2 Samuel 12:7, “And Nathan said to David, You are the man.”

Reconciliation depends on the guilty party’s response, and we have a clear example of this in the Bible. He tried to hide his sin, but when confronted by the prophet, he acknowledged that he had done wrong.

I can tell you from firsthand experience that it’s never easy to confront someone we care about and tell them that their sinful behavior has been exposed. Although the prophets of the Bible were bold, I would not be surprised if Nathan was somewhat nervous when he confronted David. David was a powerful king who might accept correction, but he might not. Nathan chose a gentle way to help David understand the severity of his situation from another perspective by having him empathize with a person in his story who had been wronged.

Nathan told the truth that needed to be spoken, but he did it in a loving way. When we confront someone, we need to do so with compassion. Ephesians 4:15 tells us to speak the truth in love, and Galatians 6:1 says that we should attempt to restore the fallen with a spirit of gentleness. The goal is to restore, not destroy.

David did not attempt to justify his sinful behavior; instead, he responded with remorse. His heart was softened to hear what he needed to hear. He knew he had done wrong. He probably had been fearful for months that his sin would be exposed. There were consequences to David’s sin, but he submitted himself to the prophet.