The Poor Man’s Lamb

Nathan’s parable of the poor man’s lamb is shown in a village setting beneath hanging grapevines and distant hills. A richly dressed man stands with staff in hand, set apart from a humble family near a stone dwelling. The children tend a beloved lamb while a burdened father watches in grief, giving visual form to the story Nathan told King David after David’s sin against Uriah. In 2 Samuel 12, the prophet describes a rich man who takes the only lamb of a poor man rather than using one from his own flock. The lamb is not merely livestock in the parable; it represents cherished innocence, covenant responsibility, and the injustice of seizing what belongs to another. The scene is suited for teaching on repentance, prophetic rebuke, sin, justice, and God’s call to protect the vulnerable. by S. M. Davis