Ha
ns Christian Andersen is well known for a delightful fairy tale he called “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” The story is about a vain emperor who has a new suit of clothes fashioned by two swindling weavers who convince the ruler the fabric is invisible to anyone who is not fit for his position or “hopelessly stupid.” Although the emperor’s ministers see only a naked king, they pretend that they are enamored with the new suit. On his parade through town, the townspeople likewise play along with the charade for fear they also will be looked upon as stupid. Finally, it takes a brutally honest child in the crowd to finally cry out, “But he isn’t wearing any clothes!”
We can all smirk a bit at the idea of this emperor exposing himself in front of everyone, while those closest to him are too afraid to tell him the honest truth. Sadly, this fairy tale closely resembles a tragic story in the Bible.
One of the greatest leaders of God’s people, and one of the greatest writers of beautiful hymns to the Lord, was also guilty of committing heinous sins in the Old Testament. David’s lapse of faith led him into an abyss of sin that included covetousness, adultery, bearing false witness, lying, deceiving, and eventually killing several innocent warriors. The son born of that sin also died. Compounding his sins only made them more and more difficult to hide from his people. He was desperately hoping that he would not be found out, yet he couldn’t hide his sin from the Lord: “But the thing David had done displeased the Lord” (2 Samuel 11:27). The next chapter opens with the words, “The Lord sent Nathan to David” (12:1). The sin was finally coming to light. Nathan (“God has given”) was about to expose the emperor.
Nathan was a prophet whom God had chosen to serve during the reigns of both David and Solomon. He went to David not only as a representative bearing God’s rebuke, but also as a true friend. Scripture says, “Wounds from a friend can be trusted” (Proverbs 27:6), and Nathan was about to wound David deeply. It is interesting to note that Scripture says the Lord “sent” Nathan to David. In the previous chapter (2 Samuel 11), it mentions David using his kingly office to “send” people nearly a dozen times. Now it is the Lord who is doing the sending.
Nathan came prepared for the confrontation. Exposing the sin of a friend or relative is very difficult, and the words spoken should be prayerfully considered prior to the meeting. Nathan knew that David loved sheep, and thus he chose to tell David a parable about a rich man stealing a single precious sheep from a neighbor and slaughtering it for his own gratification. After the story, Nathan allowed David to respond with his judgment. David’s extreme anger toward the wicked rich man was precisely what Nathan had expected. David had just sprung the trap, and soon he realized he had caught himself. The charade was over.
Nathan outlined the hidden sins of David and pronounced God’s judgment. Just as David had Uriah struck down with a sword, so the sword would not depart from David’s household. Just as David had taken another man’s wife, so David’s wives would be taken from him by his own son. David’s reaction was this: “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. . . . The son born to you will die” (12:13,14).
There are times in each of our lives when, like Nathan, we must also be brutally honest with a friend or acquaintance. Yet this is sometimes necessary to expose their sin and lead them to repentance. That’s what true friendships are made of. Nathan chided. David repented. David was forgiven. The friendship remained, and David later named his own son Nathan!
Lord, sometimes it’s hard to tell those I love the truth when I know it hurts. Give me the boldness to approach them when it is necessary. Amen.
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