Elisha & The Floating Axe

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Previously on The Chosen People. 00:00:04 Speaker 2: Because the arrow by itself is nothing. It's weak. It's pathetic. But if that same arrow rests in the hands of a skilled archer. 00:00:17 Speaker 3: It flies true. 00:00:19 Speaker 4: I've never been powerful, Elisha. I have never been great. I am an old, tired man. The wind stirred. Elisha sucked in a sharp breath. The river whispered before him, waiting. The choice was his. 00:00:41 Speaker 1: He exhaled, stood, stepped forward, and lifted the mantle high. His voice rang out, steady and unchanged, but no longer uncertain. 00:00:54 Speaker 3: Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob!' God of Joseph and Moses, God of Elijah, my God, I am your servant. Show me your power. 00:01:13 Speaker 1: The sound of axes striking wood rang out across the Jordan River. It was the kind of sound that would have been satisfying under different circumstances, maybe even meditative. but today it carried the undeniable undercurrent of inexperience. The Guild of Prophets was not built for this kind of labor. These were not craftsmen or soldiers. They were dreamers, scribes, and thinkers, young men learning to hear the voice of God. It was a discipleship school of sorts, though calling it a school was generous. The students worked under the merciless sun, sweat dripping into their eyes as they swung their axes with all the grace of men who had never chopped a tree in their lives. The air was heavy with the earthy scent of wood and the occasional grunt of frustration. Standing a safe distance away, Elisha leaned against a rock, his staff in hand, supervising with the ease of a man who had absolutely no intention of helping. 00:02:24 Speaker 5: Master Elisha, do you think this is what Elijah had in mind when he passed his mantle to you? 00:02:30 Speaker 1: Elisha smirked, a faint glimmer of amusement flashing in his eyes. 00:02:36 Speaker 3: If you think this is beneath you, Reuben, wait until I send you to dig ditches. You'll miss the glamour of tree-cutting. 00:02:43 Speaker 1: One of the younger students snorted at this, nearly losing his grip on his axe in the process. The blade grazed the trunk awkwardly, sending a spray of splinters into the air. Why do you even need to expand the house anyway? 00:02:59 Speaker 3: It's fine as it is. 00:03:00 Speaker 6: It's fine for you, but you're not the one sleeping next to Reuben and his snoring. It's like trying to sleep next to a bullfrog. 00:03:09 Speaker 2: He's not snoring. It's prophetic breathing. 00:03:12 Speaker 6: If it's prophetic breathing, then Yahweh must be very annoyed. 00:03:17 Speaker 1: The group burst into laughter, their exhaustion momentarily forgotten. Even Elisha chuckled softly, brushing the dust from his robe with an air of mock patience. 00:03:29 Speaker 3: Enough whining. You're prophets of Yahweh, not poets writing lamentations about how hard your life is. We need the wood, so keep chopping. 00:03:40 Speaker 1: The laughter faded, replaced by the steady rhythm of axes once more. Kisha muttered something under his breath, earning another smirk from Reuben. Elisha watched them with a faint smile, as though enjoying a private joke they couldn't yet understand. Keisha was Elisha's apprentice, chosen by the prophet himself, though no one could quite figure out why. Wiry and sharp-tongued, Keisha had a knack for asking questions that walked the line between curious and insubordinate. If Elisha found him exasperating, he didn't show it. In fact, he seemed to enjoy the boy's energy. He reminded him of his master. 00:04:25 Speaker 6: Master Elisha, I think the Jordan just swallowed my body weight in sweat. 00:04:29 Speaker 7: Does this count as a baptism? 00:04:32 Speaker 3: No, but if you keep swinging like that, it might count as your funeral. 00:04:36 Speaker 5: Kish is just mad because he's the worst axeman here. 00:04:39 Speaker 6: That's because I didn't come here to chop trees, Reuben. I came here to learn how to hear Yahweh's voice. 00:04:47 Speaker 3: And do you think Yahweh's voice is going to make you a bigger house? Because if it does, you're not hearing Yahweh, you're hearing your own wishful thinking. 00:04:56 Speaker 1: The students laughed, though some of them were clearly more focused on not splitting their own feet open than on Elisha's wit. Keisha, however, wasn't ready to let it go. 00:05:07 Speaker 7: You're telling me the Lord, who parted the sea and brought fire down from heaven, can't drop a few trees for us? 00:05:17 Speaker 3: He is chopping trees, my boy, through the able arms of his young prophets. Praise be to God that we get to play a part in his noble work. 00:05:26 Speaker 1: And then, as if the Jordan itself had been waiting for the perfect moment to interrupt, there was a sharp crack, followed by a splash. 