Solomon's Favor

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Previously on The Chosen People. 00:00:03 Speaker 2: As for you, if you walk before me faithfully, with integrity of heart and uprightness, as your father David did, and if you keep my commands and observe my laws, I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever. But if you or your descendants turn away from me and do not observe my commands... If you serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them. Israel will become an object of scorn and ridicule among all the peoples. 00:00:42 Speaker 1: Everything a king could ever dream of was his. 00:00:46 Speaker 3: Then why does it feel like something's missing? 00:00:50 Speaker 4: There's an alarming number of foreign shrines around Jerusalem. Israel hasn't had such things here since the time of judges. You fear offending your wives, but I fear for the heart of Israel. 00:01:06 Speaker 3: These marriages keep the welfare of our nation bound with the others. 00:01:11 Speaker 4: But they also bind their culture to ours, and their gods to our people. 00:01:17 Speaker 1: Jeroboam was taken aback. Unease sank to the pit of his stomach. 00:01:22 Speaker 5: Is the king subtly enslaving? God's people. 00:01:34 Speaker 1: Jeroboam was nearing the city of Shiloh, about 40 miles from Megiddo on his journey out of Jerusalem. It was quiet that morning, and since breaking down his camp, he hadn't passed a single soul, despite the nearness of the city. Jeroboam was once enthusiastic about his assignment to fortify the city of Megiddo. But his new role in the north had lost its luster. Jeroboam was met with nothing but resentment, fury and grumblings of rebellion around every corner. King Hiram was right. The northern tribes were reaching their limit of what they would tolerate from their rich, out of touch, wise king from the tribe of Judah. To them, Solomon was more obsessed with adding to the grandeur of his legacy in the south than he was with building the entire kingdom. Yes, Solomon had made Israel prosperous, but he also conscripted men from every tribe, pulling them away from their cities and families. It wasn't technically slavery, but it was dangerously close to becoming so. Tales of extravagant palaces, Solomon's vast harem of wives and concubines and the lavish palace he built for his Egyptian wife didn't help his image. 00:03:04 Speaker 5: Emissaries and ambassadors give him reports from every corner of the world. He has access to every scholar, wise man and sage, and yet he fails to see trouble brewing under his very nose. 00:03:17 Speaker 1: When Jeroboam brought news to Solomon and his council, it fell on deaf ears. Progress. Solomon was all about progress. However, there were those who did listen to Jeroboam. The elders of the northern tribes had grown fond of Jeroboam. They listened to him and yielded to his guidance. It felt good, but it also felt necessary, especially if Solomon continued to ignore their needs. There were those who whispered in his ear that he should lead them, that he should be their voice. Jeroboam's ego burned at their admiration. 00:03:58 Speaker 5: And why shouldn't I lead? King David was once a humble shepherd boy before he became king. Stranger things have happened. 00:04:09 Speaker 1: Jeroboam fought such fantasies out of respect for Solomon. Above his own ambition, Jeroboam held a deep love for the king who had given him everything. Jeroboam turned his thoughts to a compromise. Perhaps Solomon could promote him as an overseer in the northern tribes. They needed a leader who was in touch with their needs before a rebellion rose. As Jeroboam continued to ride, he noticed that a figure had not moved since he had emerged onto the road. The man appeared to be waiting for him. He had no donkey or pack, just a simple cloak. The old man beckoned him over in a gruff, almost dismissive manner, like Jeroboam was an inconvenience to him. Before waiting to see if Jeroboam was following, he turned back toward the city and called over his shoulder. 00:05:07 Speaker 3: Come walk with me, Jeroboam, son of Nebat. 00:05:11 Speaker 1: Jeroboam's pulse quickened. He knew that voice. It was Ahijah, the prophet, a man who had once walked the halls of Solomon's court, but now moved outside its reach. Rumor had it he had made Shiloh his home. Jeroboam hesitated, but then he followed. The old prophet led him off the road and over to a clearing, where a walking staff and a small pack were waiting on a rock in the shade of a twisted tree. 00:05:44 Speaker 3: I've been waiting for you. Come, sit. 00:05:48 Speaker 1: The back of Jeroboam's neck prickled with intrigue and the weight of destiny. To be sought out by a prophet was no common occurrence. Ahijah plopped himself down on the rock with some difficulty and grasped his staff, wincing at the apparent stiffness in his joints. Without a word, The prophet shrugged his cloak off his shoulders and held it in his hands, holding it out before Jeroboam. The cloak was brand new, in contrast with the weathered man who wore it. Jeroboam wasn't sure if he should take it or not. 00:06:27 Speaker 3: Watch carefully, young man. 00:06:29 Speaker 1: The old man's thick, weathered hands tore the fabric in half, from shoulder to knee. He then took another piece and tore that one, then another, Tear after tear, Jeroboam watched as the man labored to pull apart the cloak's woven fabric until he had torn it into twelve jagged pieces, all neatly stacked on his knee. Wordlessly, Ahijah counted out ten of the strips and held them out to Jeroboam, keeping the other two in a bald fist. 00:07:05 Speaker 3: Take ten pieces for yourself. 