July 8, 2025 • 24 mins
# 188 - David: King of Israel - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, as the last obstacle to the throne falls in blood, David faces the test of power with fierce integrity. Join us as he rejects the crown won by treachery and accepts the burden of true kingship with humility and justice.
Episode 188 of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein is inspired by the Book of Joshua.
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For more information about Yael Eckstein and IFCJ visit https://www.ifcj.org/
Today's opening prayer is inspired by Isaiah 5:20, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”
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Show Notes:
(01:37) Intro with Yael Eckstein
(02:26) David: King of Israel
(18:39) Reflection with Yael Eckstein
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Previously on the chosen people.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
It's not enough that half my kingdom bends ane to
a peasant shepherd. But now I found my father's concubines
taking his horse by his commanders. Risper was mine by right.
You shame yourself, Abner, have you no respect for the throne?
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Listen well, boy, may the Lord strike me dead if
I do not take this kingdom from your trembling hands
and place it into the hands of the ones who
earned it. From Dan to Beersheva, David Shell, who he
was chosen you are placed.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
David hosted a great feast for Abner and his men.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Why the change of heart, Haner, which made your hatred
for me and Tudor grow cold.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
I love my country, my people. My loyalty is to
the good of Israel. Intercept Abner before he leaves Abron,
He writes east toward man, I'm tell him the king
has met us yet unsettled. Tell him to meet me
at the cisterns of how he must come alone.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Joab was upon him in a breath, the dagger sinking
deep beneath the ribs. Abner gasped, blood rushing to his throat.
Joab leaned into Abner's ear.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
I told you this day would come Unlike you.
Speaker 4 (01:34):
I keep my word.
Speaker 5 (01:39):
We do not build thrones with the daggers. Shello my friends.
From here in the holy land of Israel, I'm l
Exstein with international Fellowship of Christians and Jews, and welcome
to the Chosen People. Have you ever wondered what kind
of person power turns you into, whether it reveals your
(01:59):
deepest integrity or exposes your darkest corners. Today, in Second
Samuel chapters four and five, we find ourselves asking such
a question. David is not yet king over all of Israel,
but he is close. He is very close. The path
to the throne has been long marked by wilderness, years
(02:21):
and blood stained oaths, marked by shattered friendships and promises
kept at a great cost. Prepare yourselves. This story is
not soft, it's not sanitized, but it's holy.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
A smothering sheet of cloud veiled the night sky of
a Gibea. Shadows ruled the alleyways, and not even the
patrols of souls. Once sproud watchmen stirred from their posts
through that darkness. Two shapes moved, fluid and silent as
wrayss drawn close, they glided past the palace gates without challenge,
(03:05):
Slipping between cracks in the walls and creeping low through
the gardens, The two intruders climbed the trellises as nimble
as cats, up the lattice to King Ishbocheth's chambers. Inside,
the glow of dying embers painted the walls red like
old blood. King ishbo Sheth lay curled beneath layers of
(03:29):
silk and linen. The figures stepped closer, their breath shallow
daggers drawn from the folds of their cloaks. Barner moved
to the left and Wreckaed to the right. Neither man hesitated.
Their blades struck true, slipping through flesh and bone, finding
(03:51):
the lungs burying deep in the warmth of life. Ishbo
Sheth gasped a soft, pitiful sound, and excit hailed into
the night, his blood soaking his sheets in a wide,
spreading stain. The room stank of iron and smoke. Banna
lit a torch and pulled down his hood. Rekkab followed suit.
(04:15):
Both were sons of Rimen, of the tribe of Benjamin.
Once captain's beneath saw loyal dogs, who now turned on
the house they once served, Ah.
Speaker 4 (04:28):
It is done. The last of Salsan's is dead, and
the crown of Israel belongs to David.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
Now, Rekkob nodded, grim and cold.
Speaker 6 (04:39):
With Sal's air gone, the north will surely follow.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
David, and no doubt we'll receive a rich reward for
handing David his enemy's head.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
He stepped forward and drew his sword again. With a
single swing, he severed ishboshe Death's head. The body twitched once,
then stilled. Recub wrapped the head in coarse burlap, tying
the neck with a length of leather. The blood dripped
freely as they climbed back through the window and vanished
(05:15):
into the night. They laughed at the thought of David
welcoming them with silver, new positions in his ranks and land.
