The Name That Redeemed a Story
Naming your child after someone you know carries a significant weight.
I was reading through Luke's genealogy record recently (those verses that everyone loves) and one name in particular stood out to me. Luke's version focuses on a genealogy through Joseph to Jesus, and it runs through King David's son Nathan (Luke 3). By contrast, Matthew's genealogy focuses on Mary to Jesus, and it runs through King David's son Solomon (Matthew 1).
Two genealogies through two different sons of David.
What caught my eye is that, apparently, I assumed both accounts ran through David's son Solomon. But that is only on Mary's side. Luke focuses on another of David's (many) sons, of whom much less is known. But what we do know is that Nathan's mother was Bathsheba (1 Chronicles 3:5–8). This is significant, as the beginning of this relationship was one of David's (many) screwups (2 Samuel 11).
David is often presented in contrast to King Saul in a sort of good cop, bad cop. Here’s my biblical hot take: David was certainly a better king than Saul, but he wasn’t fundamentally different than Saul. There was also an inner Saul inside David.
We see this most clearly in the story of Bathsheba and Uriah (2 Samuel 11). David takes another man’s wife as his own, gets her pregnant, and then kills her husband. At best, this is a horrific abuse of power. At worst, it’s far more horrific than anything Saul ever did. Most would agree this is rape and murder. Either way, it’s not the résumé you’d expect from the “man after God’s own heart.”
Then there’s the story of Shimei (2 Samuel 16). As David flees Jerusalem during Absalom’s rebellion, Shimei curses him from the roadside by throwing stones and hurling insults. Later, after Absalom is killed, Shimei repents. David publicly spares his life and swears an oath not to kill him, which appears to be a beautiful act of mercy. Except… just before David dies, he instructs Solomon to make sure Shimei doesn’t die peacefully of old age. Solomon eventually fulfills that order.
David may have written psalms of repentance, but he also left a trail of blood. He may have been better than Saul, but not because he was different in nature. He was better because he was self-aware enough to admit it occasionally.
And who was brave enough to go toe-to-toe with the king and tell him he was in the wrong? A prophet named... Nathan (2 Samuel 12).
But here's what's significant: Nathan wasn't just the prophet to call out David; he was also God’s voice of forgiveness and restoration for him, too.
Then David comforted Bathsheba, his wife, and slept with her. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son, and David named him Solomon. The Lord loved the child and sent word through Nathan the prophet that they should name him Jedidiah (which means “beloved of the Lord”), as the Lord had commanded. (2 Samuel 12:24-25, emphasis mine).
David's son, Nathan, was born sometime after this, and I suspect it was a way for David to honor the prophet who had helped him toward a better future. Imagine David and Bathsheba deciding to name this new baby Nathan after all they had been through with the Prophet Nathan.
To name a son after that prophet was to memorialize David's restoration, not his shame.
And in contrast to his older brother Solomon, who would eventually become king, we might consider that Nathan symbolized faithfulness apart from royal power, which is something we desperately need as Christian Nationalism has taken root in the United States church.
Many Christians today support removing SNAP benefits from vulnerable families who rely on them. Many support masked ICE agents abducting minorities with no formal proceedings or accountability. Many support the dehumanization of "the other" as it continues to be applied in new ways. We've even seen empathy itself labeled as a sin.
David's story reminds us that we can be following God and still get caught up in things that look absolutely nothing like Jesus. When that happens, we need a Nathan.
As I wrote about after Trump was reelected, I continue to hope that more of the Christians who have supported him will eventually change their minds. While I don't have much reason to be optimistic about it, I will maintain hope that, in the future, many of these Christians will reconsider this choice and be open to moving in a different direction. If that starts to happen, they will need some of us to be a safe space for them to change their minds. I pray we can learn to have the grace to welcome them rather than the pride of proving them wrong.
And when restoration occurs, we ourselves might be the ones who produce the next Nathan.
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