In around 1,000 BC, David was the greatest King to ever to rule over the newly consolidated Kingdom of Israel. There was no ruler as righteous and just as David. He was known as the 'man after God's own heart.' The book of Psalms in the Bible is a testament to his unflinching trust in God despite conflicts and betrayals that he endured. But at the peak of his reign, he made choices that led to his downfall.
David had lusted after a married woman and got her pregnant. He had schemed elaborately to make it appear that the conception was through her husband. But David needed the woman's husband's cooperation. But he, unknowingly, refused to be part of David's deceit. Since the King could not convince the man, he had to put Plan-B into action, which was to get him killed. David devised a way to make the murder appear as an inevitable consequence of war. His obliging henchman, who was at war already, placed the man in the frontline and got him killed. Almost immediately, the woman became David's wife.
A clean operation, or so the King thought.
This normality is interrupted by a prophet. But the prophets get to hear things which are not in the public domain. Because of their heightened sense of justice, they become a thorn on the side of rulers. Prophet Nathan comes to David's palace uninvited and tells the story that is simple on the surface yet masterful in its impact.
The story is of two men in a city - one rich and the other poor. The poor man had one little ewe lamb which he cared for, and it grew with the family. Then a traveller came to the rich man. He was unwilling to take one of his flock to prepare a meal for the guest. But he took the poor man's lamb and made a meal for his guest.
The King is angry and cries, 'The man must die.' The Prophet had tricked the King. Unwittingly, the King implicates himself and pronounces a judgement 'The man must die'!
The painting captures the moment Prophet Nathan points his finger at the King and says 'You are the man!'. The King is shocked and shattered. The enormity of what he had done begins to sink into him. The King slumps in his chair! He has lost his grip on his sceptre. His advisors and his military officials are shocked as well. They are unsure how David would respond to such an insult.
This kind of prophetic courage to hold kings, CEOs and leaders accountable is rare today. Those who have enjoyed the intoxication of power resist all attempts to be held accountable. Like in the past, even modern-day prophets are met with intimidation, death threats and 'disappearances.'
This story has two lessons for us:
Firstly, about David. It is commendable that he did not respond to Prophet Nathan with anger. David could have exploded with violence, and he had the power to do so. Instead, in penitence, David says, 'I have sinned'.
Most leaders would do the opposite. They would seize the dissident, imprison, intimidate and worse make him disappear. At the very least, they will exile him and ban him from the country.
For a leader, humility to accept alternate and contrary voices is a lifesaver. Willingness to be held accountable indicates a deep sense of identity and rootedness that is not related to their position or power.
For a leader, humility to accept alternate and contrary voices is a lifesaver
Accountability has another vital function. It shines a light on what is hidden in darkness. Deeds done in secret can bring self-destruction. The reason why we hate accountability is that we prefer darkness more than light. But when brought out into the light, there is cleansing and newness that gives us a new sense of purpose and direction. A leader who wants to finish well, leave a trail of changed lives and, a legacy, must be willing to be held accountable.
Secondly, Prophet Nathan had extraordinary courage. His willingness to take the risk resulted in saving the King and the Kingdom from catastrophic fall. The courage to step into such a dangerous situation comes out of a deep conviction of God's call and deep humility without which prophets can seem vindictive and overbearing.
Born in 1936, Vaclav Havel was a writer in Czechoslovakia. He wrote plays as a dissent against communist oppression. Vaclav continued with his resistance even after the communist authorities banned him from the theatre. When the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact led to the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, he was the underground voice of resistance. He was subsequently jailed many times for his activities. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1989, Vaclav became the first President of the new Czechoslovakia and later on the first president of the Czech Republic.
Vaclav says, 'You do not become a ''dissident'' just because you decide one day to take up this most unusual career. You are thrown into it by your personal sense of responsibility, combined with a complex set of external circumstances. You are cast out of the existing structures and placed in a position of conflict with them. It begins as an attempt to do your work well, and ends with being branded an enemy of society.'
At an enormous personal cost, such prophets save us and our civilisation from catastrophic downfall by challenging the society to renew, revive and reorient to value our collective humanity.
This is authentic leadership!