By the time the sun rose above the valley they
had reached, Hebron blood still seeped through the sacks slung
across Rekub's saddle. They stood before the gates of David's stronghold,
(05:37):
beaming with pride and ready to receive their reward. Recab
grinned and Barner shifted on his heels, eager for glory.
But the king was not in his hall. David warped
the grounds beyond Hebron's gait, as he often did in
the early hours. The brothers found him beneath the almond trees,
(05:58):
bathed in the gray gold of morning light. They bowed low,
but there was arrogance in the way. Their spines bent
and deceit in the smiles.
Speaker 4 (06:09):
They bore, O, King of Judah, may you live forever.
The son of Saul is dead. We bring you peace
and proof.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
He unfilled the sack and rolled out the head of
isbau Chef onto the roots of the tree. The face
was pale and twisted in fear. Lips parted in a
breath never finished. Blood still wept from the neck. David's
face betrayed nothing. His stare was impassive, unreadable. He looked
(06:43):
down at Barna and recab faces, eager for praise.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
You did this.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
Ugh, We did my king for you, for israel.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
I see Benaiyah. Are you close by?
Speaker 1 (07:02):
David's friend and captain of the guard emerged from around
the corner. He was always close, always watching, yes, looking.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
These men have just handed me the head of King Ishbushev,
Saul's last living.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
Son, Benaiah's eyes darted quickly to the men, then back
at David. The captain nodded knowingly and left to fetch
your Ayah and Jashubine. David turned back to the brothers,
then bent low and wrapped the sack again, tying it
with reverence. His voice was quiet but cold.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
There was an Amalekite once who found me in ziklag.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
David set the head gently on a stone underneath a
large tree. He looked up at the tree, retrieving a memory.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
This amalakite him to bring good news that saw the
anointed of the Lord was dead by his hand. He
grinned as you grinned. Now he spoke with the same
glee that you speak with, and I gave him a reward.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
Recab shifted in place with excitement. Barner's smile split his
face into David stepped closer, and his voice rang sharper.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Now that reward was a swift death for killing the
Lord's anointed.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
In an instant, the brothers were seized from behind by
Berniah and Uriah. David's gaze burned into them, bright and merciless.
Speaker 7 (08:46):
Tell me, sons of reward, what should your reward be
for killing a man in his sleep, a king in
his bed, a brother to.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
The one I loved more than life itself.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Neither man had time to answer. Benaiah and Joshavin dragged
them toward the city gates like pigs to slaughter. By
the time they reached the pools, the people had gathered.
Merchants and soldiers, wives and elders all come in curiosity.
David's garment billowed behind him as he stepped onto the stones.
(09:22):
He spoke not to the condemned, but to the crowd.
Speaker 7 (09:26):
Hear me, people of Judah, we are not like the
nations around us. We did not build thrones with daggers.
We did not crown kings with treachery.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
David pointed to the bound brothers, stripped to their tunics.
Speaker 7 (09:42):
These men murdered Ishmushef, son of Saul, heir to the throne,
and they thought they would earn my favor.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
But I do not rule by murder.
Speaker 7 (09:54):
I did not wear a royal robe stitched by the
needles of cowards. My robe was given by the prince itself,
because of loyalty, because of brotherhood.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
David's voice bellowed to the people, using this event as
a reminder of where they came from and where they
were going as a nation a people.
Speaker 8 (10:17):
When God most High called Abram out of her and
into the wilderness, he left with a promise that he
would be established into a great nation, a nation set
apart as a blessing, distinctly different from the warmongering, blood sucking, infant,
sacrificing nations that surround us.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
We do not play their gags, we don't sing their songs.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
David turned to the brothers and knelt beside them, his
voice dropped low.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
I don't play the game of thrones.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
Berniah drew his sword, and without ceremony, locked their hands,
then their feet, and finally, with ropes soaked in blood
and vengeance, the two sons of women were strung high
above the poor, their bodies twisted in the rising sun,
(11:16):
a grim warning carved in flesh. David turned and walked away,
the morning wind catching the edge.
