David’s Battle of Honor

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Previously on the Chosen People. 00:00:03 Speaker 2: Behold, we are your king, your blood and your bone. When Saul was king, it was you who led us to war, you who slew giants, you who delivered us from the Philistines. 00:00:25 Speaker 3: It was not Saul's spear we followed, but. 00:00:28 Speaker 2: Your voice, your courage. 00:00:33 Speaker 4: And now the Lord has spoken. You shall be shepherd of my people in Israel. You shall be prince over this nation. 00:00:44 Speaker 5: This great city wants a stronghold for the wicked, shall be a fortress for righteousness. 00:00:51 Speaker 3: No longer shall it be the bastion of our shame. 00:00:54 Speaker 5: From this day forth, let it be known as Zion, the city of David. 00:01:01 Speaker 1: The Lord was with David, and his reign stretched wider with each passing land. 00:01:08 Speaker 6: I've never shined away from a battle against our enemies, but I intend to woun arm people with mercy. 00:01:21 Speaker 7: There is no fury like that of the shepherd when wolves approach his flock. Shelloh, my friends, from here in the holy land of Israel, I'm l Extein with international Fellowship of Christians and Jews, and welcome to the Chosen People. What does it mean to honor someone when the world sees no value in the gesture. In today's story from Tewod Samuel, chapter ten, we witness a fragile moment when diplomacy and decency are offered and then violently rejected. David, now King of Israel, seeks to honor the death of a former enemy turned unlikely ally. But what in full is a humiliation so deep that it wounds not only the body, but the soul as well. The Chosen people have come a long way in their journey so far, through war, through betrayal, through fragile truces and treaties, and how they stand at the edge of another battle, once sparked not by greed or conquest, but by insult. This is the story of David's Battle of Honor. 00:02:29 Speaker 1: East of Jerusalem, beyond the River Jordan, where the highlands burn in the noonday sun, an old king lay dying. Nay Haash of Amon, once an enemy of Israel and later its uneasy, ally, succumbed to sickness and died. His death left the nation of Ammon in uneasy tension in Jerusalem. David mourned. Though there had once been in blood between them, time and tributes had forged a brittle peace. Nay Hash had been the knee, and in the end there was a profitable peace for both of them. David sat in the court with Joab and Jashabin. 00:03:16 Speaker 6: The man showed me loyalty when he might have chosen vengeance. Now that he's gone, I want to repay his kindness. Joe Ab shifted in place. 00:03:28 Speaker 8: Are you concerned that may seem opportunistic? Prince Hennoon may see our gifts as insulting? 00:03:35 Speaker 6: And if we do nothing, what message does that say? We beat Ammon by the sword, but we kept peace with him through kindness. 00:03:44 Speaker 8: Nay Hash was reasonable. I fear his son ha Noon is much less, so we'll find out. 00:03:50 Speaker 1: David turned to a company of messengers and added. 00:03:55 Speaker 6: Go bring gifts, show honor to the son of Nahsh. Let him know that should he need a friend or a sword, Israel stands with him. 00:04:05 Speaker 1: The emissaries departed bearing wine from the hill country, gold threaded cloaks, and spices from Geshur. But when they reached Rabbah, the capital of Anon, they found no mourning, only stone and silence. The streets were dry and the people were gaunt. It had been a hard season for the Ammonites, and their new king Bore the weight of failure. Poorly, Hanon, son of Nahash, sat uneasily on his throne. He was not his father's son in wisdom or in strength. When the emissaries came before him, they bowed low, presenting the gifts as custom demanded. Hannon said nothing. His fingers drummed on the arm of his chair. Around him sat his counsel, old men with crooked backs and snake bitten tongues. One leaned in and whispered through yellow teeth. 00:05:06 Speaker 9: You'll see how they bowl liking sighs, wearing the masks of borers. If David meant to honor you, he'd have stayed far from our gates. He sends these dogs to sniff our walls and weigh our weaknesses. 00:05:24 Speaker 1: Hannon's frown deepened. 00:05:26 Speaker 10: Spies, you think me blind. 