II Samuel 12:5-7

 “David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die! 

He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and he had no compassion.” 

Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!” 

Story time is over. The story accomplished what Nathan had hoped and had engaged King David’s emotions. His fury was now aroused – but he was still blind to his own sin. 

*He did not connect the dots. He needed Nathan to look him in the eye and to openly rebuke him.  

Proverbs 27:5-6

“Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend…”

God chose a friend to ‘creatively confront’ and ultimately ‘openly rebuke’ King David. This is the measure of true friendship.