Speaker 9 (11:25):
Of his robe.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
The people did not cheer. They watched in silence, solemn,
and still at that moment they knew what kind of
king they had. A man of honor, yes, but also
of iron. And yet even those who walk in the
light cast long shadows the streets of Hebron overflowed with
(11:53):
men and women, their voices rising like a tide. The
city swelled with song and praise, banners fluttering in the
morning wind, Incense curled in the air above rooftops, and
the smell of crushed muhr and cedar bark lingered like
a sacred omen. From every tribe they had come, farmers
(12:16):
and princes, blacksmiths and priests, filling the hill country with
the noise of celebration. But within David's house there was quiet.
He stood at the doorway, in the robes of royalty,
the very same garment once handed to him by the
son of Sor. He traced his hands over the stitchings
(12:39):
and remembered his friend, Jonathan, his beloved brother in arms
and heart. He remembered Jonathan's words etched into his mind
and heart, like a brand.
Speaker 10 (12:52):
Is yours now a royal armor and robe. Take care
of them as you would your flock.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
Why are you giving me?
Speaker 4 (12:59):
Are you leave?
Speaker 10 (13:01):
I sure, hope not. I would stand beside you and
battle into my last breath. But a warrior's armor is
his life, and I give mine to you freely, not
because I must, because I love you as my own soul.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
This rub is not armor. Why give it to me
along with the.
Speaker 10 (13:19):
Rest, because it belongs to the future king. You will
sit on Israel's throne, David, not I not saul you.
The Lord raises the humble. My brother may be a
shepherd now, but the hand of God is upon you.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
I see it as clearly as I see the stars.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
Those words rang in his mind like a prophecy fulfilled.
But for all his wars and victories, his heart beat
harder now than it ever had. With a sword in hand,
David was reluctant to exit and face the crowd. David
heard footsteps from behind. It was Nathan, the prophet of Jude.
(14:01):
Nathan had become a voice of calm and reason to
David as the noise and clamor of kingship raged in
his mind. Nathan's presence was soothing and reassuring. He stood
beside the king, much shorter, but somehow speaking to him
as a father would to a child.
Speaker 6 (14:22):
You're afraid, I am, Why do you think that is?
Speaker 4 (14:30):
Good?
Speaker 6 (14:30):
Men have a healthy fear of power. They fear what
it will do to them. This is why the courts
of kings and nobles seemed to be filled with evil men.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
Why would the Lord call me into such a position?
There was such potential for corruption.
Speaker 6 (14:48):
For the same reason he called you into the lions
den to save the sheep.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
I see.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
David drew a deep bread. He wasn't ready, but he
had to move regardless. He stepped forward. Nathan remained behind,
watching him as he swung open the palace doors. The
bright light burst through, revealing a roaring crowd waiting. A
line of priests and elders were at the steps. They
(15:20):
bowed low and stepped aside, parting the way. David passed
between them, and the crowd roared at the sight of him.
Hands clapped, voices rose in song, and petals rained from
windows above like blessings. David's trusted men were at the
bottom of the steps, waiting to escort him through Jashabine, Abeshi, Baniah, Uriah,
(15:47):
and Joab. David's eyes scanned the people, his people now
Their faces bore hope and hunger, longing for peace and deliverance.
They reached the center of Hebrew, a great stun platform
ringed with towering columns. The elders of the tribe stood
(16:09):
there in ceremonial robes, faces grave beneath the sun. The
crowd hushed as David ascended the steps, the sound of
his sandals echoing like thunder across the stone. At the
top he knelt. Abiathar, the high priest, approached with an
alabaster horn filled with oil. Another elder, voice strong despite
(16:35):
his age, turned to the people and declared.
Speaker 9 (16:39):
Behow we are your king, your blood and your bone.
When Saul was king, it was you who led us
to walk, you who slew giants, you who delivered us
from the Philistines. It was not sau spear we followed.
Speaker 11 (17:04):
But your voice, your courage. And now the Lord has spoke.
You shall be shepherd of my people Israel. You shall
be prince over this nation.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
The horn tilted and warm oil flowed over David's head.
