The prophet Nathan, with King David
One of the most powerful stories in the Bible is known as “The Poor Man’s Lamb.” To fully understand the context, let me provide some background. King David became infatuated with a beautiful woman named Bathsheba, who happened to be the wife of one of his loyal officers, Uriah. Consumed by his desire for Bathsheba, King David committed a terrible sin. He sent Uriah to the most dangerous battlefront against Israel’s enemy, the Ammonites, hoping that Uriah would be killed. Unfortunately, his plan succeeded, and after Uriah’s death, King David took Bathsheba as one of his wives in his palace.
The prophet Nathan was sent by the Lord to help King David understand the gravity of his actions and to announce the deserved punishment. Here is my free translation from the original Hebrew text:
“And the Lord sent Nathan to King David. He came to him and said, ‘In a certain city, there were two men — one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a vast number of flocks and herds, while the poor man had nothing but one small ewe lamb that 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 arrived at the rich man’s house, but instead of taking an animal from his own flock to prepare a meal for the traveler, he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and prepared it for the visitor.’”
David’s anger flared up against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die! And he must repay four times the value of the lamb because he did this and showed no pity.”
“You are the man,” said Nathan. (2 Samuel 12:1–6)
I chose to conclude here, although Nathan’s subsequent prophecy is poetry in its own right. The authors of the Bible did not seek to glorify their characters; on the contrary, human weaknesses are depicted without sugar-coating. Sometimes, these flaws are magnified, as in this tale. A popular and beloved king sends one of his commanders to his death in battle simply to add his wife to his collection. What could be a worse act?
Another title for this passage could be “Power Blinds.” David failed to comprehend that Nathan was referring to him until Nathan explicitly declared, “You are the man.” It was only then that David grasped the immense evil he had unleashed.
Throughout history, numerous tyrants with unrestrained power have emerged, but few have had someone like Nathan who was unafraid to confront them. Nowadays, when debates arise about Israel’s democracy, the echoes of this 3,000-year-old story remind us that unbalanced power can be devastating and that every ruler needs a ‘Nathan’ by their side.
David received a severe punishment: the death of his newborn son. However, the Bible presents a surprising twist. Out of David and Bathsheba’s reconciliation, the greatest king of Israel, King Solomon, was born. Solomon would go on to build the magnificent Temple in Jerusalem. Children are not meant to bear the burden of their parent’s sins. In its peculiar way, the Bible teaches us that from the deepest darkness, the purest light can emerge. The holiest place in Jewish tradition, the Temple, was conceived from the sin committed by King David.
I wish I had someone who would look me in the eye and say, “You are the man,” whenever I deviate from my true path in life.
have magic in your life
Ted Barr