00:05:36 Speaker 4: Oh no. 00:05:37 Speaker 7: Oh no no no no no no. 00:05:39 Speaker 2: What did you do? 00:05:40 Speaker 7: It wasn't me. 00:05:40 Speaker 2: The axe head, it flew off. 00:05:43 Speaker 7: Look, it's sinking. 00:05:45 Speaker 1: All eyes turned to the water. Sure enough, the iron axe head was now disappearing into the murky depths of the Jordan. 00:05:53 Speaker 2: Isn't that your uncle's axe? 00:05:55 Speaker 8: Yep. 00:05:56 Speaker 7: Why do you think I'm panicking? 00:05:58 Speaker 3: Because you don't trust the Lord. 00:06:01 Speaker 1: The group turned to Elisha who had stepped forward. His tone was casual but pointed. 00:06:07 Speaker 6: Are you about to tell me that the Lord is going to use the able body of his young prophet to retrieve the axe? 00:06:14 Speaker 7: I'll stop you there. 00:06:15 Speaker 3: I can't swim. You spend far too much energy complaining, worrying, and reeling about what can't be done. It must be exhausting. 00:06:26 Speaker 1: Elisha bent down, picking up a stick from the ground. His students watched, their laughter fading into a tense, curious silence. 00:06:35 Speaker 5: What's that stick supposed to do? 00:06:38 Speaker 8: Shh. 00:06:39 Speaker 3: I'm obviously trying to be a mysterious prophet. Quit ruining my lesson with your questions. 00:06:45 Speaker 8: Just watch. 00:06:47 Speaker 1: With a practiced flick of his wrist, Elisha tossed the stick into the water. The water rippled, and then, impossibly, the iron axe head floated to the surface, bobbing as though it were weightless. 00:07:02 Speaker 7: It's... it's... how's it even possible? 00:07:05 Speaker 8: Possible? 00:07:06 Speaker 2: Possible? 00:07:07 Speaker 3: Kisha, do you know the story of Moses, the man who raised his staff and split the sea in two? Or did you just skim over that part when you were learning the law? 00:07:18 Speaker 7: Of course I know the story. 00:07:20 Speaker 8: I just. 00:07:21 Speaker 7: this is different. 00:07:23 Speaker 3: That's because it's an axe head, not an ocean. Yahweh doesn't struggle with scale. The question isn't whether he can, it's whether you actually trust him to do it. And from the look on your face, I'd say you don't. 00:07:37 Speaker 5: Then why not summon such miracles more often? For signs like these not convince people to turn back to the Lord. 00:07:44 Speaker 7: If only. 00:07:45 Speaker 3: My master Elijah summoned fire from heaven not once, but twice. The people were stirred initially, but then went back to their ways. It's not about the sign performed, but the truth the signs communicate to us. Today, the lesson given to you is about trust. Trust that the Lord cares for the axe head. the small, insignificant things. 00:08:09 Speaker 1: Keisha waded into the water slowly, his movements careful, as though the river might demand payment before giving the axe head back. When his fingers closed around the iron, he lifted it from the surface, water streaming down its sides like tears. He turned to Elisha, his face a mixture of embarrassment and wonder. 00:08:32 Speaker 6: I thought I trusted him, but maybe I didn't. 00:08:36 Speaker 3: Not like this. Good, now you know. Trust starts small, Kisha, like an axe head in a river. But it doesn't stay there. One day you'll need to trust him for something much bigger. Your Red Sea moment, as it were. When that day comes, remember this. 00:08:57 Speaker 1: The group stood in silence, the weight of Elisha's words settling over them. Keisha, still clutching the dripping axe head, stared at the prophet, his earlier frustration now replaced by awe. For a moment, the Jordan's gentle flow seemed to reflect something greater, a reminder that God's power moved quietly beneath the surface of all things. Reuben broke the silence, his voice cutting through the stillness but carrying a note of unease. 00:09:30 Speaker 2: Master, is it true? what they say. 00:09:34 Speaker 5: That you can hear the Lord's voice, even in Ben-Hadad's war room. That you know what the Arameans are planning before they do. 00:09:44 Speaker 1: The rumors had been whispered among the prophets for weeks, but now, with Israel's enemies pressing harder against the nation's borders, they felt less like gossip and more like prophecy. Elisha raised an eyebrow, his expression hovering somewhere between amusement and exasperation ah. 00:10:04 Speaker 3: So that's what you really want to learn not how to trust but how to spy no i just oh Maybe a little. And what would you do with that power? Eavesdrop on your little enemies? Or perhaps listen through the walls to hear what Miriam thinks about you? 00:10:23 Speaker 1: The group burst into laughter. Elisha leaned on his staff and surveyed the group. 