It dripped into his hair, down his cheeks, and onto
the robe once worn by Jonathan. He did not wipe
it away. A golden circlet was placed upon his brow,
its weight pressing into his temples. The moment held, the
(17:45):
wind held its breath, and all of Israel saw a
boy become king. He rose to his feet as the
shout broke over Hebrew long Live killed David. David's eyes
were closed for a long moment. But when he opened them,
he saw not just the people, but the burden, the crown,
(18:09):
the anointing, the cries of celebration. These were not trophies.
They were a yoke. He was thirty years old, now,
the same age another here would be when his coronation came,
not with a crown of gold, but with thorns. But
that was still to come. For now, David of Bethleo
(18:33):
stood in the shadow of giants and kings and prophets,
a warrior king, crowned in oil and hope his reign
had begun.
Speaker 5 (18:51):
What makes a leader worthy of a crown? Is it
victory in battle? Political shrewdness, bloodline. In this world it
can seem these are the tools of trade. But the
Bible teaches us something different, something quieter, something simpler. In
the Torah Deuterotomy seventeen gives us a surprising vision of kingship.
(19:12):
It reads, he must not consider himself better than his
fellow Israelites, and must not turn from the law to
the right or to the left. That's it. It's not
military night, it's not cunning, but it's humility and holding
to God's law, to the Torah. That's it, and that
is the kind of king that God had in mind.
(19:36):
David for all of his faults, and yes, we will
continue to see that David was a very flawed man.
David seemed to understand this what the scriptures want from
a king. This story teaches us something else about David too.
The assassins thought that their act would ingratiate themselves before David,
since they had eliminated the final possibility of any rivalry
(19:59):
between the House of Saul in the House of David.
They probably hoped that they would receive David's praise and
maybe even be named advisors to the new king. But
that means that they didn't understand David, did they. David
wasn't about to be swayed by false claims of others
having helped him become a strong and stable king of Israel.
(20:20):
It didn't matter to David that these killers eliminated his rival,
because David knew that he was anointed by God and
he didn't need acts of violence to assist him in
reaching or enhancing his majestic position. This Bible story demonstrates
he had another aspect of the Chosen People's most celebrated king. Now,
(20:41):
let's talk about those two men, Rahab and Banna from
a human point of view. They're pragmatis. They removed arrival,
they secured the throne. They did what needed to be done.
But Jewish tradition teaches otherwise. In the Talmwood, we read
that if someone says kill so and so, or I
(21:02):
will kill you, you must refuse who says your blood
is redder than theirs. This is Jewish ethics. You can
say Judeo Christian values in one sentence, this sanctity of life.
And David knew that and remembered it. David remembered that
even his enemies bear the image of God. He knew
(21:24):
that power does not give license to rewrite the commandments,
and that the crown of Israel cannot sit atop a
severed head. Rechab and Banna wanted to impress David by
acting like the world, like the others, cutting out anything
that would get in David's way to the throne. But
(21:45):
the Chosen People weren't called to be like the other nations.
We are called to be different. We're called to be holy.
Righteousness is not passive and it's not soft. Righteousness is
a fierce faithfulness to the ways of God, even when
every voice around us says to take a shortcut. In
these daily Bible studies, we have seen again and again
(22:08):
that God isn't interested in the most powerful, the most gifted,
or the most qualified. God is drawn to those who
know that their own capacity is one that could hold failure,
and yet they choose to cling to him. Maybe you're
(22:28):
not standing at the gates of Hebron this morning, but
perhaps you're facing a decision that feels just as heavy,
a conflict, a temptation to cut corners, a desire to
win no matter the cost. Well, remember, David, Remember the
hesitation before the throne, the silence before the cheers, the
restraint in the face of an easy victory. God's way
(22:51):
is rarely the fast way. It's often the long road,
the hard road. But it is the right road. And
you don't walk that road alone. And when you feel tired,
when you feel like no one notices that you chose
righteousness instead of revenge, Well, God sees it, I promise
you he sees it.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
You can listen to the Chosen People with Isle Eckstein
Ad free by downloading and subscribing to the prey dot
Com app today. This Prey dog comproduction is only made
possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina,
Max Bard, Zach Shellabarger and Ben Gammon are the executive
producers of The Chosen People with Yile Eckstein. Edited by
(23:36):
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Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvado, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold,
Sylvia Zaradoc, Thomas Copeland Junior, Rosanna Pilcher, and the opening
prayer is voiced by John Moore. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith,
(23:57):
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(24:19):
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Previously on the chosen people.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
It's not enough that half my kingdom bends ane to
a peasant shepherd. But now I found my father's concubines
taking his horse by his commanders. Risper was mine by right.
