In Front | “You Are the Man!”

The accountability of rulers for their actions is a topic of great concern in modern democracy. This is captured in the saying, “no one stands above the law.” But in ancient times rulers were normally a law unto themselves. Some rulers in ancient times were even considered divine or else linked in a special way to the divine. Thus, their actions were above any kind of accountability.

One biblical example, however, portrays a very different picture and has impacted our modern conception of government accountability. At the height of his power, King David seduced the wife of one of his military officers and then proceeded to arrange his death on the battlefield. The prophet Nathan courageously confronted the king who repented of his grievous behavior (2 Samuel 11–12). Nathan told David a parable of a man whose actions paralleled David’s. After David reacted with righteous anger, Nathan delivers the famous line, “You are the man!” David is cut to the core with conviction and repents.

This story has been a source of much discussion on the topic of the accountability of rulers and government officials over the years. One notable example of this biblical story entering public discourse was the editorial by Pulitzer Prize winning novelist James Michener in the wake of Bill Clinton’s infidelity with Monika Lewinsky. In a January 15, 1993 editorial in the Los Angeles Times, Michener extensively draws on David’s own infidelity with Bathsheba as an example of repentance by a ruler who is being held accountable for his sin.

Source: Los Angeles Times – Accessed February 15, 2018.