“‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom.

Instead, God promised David the He would build him a house: However, that night God spoke to Nathan and told him otherwise it was not His plan for David to build Him a house. Nathan replied, “Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the Lord is with you” ( 2 Samuel 7:3). “After the king was settled in his palace and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, he said to Nathan the prophet, ‘Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.’”ĭavid was addressing the fact that the Tabernacle, the center of worship and the house of the Ark of the Covenant, was a tent, whereas his palace was luxurious (cedar was considered a sign of wealth). The first time Nathan is mentioned in the Bible is in 2 Samuel 7:1-2: Nathan appears in the Bible on at least four occasions. He was a court prophet, providing counsel to the kings. Little is known about Nathan’s early life, though some Jewish sources, like Avrohom Bergstein in this article, indicate he may have studied either directly or indirectly under Samuel. Nathan was a prophet during the reigns of King David and King Solomon. Though Nathan may not possess a book in the Bible named after him, he was a significant biblical figure who played a major role in the building of the Temple and the delivery of the Messianic promise. So who was Nathan, the man who had the audacity to appear before a king and convict him of sin? It turns out, Nathan and King David had a history together, and a relationship that would continue for years to come.

Nathan's Story by Luke Hartwell