You shame yourself, Abner, have you no respect for the throne?
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Listen well, boy, may the Lord strike me dead if
I do not take this kingdom from your trembling hands
and place it into the hands of the ones who
earned it. From Dan to Beersheva, David Shell, who he
was chosen you are placed.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
David hosted a great feast for Abner and his men.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Why the change of heart, Haner, which made your hatred
for me and Tudor grow cold.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
I love my country, my people. My loyalty is to
the good of Israel. Intercept Abner before he leaves Abron,
He writes east toward man, I'm tell him the king
has met us yet unsettled. Tell him to meet me
at the cisterns of how he must come alone.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Joab was upon him in a breath, the dagger sinking
deep beneath the ribs. Abner gasped, blood rushing to his throat.
Joab leaned into Abner's ear.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
I told you this day would come Unlike you.
Speaker 4 (01:34):
I keep my word.
Speaker 5 (01:39):
We do not build thrones with the daggers. Shello my friends.
From here in the holy land of Israel, I'm l
Exstein with international Fellowship of Christians and Jews, and welcome
to the Chosen People. Have you ever wondered what kind
of person power turns you into, whether it reveals your
(01:59):
deepest integrity or exposes your darkest corners. Today, in Second
Samuel chapters four and five, we find ourselves asking such
a question. David is not yet king over all of Israel,
but he is close. He is very close. The path
to the throne has been long marked by wilderness, years
(02:21):
and blood stained oaths, marked by shattered friendships and promises
kept at a great cost. Prepare yourselves. This story is
not soft, it's not sanitized, but it's holy.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
A smothering sheet of cloud veiled the night sky of
a Gibea. Shadows ruled the alleyways, and not even the
patrols of souls. Once sproud watchmen stirred from their posts
through that darkness. Two shapes moved, fluid and silent as
wrayss drawn close, they glided past the palace gates without challenge,
(03:05):
Slipping between cracks in the walls and creeping low through
the gardens, The two intruders climbed the trellises as nimble
as cats, up the lattice to King Ishbocheth's chambers. Inside,
the glow of dying embers painted the walls red like
old blood. King ishbo Sheth lay curled beneath layers of
(03:29):
silk and linen. The figures stepped closer, their breath shallow
daggers drawn from the folds of their cloaks. Barner moved
to the left and Wreckaed to the right. Neither man hesitated.
Their blades struck true, slipping through flesh and bone, finding
(03:51):
the lungs burying deep in the warmth of life. Ishbo
Sheth gasped a soft, pitiful sound, and excit hailed into
the night, his blood soaking his sheets in a wide,
spreading stain. The room stank of iron and smoke. Banna
lit a torch and pulled down his hood. Rekkab followed suit.
(04:15):
Both were sons of Rimen, of the tribe of Benjamin.
Once captain's beneath saw loyal dogs, who now turned on
the house they once served, Ah.
Speaker 4 (04:28):
It is done. The last of Salsan's is dead, and
the crown of Israel belongs to David.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
Now, Rekkob nodded, grim and cold.
Speaker 6 (04:39):
With Sal's air gone, the north will surely follow.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
David, and no doubt we'll receive a rich reward for
handing David his enemy's head.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
He stepped forward and drew his sword again. With a
single swing, he severed ishboshe Death's head. The body twitched once,
then stilled. Recub wrapped the head in coarse burlap, tying
the neck with a length of leather. The blood dripped
freely as they climbed back through the window and vanished
(05:15):
into the night. They laughed at the thought of David
welcoming them with silver, new positions in his ranks and land.
By the time the sun rose above the valley they
had reached, Hebron blood still seeped through the sacks slung
across Rekub's saddle. They stood before the gates of David's stronghold,
(05:37):
beaming with pride and ready to receive their reward. Recab
grinned and Barner shifted on his heels, eager for glory.
