You Are the Man

The king who grew angry at someone else's story

Jerusalem (City of David) · c. 992 BC · 2 Sam 12:1–25

Story

The Lord sent the prophet Nathan to David. Standing before the king, Nathan told a story. “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and one poor. The rich man had a great many sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought and raised. It was like a daughter to him, sleeping in his arms. When a traveler came, the rich man spared his own flock and took the poor man's lamb to serve his guest.”

David burned with anger and shouted, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die! He must pay for that lamb four times over.” Nathan looked the king straight in the eye and said, “You are the man.” Then Nathan delivered the word of the Lord: “I made you king. Why have you despised my word, struck down Uriah with the sword and taken his wife?” David said, as if collapsing, “I have sinned against the Lord.”

Nathan answered, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You will not die. But the child who has been born will die.” When the child fell ill, David lay on the ground all night and fasted, and on the seventh day the child died. David got up, washed, and went into the house of the Lord to worship. Later, when Solomon was born, the Lord had him named Jedidiah. In those days David sang, “Create in me a clean heart, O God.”

Words of God and David

Why have you despised my word and done evil in my sight? You struck down Uriah with the sword and took his wife.

I have sinned against the Lord.

You are the man.

While the child was alive, I fasted and wept, thinking the Lord might have mercy. Now that the child is dead, I will go to him, but he will not come back to me.

The sayings are fresh renderings of the original meaning in today's language. Text: 2 Sam 12:1–25

Background

Pause and Reflect