2 Samuel 11:1-5, 26-27; 12:1-9; Psalm 51:1-9
The encounter between Nathan and David is high drama. At the same time, it is very human. Nathan is telling a story, and David is getting all animated about the injustice portrayed in the story. We can see that David doesn’t understand that he is the bad guy in the story. David can’t imagine being the bad guy. We all know he is in this case, but he doesn’t see it. I think many of us have been in the room where someone complained about something and that was the very thing that they did.
The Christian community often does this as well. We read the text, and assume that we’re the good people, not the bad people. We can read the text, or tell the story and hear ourselves as the wronged party, indignant and self righteous. Who then functions as Nathan to us? Do we hear Nathan? David is a man after God’s own heart, and this is what comes to him. How then does he respond? We hear his answer in Psalm 51. How do we respond?