But the king was not in his hall. David warped
the grounds beyond Hebron's gait, as he often did in
the early hours. The brothers found him beneath the almond trees,
(05:58):
bathed in the gray gold of morning light. They bowed low,
but there was arrogance in the way. Their spines bent
and deceit in the smiles.
Speaker 4 (06:09):
They bore, O, King of Judah, may you live forever.
The son of Saul is dead. We bring you peace
and proof.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
He unfilled the sack and rolled out the head of
isbau Chef onto the roots of the tree. The face
was pale and twisted in fear. Lips parted in a
breath never finished. Blood still wept from the neck. David's
face betrayed nothing. His stare was impassive, unreadable. He looked
(06:43):
down at Barna and recab faces, eager for praise.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
You did this.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
Ugh, We did my king for you, for israel.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
I see Benaiyah. Are you close by?
Speaker 1 (07:02):
David's friend and captain of the guard emerged from around
the corner. He was always close, always watching, yes, looking.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
These men have just handed me the head of King Ishbushev,
Saul's last living.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
Son, Benaiah's eyes darted quickly to the men, then back
at David. The captain nodded knowingly and left to fetch
your Ayah and Jashubine. David turned back to the brothers,
then bent low and wrapped the sack again, tying it
with reverence. His voice was quiet but cold.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
There was an Amalekite once who found me in ziklag.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
David set the head gently on a stone underneath a
large tree. He looked up at the tree, retrieving a memory.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
This amalakite him to bring good news that saw the
anointed of the Lord was dead by his hand. He
grinned as you grinned. Now he spoke with the same
glee that you speak with, and I gave him a reward.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
Recab shifted in place with excitement. Barner's smile split his
face into David stepped closer, and his voice rang sharper.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Now that reward was a swift death for killing the
Lord's anointed.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
In an instant, the brothers were seized from behind by
Berniah and Uriah. David's gaze burned into them, bright and merciless.
Speaker 7 (08:46):
Tell me, sons of reward, what should your reward be
for killing a man in his sleep, a king in
his bed, a brother to.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
The one I loved more than life itself.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Neither man had time to answer. Benaiah and Joshavin dragged
them toward the city gates like pigs to slaughter. By
the time they reached the pools, the people had gathered.
Merchants and soldiers, wives and elders all come in curiosity.
David's garment billowed behind him as he stepped onto the stones.
(09:22):
He spoke not to the condemned, but to the crowd.
Speaker 7 (09:26):
Hear me, people of Judah, we are not like the
nations around us. We did not build thrones with daggers.
We did not crown kings with treachery.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
David pointed to the bound brothers, stripped to their tunics.
Speaker 7 (09:42):
These men murdered Ishmushef, son of Saul, heir to the throne,
and they thought they would earn my favor.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
But I do not rule by murder.
Speaker 7 (09:54):
I did not wear a royal robe stitched by the
needles of cowards. My robe was given by the prince itself,
because of loyalty, because of brotherhood.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
David's voice bellowed to the people, using this event as
a reminder of where they came from and where they
were going as a nation a people.
Speaker 8 (10:17):
When God most High called Abram out of her and
into the wilderness, he left with a promise that he
would be established into a great nation, a nation set
apart as a blessing, distinctly different from the warmongering, blood sucking, infant,
sacrificing nations that surround us.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
We do not play their gags, we don't sing their songs.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
David turned to the brothers and knelt beside them, his
voice dropped low.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
I don't play the game of thrones.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
Berniah drew his sword, and without ceremony, locked their hands,
then their feet, and finally, with ropes soaked in blood
and vengeance, the two sons of women were strung high
above the poor, their bodies twisted in the rising sun,
(11:16):
a grim warning carved in flesh. David turned and walked away,
the morning wind catching the edge.
Speaker 9 (11:25):
Of his robe.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
The people did not cheer. They watched in silence, solemn,
and still at that moment they knew what kind of
king they had. A man of honor, yes, but also
of iron. And yet even those who walk in the
light cast long shadows the streets of Hebron overflowed with
(11:53):
men and women, their voices rising like a tide. The
city swelled with song and praise, banners fluttering in the
morning wind, Incense curled in the air above rooftops, and
the smell of crushed muhr and cedar bark lingered like
a sacred omen. From every tribe they had come, farmers
(12:16):
and princes, blacksmiths and priests, filling the hill country with
the noise of celebration. But within David's house there was quiet.