00:05:31 Speaker 1: My lord, We mean no harm. We come in peace silence, Hannon snapped. He rose from his throne with the jerky rage of a child denied a toy. 00:05:44 Speaker 10: You wear fine cloaks and bear silver tongues, but I see through them. You've come to mock me, to measure my coffers and map my walls. I'll not be made a fool than my own hall. 00:05:58 Speaker 1: He clapped his hands. The guards came swiftly, swords drawn. David's men turned to flee, but they were seized before they could reach the doors. Hannon descended the steps of his throne, his eyes gleamed with cruelty. Stripped there the guards forced the emissaries to their knees before the court of Ammon. The men were held down with vicious glee. The guards carved through the right half of each beard, leaving the left untouched. A beard was more than hair. It was honor to mutilate, it was to brand a man a slave. But Hannan was not finished. 00:06:43 Speaker 3: Cut their robes, now waste to. 00:06:45 Speaker 1: Me steel metcloth. The men's robes were slashed, bearing their nakedness, bloodied and exposed, they were paraded through the streets of rubbah. Stones were thrown and food laughter. Hannon followed behind them, shouting, so all might hear. 00:07:07 Speaker 10: Tell your dog king that the days of tribute are over. I owe him nothing. 00:07:16 Speaker 3: And when I come from his crown, I shall shave his beard too. 00:07:21 Speaker 1: He spat in the dirt, and the gates of the city were thrown open. The messengers, half shorn and humiliated, were cast out into the dust, but they didn't return to Jerusalem, too a shame to show their faces. They hid in Jericho, nursing wounds deeper than flesh. The cottage near Jericho was small, tucked beneath the shadow of trees. It was twilight. Inside the hovel, David's four servants sat cloaked in shame. They had traded their torn garments for plain tunics, but nothing could cover the wound of humiliation. A man's beard was his dignity, and theirs had been sheared like sheep. Then came the knock, quiet at first, then firmer. The men froze, the door creaked open. They each drew their blades. A hooded figure stepped into the flickering firelight and pushed back his cow. 00:08:28 Speaker 6: Hello, my brothers, it was David. 00:08:32 Speaker 1: The blades dropped to the floor as the four men collapsed to their knees, eyes brimming, My. 00:08:39 Speaker 8: King, forgive us, we've failed you. 00:08:44 Speaker 1: David shook his head, stepping forward with a face carved from sorrow. 00:08:50 Speaker 6: You did nothing wrong. They marked my name through you. This shame is not yours to carry. 00:08:58 Speaker 1: The men wept openly, now clutching at his robe. Then one spoke through clenched teeth. Hanan has raised a host, my lord, he says, he will do to you what he did to us. David's mouth curled slightly, though no joy touched his eyes, did he now? The King of Israel stood in silence for a long time. Then he turned back to the door. 00:09:27 Speaker 6: Rest remain here until your beards grow back. None in Jerusalem shall see you dishonored. But know this I have not forgotten, neither has the Lord. He turned to the door. 00:09:43 Speaker 1: Joab stood waiting beyond it, arms folded, sword on his hip, his wolfish grin faint beneath his beard. 00:09:52 Speaker 8: Hold you you did? What do we do now? 00:09:56 Speaker 6: I will not suffer the Ammonites a day longer. Gather the men, You and Abshi will march at the front. I'll pay my visit once you've breached. 00:10:07 Speaker 1: Joab bowed his head low, a satisfied glint in his eye. 00:10:12 Speaker 8: It will be done. 00:10:14 Speaker 1: Joab and Abishai rode at the head of Israel's army. David watched them ride out from the eastern battlements. He said nothing. He had suffered much in his days. He had been the sun. No one counted the bard whose songs were silenced, the warrior, dismissed, the anointed, hunted like prey. He had endured the scorn of giants, the wrath of madmen, and the loneliness of caves, but he had never, never tolerated harm to his own. Hannon, son of Nahash, had not merely insulted a king. He had laid hands on the sheep of the shepherd. And there is no fury like that of a shepherd when wolves come near. It was not yet dawn, and the eastern wind blew dry and hot across the valley of Meadowbah in the gray light before the sun. Joab stood atop the ridge with six hundred of David's finest. These were not boys who played at war. These were David's mighty men. Down below, the Syrians waited. They were mercenaries, paid in gold and blood. But gold buys only so much courage. Joab turned to his captain's we. 00:11:41 Speaker 8: Move on the horn, no quarter, no prisoners. 