October 23: BEING ACCOUNTABLE

Nathan and David shared a close relationship. Drawn together by God’s hand in the history of Israel, they had a strong mutual respect.
Both prophet and king were men of God’s own choosing and shared the spiritual leadership of the people of God. Mutual support. Mutual admiration. Mutually holding each other accountable to God and their calling.
David the King and Nathan the prophet were naturally close to each other. But then the day came when Nathan had to take an action that would threaten their whole relationship. 2 Samuel 12:7 records the famous line spoken by Nathan to David, “You are the man.”
As men of power often do, David let his power go to his head. As king, there was none higher, why shouldn’t he do what he wanted, after all, God had put him in power.
When his power made it easy to seduce another man’s wife, he sought to use his power again to extricate himself from the mess he created.
Innocent people did not cooperate in his plot. His sin was a shameful blot on the people of God. So God sent prophet Nathan with the single task of exposing the sin of his friend, King David. It was an unpleasant and even life-threatening task. With a masterful story he created an atmosphere where David pronounced judgement on himself.
Everybody needs a Nathan, whether he is a prophet or not. Probably best if he is a prophet of God because he will have a Biblical perspective on how to clean up the mess.
You need someone who will be so honest with you that they will point out your sins and shortcomings that everyone else sees but won’t tell you. Best friends won’t let you get by with trying to cover up your sin by ignoring the consequences.
Is there a Nathan in your life? Find one soon and ask him to help you maintain your witness.

“Thank You God for friends who are more concerned about our daily
walk with You than in just making us feel good about life. Amen”