He stood at the doorway, in the robes of royalty,
the very same garment once handed to him by the
son of Sor. He traced his hands over the stitchings
(12:39):
and remembered his friend, Jonathan, his beloved brother in arms
and heart. He remembered Jonathan's words etched into his mind
and heart, like a brand.
Speaker 10 (12:52):
Is yours now a royal armor and robe. Take care
of them as you would your flock.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
Why are you giving me?
Speaker 4 (12:59):
Are you leave?
Speaker 10 (13:01):
I sure, hope not. I would stand beside you and
battle into my last breath. But a warrior's armor is
his life, and I give mine to you freely, not
because I must, because I love you as my own soul.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
This rub is not armor. Why give it to me
along with the.
Speaker 10 (13:19):
Rest, because it belongs to the future king. You will
sit on Israel's throne, David, not I not saul you.
The Lord raises the humble. My brother may be a
shepherd now, but the hand of God is upon you.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
I see it as clearly as I see the stars.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
Those words rang in his mind like a prophecy fulfilled.
But for all his wars and victories, his heart beat
harder now than it ever had. With a sword in hand,
David was reluctant to exit and face the crowd. David
heard footsteps from behind. It was Nathan, the prophet of Jude.
(14:01):
Nathan had become a voice of calm and reason to
David as the noise and clamor of kingship raged in
his mind. Nathan's presence was soothing and reassuring. He stood
beside the king, much shorter, but somehow speaking to him
as a father would to a child.
Speaker 6 (14:22):
You're afraid, I am, Why do you think that is?
Speaker 4 (14:30):
Good?
Speaker 6 (14:30):
Men have a healthy fear of power. They fear what
it will do to them. This is why the courts
of kings and nobles seemed to be filled with evil men.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
Why would the Lord call me into such a position?
There was such potential for corruption.
Speaker 6 (14:48):
For the same reason he called you into the lions
den to save the sheep.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
I see.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
David drew a deep bread. He wasn't ready, but he
had to move regardless. He stepped forward. Nathan remained behind,
watching him as he swung open the palace doors. The
bright light burst through, revealing a roaring crowd waiting. A
line of priests and elders were at the steps. They
(15:20):
bowed low and stepped aside, parting the way. David passed
between them, and the crowd roared at the sight of him.
Hands clapped, voices rose in song, and petals rained from
windows above like blessings. David's trusted men were at the
bottom of the steps, waiting to escort him through Jashabine, Abeshi, Baniah, Uriah,
(15:47):
and Joab. David's eyes scanned the people, his people now
Their faces bore hope and hunger, longing for peace and deliverance.
They reached the center of Hebrew, a great stun platform
ringed with towering columns. The elders of the tribe stood
(16:09):
there in ceremonial robes, faces grave beneath the sun. The
crowd hushed as David ascended the steps, the sound of
his sandals echoing like thunder across the stone. At the
top he knelt. Abiathar, the high priest, approached with an
alabaster horn filled with oil. Another elder, voice strong despite
(16:35):
his age, turned to the people and declared.
Speaker 9 (16:39):
Behow we are your king, your blood and your bone.
When Saul was king, it was you who led us
to walk, you who slew giants, you who delivered us
from the Philistines. It was not sau spear we followed.
Speaker 11 (17:04):
But your voice, your courage. And now the Lord has spoke.
You shall be shepherd of my people Israel. You shall
be prince over this nation.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
The horn tilted and warm oil flowed over David's head.
It dripped into his hair, down his cheeks, and onto
the robe once worn by Jonathan. He did not wipe
it away. A golden circlet was placed upon his brow,
its weight pressing into his temples. The moment held, the
(17:45):
wind held its breath, and all of Israel saw a
boy become king. He rose to his feet as the
shout broke over Hebrew long Live killed David. David's eyes
were closed for a long moment. But when he opened them,
he saw not just the people, but the burden, the crown,
(18:09):
the anointing, the cries of celebration. These were not trophies.
They were a yoke. He was thirty years old, now,
the same age another here would be when his coronation came,
not with a crown of gold, but with thorns. But
that was still to come. For now, David of Bethleo
(18:33):
stood in the shadow of giants and kings and prophets,
a warrior king, crowned in oil and hope his reign
had begun.