00:11:45 Speaker 5: Let them taste what David's hounds are made of. 00:11:49 Speaker 1: The rams horns sounded, and the line surged forward forward. The mighty men galloped into the valley, roaring as won. It was a storm, wild and screaming. The Syrians braced for it, but they weren't ready for what came. 00:12:09 Speaker 3: Spears and seals. 00:12:13 Speaker 1: The line shifted, drawing into a triangular wedge, the sharpest point of it where Joab himself ran first into the storm. They crashed into the mercenary line with such fury that the earth itself seemed to groan. Steel clanged against bronze, woods splintered, and men screamed. The Syrians began to break. Joab's triangle formation stabbed through the line like a knife through wet parchment, drop spheares, swords out in unison. The spears were buried in bellies and throats. Then swords were drawn, short, curved, and leager for work. The formation opened into a half sea circle, surrounding the enemy like a ring of wolves. Forward slash. Each man advanced as one, slashing for the soldier's war, then stepping back, their shield wall blocked any retaliation. 00:13:17 Speaker 3: Second break. 00:13:19 Speaker 1: The men slashed again, as while sign more than four hundred in one burst. Then they were back again, shield roam. Each man stood shoulder to shoulder and pressed forward against the enemy, stabbing under and over as they advanced. It was a calculated gory, beautiful side to behold. David's Mighty men, under the command of Joeab were a unified weapon of slaughter. When nearly half the enemy had been cut down, joe Ab released them. 00:13:56 Speaker 5: Every boys, attack and don't hold back your jury. 00:14:01 Speaker 1: It was a brutal and terrifying slaughtered blood soaked the valley floor. The Syrians tried to hold, but they had no reason to die. Cornities had bought them not pause. They crumbled, and their commanders shouted for retreat. They scattered like leaves in the wind. Not one of Joab's men had fallen. A mile south nearer the city gates, the earth shook beneath the tread of ammonite boots. Hannon rode at the head of his host, tall on a war horse, draped in black. His armor shone like oil. 00:14:44 Speaker 3: I want more than victory. 00:14:47 Speaker 11: I want shame. Dried them by their beards, strip them of their bride, break them, and then slay them. 00:15:00 Speaker 1: Tens of thousands followed him, well armed, well fed, and over confident. They thought the Syrians would press from the north. They thought the hammer would crush David's mighty men. Instead, Abishi came from the shadow of the hill. Abishai's company fell on them like fire in dry wheat, no horns, no warning. The blades of Israel sam as they struck. The Ammonites wheeled. They fought back, but without momentum, without unity. Abesh I struck fast and hard. The Ammonites faltered, clinging to the hope that the Syrians would turn the tide. But when Haron looked north and saw the mercenaries retreating in disgrace, his heart turned to ice. 00:15:52 Speaker 9: Rejay back to the city, minute to the gates ride. 00:15:57 Speaker 1: Panic spread. The Ammonites fled in droves, thrown down spears and trampling each other to escape. Hannan disappeared behind the walls of Rabbah, his voice lost among the screams. When Joab and Abishai returned to Jerusalem, they were bloodied, but with smiles. David met them in the Hall of Stone. 00:16:24 Speaker 8: Report the Eminoits ran, not one of us fell. The Lord has shown fear. 00:16:33 Speaker 3: Let the record show Israel does not take humiliation lightly. 00:16:39 Speaker 12: Halon hired the Syrians to fight alongside him. They ran, but probbly because they didn't expect such a showing from us. We've received word that King Hadesa of Syria is mobilized now against us. 00:16:54 Speaker 6: The full force of Syria's army is not to be underestimated. 00:16:58 Speaker 8: Their commander Shobakis, the most feared warrior in the East. 00:17:03 Speaker 6: Possibly a giant like a laugh. 00:17:07 Speaker 12: I guess it's good that the giant's layer will be marching with us into battle. 