Judaism's Great Debates: Timeless Controversies from Abraham to Herzl

4. David and Nathan: The Debate over Accountability and Morality

29 4 David and Nathan Does Might Make Right? The Debate over Accountability and Morality And Nathan said to David, “That man is you!” 2 Samuel 11:7 A Collision of King and Prophet King David, ancient Israel’s greatest monarch, came from humble origins. He grew up a shepherd to his family’s flocks in Bethlehem. While still a boy he comes to notice in an unlikely victory over a giant Philistine warrior named Goliath. The Bible, our sole biographical source, relates that David is chosen by God, and anointed by Samuel, as the second King of Israel, when Saul fails at his task. David’s rise to power is the longest single narrative in the Hebrew Bible. The passionate and charismatic monarch secures the safety of Israel and greatly enlarges its borders. He makes Jerusalem the capital and in a grand ceremony brings the Holy Ark of the Covenant there. David enjoys a remarkably long and prosperous reign. Yet he is beset by personal problems. It is said that David can rule a kingdom but not his family. Nathan is a confidante and advisor to the king. More significantly, he is a prophet; one of those self-anointed individuals who claim to communicate God’s will. The prophets trace their inspiration back to Moses, who enjoyed a uniquely close relationship to the divine. 30 Biblical Judaism Nathan, and Samuel, who is both a judge and prophet, are the first in a long line of men who will speak “truth to power.” Fearless in their faith, the prophets confront kings and countrymen alike when they deem it necessary. David is at the height of his powers when he has an affair with a woman named Bathsheba. He spies the woman bathing from his roof, summons her to the palace, and lies with her despite learning that she is married. Bathsheba becomes pregnant from the encounter. Having already committed adultery, one of the Torah’s most grievous sins, David complicates the matter by conspiring to conceal the affair. He brings Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, back from battle with the hope that he will sleep with his wife. Ever the good soldier, Uriah stays with the troops, even when intoxicated. The King of Israel escalates his error by then plotting to have Uriah sent to the front lines and killed in battle. Adultery has now been compounded by murder. After the period of mourning, David marries Bathsheba, who bears a son from their adulterous union. “But the Lord was displeased with what David had done, and the Lord sent Nathan to David” (2 Samuel 12:1). Nathan learns of the affair and cover-up. As close as he is to the king, he is first and foremost a prophet in God’s service. Nathan’s confrontation with King David is epic. Yet it begins in the most curious way . . . with a story. 31 The Great Debate Here is the famous dialogue between King David and the prophet Nathan, based on 2 Samuel 11–12. (Note: italics are direct quotes from the Torah; regular print is added dialogue). Nathan: Let me tell you a true story. David: I am listening. Nathan: There were two men in the same city, one rich and one poor. The rich man had very large flocks and herds, but the poor man had only one little lamb. He cared for it and it grew up with him and his children . . . One day, a traveler came to the rich man. But the rich man did not want to take anything from his own flock to feed the guest. So he stole the poor man’s lamb instead. David: That is outrageous. The man who did this deserves to die! And he should pay for the lamb four times over, since he stole it and showed no pity. Nathan: That man is you! David: What are you talking about? I am the king! Nathan: Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: It was I who anointed you king over Israel . . . and gave you everything you have. Why then have you flouted the command of the Lord and done what displeases him? You have put Uriah to the sword; you took his wife and made her your wife and had him killed. David: You are right; I cannot deny it. Nathan: God will punish you. The sword shall never depart from your house. I will make a...