Speaker 5 (18:51):
What makes a leader worthy of a crown? Is it
victory in battle? Political shrewdness, bloodline. In this world it
can seem these are the tools of trade. But the
Bible teaches us something different, something quieter, something simpler. In
the Torah Deuterotomy seventeen gives us a surprising vision of kingship.
(19:12):
It reads, he must not consider himself better than his
fellow Israelites, and must not turn from the law to
the right or to the left. That's it. It's not
military night, it's not cunning, but it's humility and holding
to God's law, to the Torah. That's it, and that
is the kind of king that God had in mind.
(19:36):
David for all of his faults, and yes, we will
continue to see that David was a very flawed man.
David seemed to understand this what the scriptures want from
a king. This story teaches us something else about David too.
The assassins thought that their act would ingratiate themselves before David,
since they had eliminated the final possibility of any rivalry
(19:59):
between the House of Saul in the House of David.
They probably hoped that they would receive David's praise and
maybe even be named advisors to the new king. But
that means that they didn't understand David, did they. David
wasn't about to be swayed by false claims of others
having helped him become a strong and stable king of Israel.
(20:20):
It didn't matter to David that these killers eliminated his rival,
because David knew that he was anointed by God and
he didn't need acts of violence to assist him in
reaching or enhancing his majestic position. This Bible story demonstrates
he had another aspect of the Chosen People's most celebrated king. Now,
(20:41):
let's talk about those two men, Rahab and Banna from
a human point of view. They're pragmatis. They removed arrival,
they secured the throne. They did what needed to be done.
But Jewish tradition teaches otherwise. In the Talmwood, we read
that if someone says kill so and so, or I
(21:02):
will kill you, you must refuse who says your blood
is redder than theirs. This is Jewish ethics. You can
say Judeo Christian values in one sentence, this sanctity of life.
And David knew that and remembered it. David remembered that
even his enemies bear the image of God. He knew
(21:24):
that power does not give license to rewrite the commandments,
and that the crown of Israel cannot sit atop a
severed head. Rechab and Banna wanted to impress David by
acting like the world, like the others, cutting out anything
that would get in David's way to the throne. But
(21:45):
the Chosen People weren't called to be like the other nations.
We are called to be different. We're called to be holy.
Righteousness is not passive and it's not soft. Righteousness is
a fierce faithfulness to the ways of God, even when
every voice around us says to take a shortcut. In
these daily Bible studies, we have seen again and again
(22:08):
that God isn't interested in the most powerful, the most gifted,
or the most qualified. God is drawn to those who
know that their own capacity is one that could hold failure,
and yet they choose to cling to him. Maybe you're
(22:28):
not standing at the gates of Hebron this morning, but
perhaps you're facing a decision that feels just as heavy,
a conflict, a temptation to cut corners, a desire to
win no matter the cost. Well, remember, David, Remember the
hesitation before the throne, the silence before the cheers, the
restraint in the face of an easy victory. God's way
(22:51):
is rarely the fast way. It's often the long road,
the hard road. But it is the right road. And
you don't walk that road alone. And when you feel tired,
when you feel like no one notices that you chose
righteousness instead of revenge, Well, God sees it, I promise
you he sees it.
Speaker 1 (23:13):
You can listen to the Chosen People with Isle Eckstein
Ad free by downloading and subscribing to the prey dot
Com app today. This Prey dog comproduction is only made
possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina,
Max Bard, Zach Shellabarger and Ben Gammon are the executive
producers of The Chosen People with Yile Eckstein. Edited by
(23:36):
Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are voiced by
Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvado, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold,
Sylvia Zaradoc, Thomas Copeland Junior, Rosanna Pilcher, and the opening
prayer is voiced by John Moore. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith,
(23:57):
written by Aaron Salvato, bre Roslie and Chris Baige. Special
thanks to Bishop Paulinier, Robin van Ettin, Kayleb Burrows, Jocelyn Fuller,
and the team at International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
You can hear more Prey dot Com productions on the
Prey dot Com app, available on the Apple App Store
and Google Play Store. If you enjoyed The Chosen People
(24:19):
with Yile Eckstein, please rate and leave a review,
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