00:17:13 Speaker 1: David stepped forward into the shallows of the Jordan. The river took him to the waste. It bared his skin like steel, but he welcomed the cold. His ancestors had crossed the Jordan to win the Holy Land, but now David was crossing to keep it. The entire army had crossed, and there beyond the plane lay hell arm and the Syrian army. They were not scattered like the bands of Amalekites or drunken Philistine levees. No, the army of Hardadiza had come prepared for war. Rows of chariots stretched like a sea of iron across the field. Horsemen mounted on beasts clad in bronze drums slowly from within their ranks, the rhythm of a war machine too large to be turned. David and his commanders sat atop their horses at the crest of the hill. They looked down at the enemy below, a host twice thrice their size. Uriah shifted in his saddle so many it's. 00:18:20 Speaker 6: As if every sword across the Euphrates has come to meet us. 00:18:24 Speaker 8: And it looks like a storm is approaching. 00:18:27 Speaker 1: David's eyes were fixed on the horizon, his face unreadable. The breeze toyed with his curls and rustled the hem of his cloak. We are the storm. He turned his horse, rising high in the saddle. 00:18:43 Speaker 3: Take heart, my brothers, David's. 00:18:45 Speaker 1: Voice cried, his voice carrying across the plain like thunder. 00:18:50 Speaker 5: We do not fight for gold or land, but for the name of the Living God. We fight for his people, and he fights for us. 00:19:00 Speaker 1: A roar rose behind him, Swords ran against shields, hearts swelled with fire, and without another word, David drove his heels into his mouth and surged forward, headlong, straight into the teeth of the enemy. He rolled like a storm, his war cry ripping through the ranks. Behind him, came a fury of Israel. The Syrians ran with veracity to meet them in the middle. The earth groaned beneath them, as forty thousand Syrian horsemen surged toward them. David drew a deep breath, the world slowing for a moment. He was the king now. He didn't fight for survival, but for the pride of Israel. The King was the first to strike, his sword, slashing through the skull of a Syrian horseman. He swung through the battle like a fire through dry brush. 00:20:03 Speaker 5: Don't relate, not until you secure the future of your children. 00:20:08 Speaker 3: Fight my brothers. 00:20:09 Speaker 4: Fight. 00:20:11 Speaker 1: Uriah was beside him, protecting David's flank. The enemy surged on every side. David, still on horseback, drove through the Syrians into the center of the fray. Through the haze, David saw his adversary, a tower of a man in a cloak of hammered bronze. It was Schobat, commander of Syria. He looked like a mountain with a sword. 00:20:37 Speaker 4: Yeah. 00:20:38 Speaker 1: David rode furiously, but an arrow into his horse's thigh, sending David flying through the air. He hid the earth hard. The breath ripped from his lungs. Before David could rise, a boot, like a battering ram, slammed into his ribs and hurled him like a stone. He spun, tumbled, rolled, and coughed blood. The strike came from Schobach. 00:21:03 Speaker 5: The teo rats. 00:21:06 Speaker 1: Schobach's blade fell like lightning down on David. The king rolled just barely. The steel buried itself in the dust beside his head. David scrambled to his feet, sword in hand, and faced him. The two circled. 00:21:23 Speaker 3: Ah, feed your carcass to like ways. I've heard threats like that from giants larger than you. Let's see if you meet the same fate, shall we. 00:21:35 Speaker 1: Shobach charged and struck again, one blow to David's shield, then two, three each one like a hammer. David parried and dodged, Sweats stinging his eyes, his arms trembling from the sheer force of the blows. He couldn't win by strength, so he waited. Schobach kept swinging, with the force of ten men behind his arm. David harried, rolled, stood back, and watched. Schobach came again, sword sweeping wide. David dubbed under and rolled behind, eyes searching neck, back side, armor, everywhere, iron upon iron, But. 00:22:18 Speaker 8: Here it is there's the opening. 