The Spirit of Nathanael
Robert Wurtz II
Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. (Psalm 32:2)
Though his hatred is covered by deceit, His wickedness will be revealed before the assembly. (Proverbs 26:26 NKJV)
Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! (John 1:47)
A Praiseworthy Character Trait
I’ve titled this article “The Spirit of Nathanael” to highlight his guilelessness, a praiseworthy trait. It’s the opposite of a person with a spirit of deception, and the first observation the Lord Jesus made about him to make him “an Israelite indeed.” This suggests that God expected the Israelites, His people, to be guileless or, as we might translate it, “free of treachery.” Undoubtedly, he developed this character from his youth as he studied the word of God, especially Psalms and Proverbs. Guilelessness became the pattern of his life (see Psalms 10:7, 32:2, 34:13, Proverbs 10:10, 12:5-20, 16:28, et al).
I suggest that Nathanael never practiced deceiving people—beginning with his parents. Imagine being his father when he was a teenager. If Nathanael said he was going somewhere, he was transparent in word and deed. He didn’t feed his father some nonsense intended to obtain permission and then do things the father wouldn’t have approved of. He was forthright and honest.
Pretending to Self-Deception
Someone once said, “God can’t change the person you’re pretending to be.” Many people can fake all kinds of personalities in short bursts. They adjust their beliefs and convictions according to the company they are in. You can’t trust them because you never know what they’re up to. Sometimes you want to ask, “Who are you? What do you truly believe?”
Sadly, those who practice such dishonesty couldn’t tell you. They’ve put up appearances and play-acted for so long that they don’t even know who they are. They have no identity and will say or do whatever is necessary to deceive people. With such pretense and fakery in the world, who can be trusted? Jesus saw Nathanael and saw he had no guile (treachery). Would He say that about you and me?
Three Golden Texts
I chose three texts to illustrate the meaning of the Greek word dulos, which is translated as “guile” in John 1:47 and “deceit” in Proverbs 26:26 (LXX). It comes from a root that means “decoy.” It’s first used in Genesis 27:35 (LXX) when Isaac stated, “Your brother, coming with deceit, took away your blessing.“ (Genesis 27:35 NETS) Jacob disguised himself to take the blessing of the firstborn. His mother devised the strategy. Later, Jacob repented of his deceitful ways and received the name Israel. (Genesis 32:28) Interestingly, a few verses after John 1:47, our Lord called to remembrance Jacob’s ladder experience. (John 1:51)
Unlike young Jacob, Nathanael was an “Israelite indeed, in whom was no guile!” Nathanael (Bartholomew) didn’t mince words. When Philip told him about Jesus, he asked, “Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?“ Philip answered, “Come and see.“ (John 1:46 KJV) Nathanael was no cynic. He would change his mind on a dime if the evidence warranted it. Although initially skeptical, he was one of the first to acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Messiah.
Safely Trusted
Nathanael did not tend to pretense. You could safely trust him. What you see is what you get. A guileless person doesn’t use flattery or other forms of manipulation; they are honest and genuine. Nathanael didn’t befriend people for ulterior reasons. He didn’t maintain relationships for what he could benefit from them. He called things exactly as he saw them. You could take him at his word. He wasn’t the “win friends and influence people“ type. His guileless personality didn’t allow for such deceit and pretense.
Jesus praised the man who asked, “Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Why? Because Nathanael was guileless. Jesus wasn’t praising unbelief — but brutal honesty. This man had no desire to deceive or be deceived, and it is praiseworthy. Peter instructs the saints to put aside all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and evil speaking (1 Peter 2:1). In other words, be like Nathanael. Don’t be like the hypocrite who can smile in someone’s face, shake their hand, and then stab them in the back. Don’t be a deceiver who tells half-truths or twists facts to get what they want.
Guile Revealed
He who hates disguises it with his lips, And lays up deceit within himself; When he speaks kindly, do not believe him, For there are seven abominations in his heart; Though his hatred is covered by deceit, His wickedness will be revealed before the assembly. (Proverbs 26:24-26)
Unlike Nathanael, it is common for people to flatter you while entertaining seven abominations in their hearts. Seven speaks of completeness, and it reveals God’s estimate of a guile-filled (deceitful and treacherous) person. They hate you entirely in their heart, work towards an opportunity to harm you, but cover their feelings with kind words and greetings. It is wickedness. Concealed hostility is bound to come out. It manifests in slanderous acts and other forms of malice and treachery “in the assembly.“ (Proverbs 26:24)
Rejecting the spirit of Nathaneal
Where there is competition, there is usually enmity. Where there is enmity, there is usually slander and deceit and treachery (guile). Yet, Christians are expected to behave lovingly in the churches, so the deceitful will just “put it on.“ Beware of people who transform into an “angel of light“ in public, but (as the Serpent), spew the venom of malice behind the scenes. The destructiveness of such behavior puts the churches at risk. The world doesn’t mind misleading, using, and destroying people, but we should never tolerate this in the churches.
Matthew Henry once said that we must never be foolish enough to be deceived into a pretentious relationship. Always distrust when a person flatters you; don’t be eager to believe them unless you know them well. Why? Because they might have seven abominations in their heart, a great many projects of mischief against you, which they labor industriously to conceal with their kind words. Proverbs 26:24-26 reminds us that hatred seeks to conceal itself by hypocrisy and guile (deceit), but it will be revealed in the assembly. Malice done in secret will be proclaimed on the housetops.
Dangerous Deceivers
Trustworthiness is a fundamental virtue that defines the essence of genuine Christian leadership. When guile-filled leaders see the saints as either allies or adversaries, they reduce God’s children into instruments for their own gain, stripping away their dignity and worth in the kingdom of God. It is earthly, soulish, and demonic behavior. It breeds division and fosters an environment of manipulation and deceit, where relationships are built on self-interest rather than mutual Christian love.
Viewing the saints through a lens of personal support or opposition is the epitome of arrogance. The litmus test should be God’s rightly divided word and not some satanic twisting of it. Need we be reminded that even Satan quotes the Bible? But he, unlike Nathanael, is FULL of guile. Satan tried to get Jesus to plunge to His death and used a scripture verse to do it! Do not be deceived.
Repenting of Guile
In Luke 19:1-10, Zacchaeus was a tax collector who apparently took money from people falsely. When he met Jesus, he pledged to give half his goods to the needy and repay anyone he cheated four times the amount. Clearly, he recognized the evil of taking advantage of people to strip them of their possessions.
Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. (Psalm 32:2)
Nathanael had a guileless spirit. He was an honest man. No ulterior or hidden motives. He wasn’t sneaking and conniving. He didn’t manipulate people’s hopes and fears for personal advancement. No gaining and exploiting people’s trust by feigning doctrinal or ideological alignment. No capitalizing, leveraging, or taking advantage of people’s vulnerabilities. Nathanael was the same man no matter who he was around. He didn’t care what people thought. He cared what God thought. You could trust him to do what is right. And as a reward for such a spirit (trait), Jesus said that He would see and experience tremendous revelations of Christ (John 1:50-52). What an incredible payoff for refusing to entertain a spirit of deception.
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