Nathan the Prophet
Today’s Verse:
But Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he called not. ~1 Kings 1:10
Nathan the Prophet was a leading prophet during the reign of David. His name means “given of God” or “whom God gave.” Certainly, he was God’s gift to David and Israel during David’s reign. His person and messages were timely, helpful, blunt, and effective. He teaches us much about ministry integrity, ministry inspiration, and ministry influence. Every preacher needs to follow Nathan’s model of ministry. Every man needs to follow Nathan’s consistency and consecration in his dealings and opportunities of ministering to other men.
We see Nathan’s frankness.
His calling as a prophet required him to preach the preaching that God had bidden him. Prophets of God were required to speak the truth. Speaking the truth meant that he had to speak with candor, with frankness, and without reservation. Peter and John said, “We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” Frankness means we do not beat around the bush. We do not give cryptic messages. We must cry aloud, blow the trumpet, and sound the alarm. Every prophet of God must be certain about “thus saith the LORD.”
We see Nathan’s favor.
“And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the LORD is with thee.” God had given David rest from his enemies. It was during this time that David brought the ark of God to Jerusalem and desired to build a temple for it. He had a great vision to build a place for the presence of God. The first person he spoke with about this vision was Nathan. Nathan encouraged him by telling him, “Go, do all that is in thine heart.” Nathan saw the genuine heart desire that David had for the Lord and His presence. Nathan encouraged David to do what was in his heart. As a man of God, he gave favor to an ambition that sought to give glory to God. As influencers, we must be certain in our discernment of how and when to encourage others who have a genuine desire to serve the Lord.
We see Nathan’s faceoff.
“And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul.” Nathan was sent to confront David about his coverup concerning Bathsheba, the death of Urijah, David’s conspiracy, David’s deceit, and David’s stumbling block. Nathan used a convicting parable to stir David’s spirit. This became the means by which he told David, “Thou art the man.” Strong spiritual leadership requires confrontation, even when it is uncomfortable and unpopular. Nathan risked David getting angry and killing him. Nevertheless, Nathan boldly dealt with David and told him what the Lord said.
We see Nathan’s fealty.
“And they told the king, saying, Behold Nathan the prophet. And when he was come in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground.” Nathan never held contempt or a grudge against David. In David’s old age, his son Adonijah tried to usurp the throne. Nathan quickly spoke with Bathsheba about this problem, and, together, they came to David about succession of the kingdom to Solomon. Nathan is a beautiful picture of loyalty and fealty at a critical time. He did not let feelings get in the way of faithfulness. Nathan was a man of exceptional character and spirituality. Let God arise in your heart this morning and follow the example of Nathan.
Have a courageous God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Psalms 126-132