00:22:21 Speaker 1: David saw the narrow space just beneath Schobach's helm. David stepped back and pulled his sling from his belt, his fingers were numb and his breathing was ragged. He placed the stone, wound the leather tight and spun. Schobach raised his blade to charge. David cocked his hips, rolled his shoulders back, and released the sling. The stone whistled through the air. It struck his cheek with a crack like splitting timber. The commander stumbled, hand to his cheek. David didn't wait. He was already moving, already leaping, already shouting as he jumped and drove his blade darward into the seam of chain and flesh. The sword sank deep into Schobach's sterner. Shobach gasped, shuddered, then fell His mouth hit the dust. His helm rolled from his head. David staggered back, panting, blood dripping from his jaw, his blade, his boots. He looked to the skies and let out a cry of victory, a cry like thunder, a cry that sent fear rippling through serious ranks. Israel surged around him. Emboldened by their king's fury. The Syrians broke, their lines, shattered, their will collapsed. They turned and fled, thousands of men, abandoning swords, shields, and pride as they ran for their lives. By nightfall, the kings of the East had bent the name. They sent word of peace, trembling before the man who had slain their commander, and scattered their armies. David the Shepherd King returned to Jerusalem not just as a warrior, but as a legend made flesh. 00:24:31 Speaker 7: As we've seen over and over and over again as we've traveled with the Chosen People, our Bible heroes aren't always perfect, and we see that again in today's story. King David sent his messengers on a condolence call to the new king of Amon upon the death of his father, and it was a congratulations call from one king to another unassuming rulership. But by doing so, King David neglected the commandment in the Torah to not extend kindness to the nation of Amon forever. Now, this commandment was given because of the ammonites mistreatment of the Chosen People. As we trudged through the desert after the exodus from Egypt, Moses offered to buy bread and water from the Ammonites, but they refuse to sell it to the Israelites. Our sage is warned that being compassionate to evil people often leads us to not have compassion for the good people. This is a very important lesson for the Chosen People then and in Israel today, and I think that it's an important lesson for all of us as this spiritual warfare is growing. If a nation continues to do evil things to us, then showing compassion towards them is a misplaced mercy, which they interpret not as compassion but as weakness. But there's another lesson in today's story. Humiliation can sting as deeply as any wound, sometimes even deeper. Why is it that when we're mocked, our very sense of self begins to unravel, even if we haven't been attacked physically. There are so many people around the world who would try to be little God's Chosen people. Today, many people who, through their words and their actions, make the same statement, Israel doesn't belong here. There's no place in the world for a Jewish homeland. But in the Bible, as is the same today, those who look to disgrace and defeat the Chosen People ultimately find themselves on the losing end. Nelson Mandela once said, you mustn't compromise your principles, but you mustn't humiliate the opposition. No one is more dangerous than one who is humiliated. That could have been written about the King of the Ammonites, couldn't it about the men who whisper venom in the ears of king? About any of us? 00:27:01 Speaker 5: Really? 00:27:02 Speaker 7: When we let fear drive us to disgrace others. But in today's story, David shows us a different path. He protects the shamed, he allows time for healing, and when it's time to respond, he does so with the strength, not cruelty. He doesn't mirror the world's behavior, He rises above it. So what about you? Have you ever felt the sting of shame? Have you ever been misunderstood, mocked, or made to feel small? If you have, then this message is for you. Your value is not decided by those who insult you. It's decided by the one who made you. If you've been hurt, if you've been humiliated, let the story of David remind you restoration is real. God sees, he knows, and he is idle. He will act in his time, in his way, and it's always for your good. 00:28:11 Speaker 1: 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 Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, 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, written by Aaron Salvato, bre Rosalie and Chris Baig. Special thanks to Bishop Paul Lanier, Robin van Ettin, kaylab 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 with Yile Eckstein, please rate and leave a review,