00:10:29 Speaker 3: Let me tell you this. Hearing God's voice isn't about knowing secrets for your own gain. It's about trust. The kind of trust that lets you act when he calls and stay silent when he doesn't. If you want that, you'd better learn to listen and stop looking for shortcuts. 00:10:48 Speaker 1: The students fell quiet, their eyes fixed on Elisha. Somewhere in the distance, the Jordan flowed on, its waters carrying both the memory of the axe and the lesson that none of them would soon forget. In the war room of the King of Aram, the king paced like a caged animal. His heavy boots echoed on the stone floor as he gestured wildly to the array of maps and figurines on the table before him, each one marking a plan that had failed spectacularly. The throne nearby was studiously ignored because sitting down implied composure, and the King of Aram had none left. 00:11:34 Speaker 2: Explain it to me again. How does Joram, that quivering, spineless. 00:11:40 Speaker 7: Milk-drinking whelp of a king. 00:11:42 Speaker 2: Always know what I'm planning, huh? 00:11:45 Speaker 1: His generals, advisors, and assorted sycophants stood silently, their expressions frozen somewhere between fear and discomfort. 00:11:56 Speaker 5: Joram couldn't lead a parade, but somehow he manages to say, one step ahead of me! 00:12:02 Speaker 1: He slammed his fist onto the table. 'sending a figurine of a chariot skittering across the map.' The generals flinched in unison,' and one particularly unfortunate advisor let out an audible squeak. 00:12:16 Speaker 2: A spy! That's the only explanation.' There' s a spy in my ranks. Isn't there? 00:12:24 Speaker 1: He turned on the room like a wolf circling a flock of sheep,' his eyes narrowing at each face in turn. 00:12:31 Speaker 5: Which one of you is it? 00:12:34 Speaker 2: Who's been whispering my plans to that overgrown child with delusions of kingship? 00:12:42 Speaker 8: Your Majesty, if I may. 00:12:44 Speaker 2: You may not, unless you're about to confess. In which case, yes, by all means, speak. 00:12:54 Speaker 1: The advisor stepped forward cautiously, like a man approaching a very angry bear. 00:13:00 Speaker 7: It's not. 00:13:02 Speaker 8: it's not a spy, Your Majesty. Oh no? 00:13:05 Speaker 2: Then what is it? Sorcery? A divine intervention? Don't tell me Joram actually developed a spine. It would be the first backbone in that family for generations. 00:13:17 Speaker 8: It's Elisha, your majesty. 00:13:20 Speaker 3: Elisha? 00:13:21 Speaker 2: The prophet? 00:13:23 Speaker 8: Yes, your majesty. 00:13:25 Speaker 2: It is said he. 00:13:26 Speaker 8: he hears things. Everything, in fact. Even the words you whisper and the sounds you make in your bedroom. 00:13:37 Speaker 1: The king's face shifted from confusion to horror, then to a kind of mortified rage. 00:13:44 Speaker 2: In my bedroom? My private conversations? My private sounds? 00:13:54 Speaker 1: A muffled snicker escaped from somewhere in the back of the room, though it was quickly stifled when the king's glare swept the table like a scythe. 00:14:03 Speaker 2: Where is this Elisha? Tell me where he's hiding. 00:14:07 Speaker 8: In Dothan, your majesty. A small city, lightly defended. 00:14:13 Speaker 2: Lightly defended, you say? Then I'll make sure it's not defended at all. Prepare the army. If Elisha can hear my whispers... Let him hear this. I'm coming for him. I won't rest until his head is mounted on my wall. To Dothan! 00:14:34 Speaker 1: The king swept out of the room, his cloak billowing behind him. Far away in Dothan, Elisha remained untroubled. The prophet had already heard far more than the king realized. Keisha hauled the bucket from the well. Water sloshing over the sides. The morning was quiet, the first light brushing the hills of Dothan with gold. He exhaled, savouring the calm. Then he heard it. A low, rhythmic thunder. Hooves marching. The hills were alive with soldiers. Spears glinted like fire. Horses snorted, their breath clouds in the cool air. The chariot stood in endless rows, dark and menacing. Keisha dropped the bucket. 00:15:28 Speaker 7: Dear God. 00:15:30 Speaker 1: The water splashed across his feet, unnoticed. Keisha turned and ran, his heart pounding harder than the drums of war. 00:15:39 Speaker 7: Master Elisha! 00:15:41 Speaker 3: Master! 00:15:43 Speaker 1: His voice cracked as he turned, sprinting toward Elisha, who was standing a short distance away, leaning on his staff. The prophet didn't even glance at the army. His gaze was calm, steady, fixed on some distant point that Kisha couldn't see. 00:16:01 Speaker 7: They're here! The army! They've surrounded us! There's no way out! Master, do you hear me? 00:16:08 Speaker 3: I hear you, Kisha. I also hear your knees knocking together. It's distracting. 