While her illness was major, it was treatable, but she refused medical treatment because her mother - a person with extreme views fed by social media echo chambers - radically declares that modern medicine is sinful, and the Lord would heal her. The mother is one of those people even us in the church step back from due to over-the-top, near-militant declarations about God, often including wild "prophesies", grounded in conspiracy logic, that never, never, ever come true.
I know the family as anyone knows people they have been around for a dozen years but without interaction outside the church. That is to say, I know their stories, and I speak with them at functions. However, I am left with a problem in my heart ... did I receive a word of knowledge that could have influenced this outcome, and not have the courage to speak it?
I wouldn't be alone in this ... our staff is also struggling with the idea that none of the pastors ever chose to stand up to this mother and provide correction, nor did they advise the daughter or her husband about how they might make different choices. However, I feel I might have received a word, and I didn't speak it. My issue is ... I'm not sure I did hear God's word, or if I simply had my own thoughts and logic on the issue.
If I were closer to the Lord - if I were maintaining my heart and my soul in a better, strong relationship with the Lord, making me a better vessel for the Holy Spirit and thus better equipped to interact with the Spirit - perhaps I could have better discerned the word. If it had been a true word, perhaps I would have had more courage to speak it, even knowing the likely vitriolic response. Perhaps it would have been heard, and today over a dozen lives would be in a better place. Then again, maybe it was just my human logic in my head all along, I would now know that, and nothing would be different except for my thoughts today.
I wish I were more like Nathan ... humble in God's presence, with wisdom and discernment from the Holy Spirit, and with the courage to speak to others.
Prayer: Lord, if I have failed you, please dear Lord forgive me. I desire to never fail you again. May your Spirit be closer to me, strongly living within me, while in my own heart and mind and soul I make myself a better vessel for your same Spirit, aligning myself more and more every day to your precepts and will. Amen.
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