Every Leader Needs a Nathan

 It is my firm belief that there are seasons in the lives of Believers where God determines to do an amazing work of communicating and explaining His Word in Scripture through gifted preachers. Such is the case now with my wife Cathy and me with our incredibly gifted pastor Greg Gilbert and such was the case previously with our pastor Bob Russell.

My focus in this blog relates back to a Men’s Bible Study that Bob Russell led on Saturday mornings at 7:00 AM circa 1990 and following. Nothing fancy during this time, just open the Bible and be taught from God’s word from one of the great preachers of our time.

One study from these Saturday morning studies seems particularly relevant in our current social and political environment. Every leader is just one step away from making a major mistake which can derail reputation and career. Consequently, it is essential for every leader to have someone in their life who will communicate Biblical truth and everyday common-sense truth to them which ever leader needs to hear but may not always wish to hear. Such was the case with King David in the nation of Israel. King David was no ordinary man. In fact, he was described as “a man after God’s own heart” by the prophet Samuel in 1 Samuel 13:14. But such a lofty description did not mean that David was above sin and did not need to be accountable to God and those he was privileged to serve as the King of Israel. In fact, David’s power and lofty position as the King of Israel led him down a risky path that every great leader must be on guard—namely, hubris. Hubris leads a leader to believe a false narrative that “I am invincible so I can do whatever I want whenever I want because I am the leader”. Popes, Preachers, and Presidents, be on guard!

Let me attempt to describe below David’s challenges and failures as a leader and God’s intervention with the prophet Nathan.

1.        Disengagement and Distraction. Every leader in religion, law, business, sports, and politics is especially vulnerable for critical mistakes following a season of success. King David was no exception. He had experienced great military success in subduing enemy nations of Israel during his reign as King. His wish for almost anything in life was essentially available at his command. His standing and power as king gave him false comfort that he could just relax and “let his foot off the gas” while success on the battlefield and other areas of his kingship would surely continue. In 2 Samuel 11, we are told that David did not accompany his army when the army battled the enemy Ammonite nation. During this time of detachment, David pursued an illicit relationship with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite, one of his soldiers. Bathsheba became pregnant as a by-product of this affair.

2.        Cover-Up. It is almost always the case that seeking to cover up a sin compounds and amplifies the sin and may even dwarf the original sin. This was 100% the case with King David. David recalled Uriah from the battlefield and sought to have him spend time alone with his wife Bathsheba at their home. But Uriah had far too much honor and integrity to do this while other soldiers remained in harms way on the battlefield. As a result of Uriah’s refusal to cooperate and unwittingly assist in the effort to obscure King David’s sin, King David had Uriah placed in the front line of the battlefield with no accompanying support to ensure that Uriah would be killed.

3.        Accountability. Leaders naturally desire and appreciate admiration and acclaim for success in their field of endeavor. But only truly great leaders can accept accountability for mistakes and failure as a leader. To be clear, God was very displeased with David’s actions with the affair with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband Uriah when Uriah refused to participate in David’s scheme to legitimize the pregnancy resulting from the affair. In 2 Samuel 12:1-15, God sent his prophet Nathan to confront King David for his sin and explain the consequences for this sin. To his credit, David acknowledged and took responsibility for his sin. While God forgave David for his sin, David was not spared the consequences for his sin which resulted in the death of the child which resulted from the affair; heartbreaking family dysfunction with David’s other children including rape, murder and incest; and an unsuccessful coup by one of David’s sons to seize the Kingship from David.

An effective leader must always balance success and acclaim with the challenges and responsibilities which accompany leadership. No leader is invincible and is many times most vulnerable for major mistakes following a season when almost everything seems to succeed. Furthermore, effective leaders in any field would do well to ensure that they always have a “Nathan” in their life to whom they grant permission to hold them accountable so that they are told things they need to hear but may not be willing or able to discern on their own.

God bless you and thank you for the privilege of your time in reading my blog.