Nathan said to the king, ‘Go, do all that you have in mind; for the LORD is with
2 Samuel 7:1-3
you.’” vs. 3
As soon as David established himself as the king in Jerusalem he began to think of his next step on the road to glory and honor. He would build a temple for the Lord! And Nathan, his trusted advisor, gave him the answer he was looking for, “Go for it! The Lord is with you!” We can’t blame Nathan for his answer. He was only following a pattern that had been established long before and that is modeled by political advisors to this day. We see it happening in government again and again. Every president, governor, congressional leader, or mayor is surrounded by sycophants who maintain their positions by telling their bosses what they want to hear. Some even put a Christian spin on things and add things like, “I’ve prayed about this and the Lord told me you’re doing the right thing.” Sometimes we even get that feedback from our friends as we ponder important decisions. If they’ve listened well they’ll know what our desires are, and they’ll tell us to go for it. Sometimes they’ll even give their advice the God stamp of approval. What a blessing it is to have someone like Nathan around! When he realized that his words were misleading, he quickly changed course and set David straight. Blessed are those who tell us what we don’t want to hear!
Thought for the Day: Who will tell me what I don’t want to hear?
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