koberstein
Active member
What follows is a Biblical example of truth hiding behind a good story. Imagine with me:
Had Nathan the prophet approached Ling David, after his sin with Bathsheba, and told him
the propositional truth-----"You have committed adultery and murder, O King. You have
broken four of the ten commandments." Would the King readily received this truth?
Likely not. He may have rid himself of this troublesome prophet. Off with his head!
But instead of presenting him with the naked truth, Nathan told him a story.
There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had
very many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which
he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used
to eat of is morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him.
Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock
or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man's lamb and
prepared it for the man who had come to him. (2 Sam. 12:1-14, ESV)
This story brought David into a house and opened the window for him to see. He could see
vividly the injustice done. David bought into the story. He was caught in the story's powerful
rhetorical trap. The King became enraged and said, "As the Lord lives, the man who has done
this deserves to die!... and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and
because he had no pity" (2 Sam 12:5-6). David thus judged himself. Nathan said. "You are the
man!" He opened a window, which became a mirror to David. Herein is the power of story
to bring truth home to the heart and core of a person.
A story is an oblique way of coming at truth and helpful in getting past the defenses of a hearer
or audience. Bible storyteller and trainer Dorothy Miller calls this "the Nathan Principle," and
adds this word as explicating its effect: "See the Word of God is alive! It is at work and is sharper
than any double-edged sword---it cuts right through to where the soul meets spirit and joints
meet marrow, and it is quick to judge the inner reflections and attitudes of the heart"
(Heb 4:12, Complete Jewish Bible). Direct route communication and processing uses argumentation;
peripheral route communication circumvents argumentation to a deeper place in the heart.
This is critically needed in Jewish evangelism because of the high resistance among Jewish people
to direct communication of the Gospel. This is "the Nathan Principle"
Messianic Jewish Orthodoxy 'The Essence of Our Faith, History and Best Practices'
Dr Jeffrey Seif
Had Nathan the prophet approached Ling David, after his sin with Bathsheba, and told him
the propositional truth-----"You have committed adultery and murder, O King. You have
broken four of the ten commandments." Would the King readily received this truth?
Likely not. He may have rid himself of this troublesome prophet. Off with his head!
But instead of presenting him with the naked truth, Nathan told him a story.
There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had
very many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which
he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used
to eat of is morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him.
Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock
or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man's lamb and
prepared it for the man who had come to him. (2 Sam. 12:1-14, ESV)
This story brought David into a house and opened the window for him to see. He could see
vividly the injustice done. David bought into the story. He was caught in the story's powerful
rhetorical trap. The King became enraged and said, "As the Lord lives, the man who has done
this deserves to die!... and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and
because he had no pity" (2 Sam 12:5-6). David thus judged himself. Nathan said. "You are the
man!" He opened a window, which became a mirror to David. Herein is the power of story
to bring truth home to the heart and core of a person.
A story is an oblique way of coming at truth and helpful in getting past the defenses of a hearer
or audience. Bible storyteller and trainer Dorothy Miller calls this "the Nathan Principle," and
adds this word as explicating its effect: "See the Word of God is alive! It is at work and is sharper
than any double-edged sword---it cuts right through to where the soul meets spirit and joints
meet marrow, and it is quick to judge the inner reflections and attitudes of the heart"
(Heb 4:12, Complete Jewish Bible). Direct route communication and processing uses argumentation;
peripheral route communication circumvents argumentation to a deeper place in the heart.
This is critically needed in Jewish evangelism because of the high resistance among Jewish people
to direct communication of the Gospel. This is "the Nathan Principle"
Messianic Jewish Orthodoxy 'The Essence of Our Faith, History and Best Practices'
Dr Jeffrey Seif
