Observation: Once established as king, David has the idea to build the temple. He tells this idea to the prophet Nathan who tells him to do as he thinks because God has proven he is with David. However, that very night, the Lord gives Nathan a message that it must be Solomon, not David, to build the temple. This begs the question ... why tell Nathan?
Nathan was right that God was with David. He had made him successful in every undertaking. More importantly, David was clearly a prophet in his own right as is evidenced by the psalms he wrote and how many of them are clearly inspired words of God, providing insight into near-term events, comfort for people thousands of years of the future, and even messianic prophesy fulfilled by Jesus. So if David has the idea to build a temple in Jerusalem - something the Lord actually did want to occur eventually, and for which the Lord would communicate the plans to David - why would the Lord not just tell David that he is not to build it?
I think the answer is that ... Nathan was a good prophet, faithful to the Lord, filled with the Holy Spirit, but had given a wrong answer to David. In their first conversation, Nathan answers with a human mindset, effectively saying, "Hey, the Lord's been with you in everything else, of course he'll be with you in a major construction project." Nathan didn't quite realize David was consulting him as a prophet and therefore forgot to consult with the Lord first. Instead of chastising Nathan for this, the Lord simply gives him better information, and the opportunity to correct his error.
The Lord doesn't go to David and say, "Nathan was wrong" - a message that could damage trust in the future - and he doesn't go to Nathan and say, "You were wrong", a message that could damage Nathan's confidence in the future. Instead, the goes to Nathan and says, "here is the right answer." Nathan immediately and faithfully delivers that message, which ultimately encourages David and strengthens their relationship, and in so doing Nathan is faithful to the Lord, strengthening their spirit-filled connection.
Application: I know the relationship between David and Nathan is actually quite important, as it will be Nathan who will both advise and correct David in important matters later. The fact Nathan gave some hasty advice, and the Lord corrects him in a manner that preserves Nathan's integrity (personally and professionally if you will), is such a model for me to understand how to interact with others.
I have adopted as my 'life question' - aka my daily mission - "How can I offer others the opportunity to feel better about themselves today?" The Lord shows me one way in this story. If I need to correct others, I don't need to do so by telling them they're wrong. If I need to correct something they've done, I don't need to do so by telling their boss that there's a problem. And I also don't need to just fix the situation myself (as the Lord could have done, just making it impossible for David to build the temple). Instead, I can just give the person new or better information, and then the room and time to adjust.
I am not God. Therefore, my 'new or better' information isn't flawless anyway. I'm just saying, the Lord modeled great kindness and wisdom in correcting both Nathan and David in a way that actually uplifted both in every way, and preserved their important relationship. It is an example to heed well.
Prayer: Lord, I thank you for your wisdom, shown to me every day in your word. I am unwise and I make mistakes in so many ways. May I heed your example in interacting with others, so I can represent your love and kindness to those around me. Amen.
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