00:16:14 Speaker 7: How are you this calm? Do you not see what's out there? 00:16:19 Speaker 3: I see it. 00:16:20 Speaker 7: Then why aren't you panicking? They'll kill us. They'll kill everyone. We're outnumbered a hundred, no, a thousand to one. 00:16:29 Speaker 1: Elisha finally turned to him, his face unreadable, but his voice firm. 00:16:35 Speaker 3: You're wrong. 00:16:37 Speaker 8: What? How can you? 00:16:40 Speaker 3: We're not outnumbered. 00:16:42 Speaker 1: Keisha froze, his fear momentarily overtaken by confusion. Elisha stepped closer. his gaze sharp, almost piercing. 00:16:52 Speaker 3: There are more on our side than theirs. 00:16:55 Speaker 2: More? 00:16:56 Speaker 7: What are you talking about? It's just us! 00:17:00 Speaker 6: The city has you, me, the other students, and a few farmers and herders. 00:17:06 Speaker 1: Keisha gestured wildly toward the hills, where the Aramean army stood like a silent avalanche waiting to fall. Elisha placed a hand on his shoulder, steady and unshakable. 00:17:19 Speaker 3: Remember the Red Sea, Kisha. Remember Moses standing before the waters with Pharaoh's army at his back. Did he panic? Did he run? 00:17:28 Speaker 8: No, but. 00:17:30 Speaker 7: But nothing. 00:17:32 Speaker 3: The Lord didn't abandon Moses and he hasn't abandoned us. This is your moment of faith, Kisha. Your Red Sea moment. Stop looking at what frightens you and trust in what you cannot see. 00:17:46 Speaker 1: Kisha's breathing slowed. but his face remained taut with fear. Elisha closed his eyes, lifting his head toward the sky. 00:17:55 Speaker 3: Lord God, open his eyes so that he might see. 00:18:00 Speaker 1: The air shifted, heavy and electric, as though the world itself held its breath. Keisha blinked, and when he opened his eyes again, everything was different. The hills that had seemed full of enemies now burned with light. Horses and chariots of fire stood upon the ridges, their forms glowing with an otherworldly brilliance. The army of heaven surrounded the army of Aram, their numbers vast, their presence overwhelming. The sight was so magnificent, so utterly beyond comprehension, that Kisha stumbled backward, his legs giving way beneath him. 00:18:42 Speaker 3: It's... it's... Yahweh's army. Angelic beings, each with more power in a single finger than all the armies of the earth combined. 00:18:52 Speaker 2: They've always been here, Kisha. 00:18:54 Speaker 8: You just couldn't see them until now. 00:18:57 Speaker 1: Kisha knelt on the ground, his eyes wide, tears streaming down his face as he stared at the heavenly host. 00:19:06 Speaker 8: Master, I... I didn't know. 00:19:10 Speaker 3: Now you do. Remember this, Kisha. Trust isn't about seeing. It's about believing in what you cannot see. Yahweh has always been fighting for his people. 00:19:22 Speaker 1: A horn blared from the Aramean camp, breaking the moment. The enemy army began its march, their footsteps shaking the earth. Keisha scrambled to his feet, his awe replaced by renewed panic. 00:19:37 Speaker 7: They're coming! What do we do now? 00:19:40 Speaker 3: We pray. 00:19:41 Speaker 1: Elisha stepped forward. raising his staff as the first ranks of the Aramean army drew closer. His voice rang out, clear and commanding. 00:19:53 Speaker 3: Lord of Heaven's armies, strike them with blindness! 00:19:57 Speaker 1: The shift was immediate. Soldiers stopped mid-charge, stumbling and clutching their faces. Cries of confusion rippled through the ranks as the once mighty force dissolved into chaos. The Arameans groped at the air, their weapons falling uselessly to the ground. Keisha stood frozen, his jaw slack as he watched the miracle unfold. Awe, faith, trust, it was all there, blooming like fire in his chest. Elisha turned back toward the blinded army, his staff in hand, his voice steady and sure. 00:20:39 Speaker 3: Let's go, my boy. They're not done learning their lesson yet. 00:20:44 Speaker 1: The two walked forward, stepping into the chaos with the confidence of men who knew exactly who was fighting for them. Steve Gatina, Max Bard, Zach Schelleberger and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of The Chosen People, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwald, Sylvia Zaradoc, Thomas Copeland Jr., Rosanna Pilcher and Mitch Lashinsky. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith. Written by Aaron Salvato, Brie Rosely and Chris Baig. You can hear more Prey.com productions on the Prey.com app, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. If you enjoyed The Chosen People, please rate and leave a review.