00:07:08 Speaker 5: Why ten? 00:07:11 Speaker 3: Do not ask questions you already know the answer to. 00:07:15 Speaker 5: Even so, I'd like to hear what the Lord says. 00:07:22 Speaker 3: This is what the Lord God of Israel says. I'm about to tear the kingdom out of Solomon's hand. I'll give you ten tribes, but Judah and Benjamin will remain his for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I chose out of all the tribes of Israel. for they have abandoned me. They have bowed down to Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, to Shamosh, the god of Moab, and to Milcom, the god of the Ammonites. They have not walked in my ways to do what is right in my sight and to carry out my statutes and my judgments as his father David did. I will humble David's descendants because of their unfaithfulness, but not forever. 00:08:05 Speaker 1: Jeroboam looked down at the tattered pieces of cloak in his hand and ran his fingers along the frayed edges. Yearning roared in his heart and in his ears. The meaning was clear. A torn cloak, a divided kingdom, a throne was being offered. It would be up to Jeroboam to unite the ones that were tearing away. As if reading his ravenously ambitious thoughts, Ahijah held up a finger in warning. 00:08:37 Speaker 3: But the Lord also says this, I will appoint you and you will reign as king over Israel. But only if you obey. Only if you walk in his ways as David did. 00:08:51 Speaker 6: Otherwise. 00:08:53 Speaker 1: Ahijah tightened his grip on the final two strips of cloth. 00:08:58 Speaker 3: Otherwise you will fall as he will. I will build you a lasting dynasty just as I built for David and I will give you Israel. 00:09:07 Speaker 1: The prophet then pressed his hands into his knees to stand and took up his walking stick. He still held the two final strips in his hand, the remnant of David. 00:09:21 Speaker 3: Go on then. You've received your message and your warning. Take what you've received and go. 00:09:27 Speaker 1: Jeroboam's fingers twitched at his sides. He could feel his heart beating in his throat. A moment of caution and the fear of treason stayed Jeroboam's rising ambition. Before he fanned the flames of all-out rebellion, he just wanted to be sure he understood the prophet's words. 00:09:51 Speaker 5: What does this mean for me now? 00:09:55 Speaker 3: The Lord is tearing the kingdom from Solomon's hands. He is turned furious. the path of his father David, given himself to the gods of his wives, and built altars where none should stand. For David's sake, his son Rehoboam will keep a remnant. But for Solomon's sin, you will lead the ten northern tribes of Israel. And the Lord is promising to be with you. and build a great legacy through you, if you walk in his ways. 00:10:27 Speaker 1: The heat of the late morning sun cast golden hues over Jerusalem's towering limestone walls as a caravan, unlike any other, wound its way toward the royal palace. Dust clouds rose from the hooves of camels laden with treasures. chests of gold, carved ivory, bolts of rare dyed fabric, and the unmistakable scent of frankincense and myrrh perfuming the air. 00:10:56 Speaker 3: At the head of it all, carried in. 00:10:59 Speaker 1: A grand palanquin, draped in embroidered silks, the Queen of Sheba sat in splendor. The stories of Solomon had reached her through merchants, sailors, and emissaries. They had spoken of his unmatched wisdom, blessing, and a kingdom like no other on earth. But words were only words, and the queen did not trust easily. This journey, twelve hundred miles across burning desert and treacherous mountain passes, was a test. If the king was truly as wise as they claimed, she would see it for herself. Solomon sat on his ivory throne, its intricately inlaid golden designs gleaming in the sunlight filtering through the latticed windows of the Hall of Judgment. At his side was Bathsheba, the Queen Mother. To the other side, Rehoboam, his son and heir. To Rehoboam, this was yet another of the thousands of courtiers and nobles who had come to pay homage to his father. To Solomon, however, she was not merely a queen. She was yet another opponent in the endless game of wits. She was another answer to the hunger inside him that always clamoured for more. More affirmation, more acknowledgement, proof that he was enough. The room stilled as the doors groaned open. The queen was announced. She swept inside. her garments the deep red of desert sands at sunset, her golden adornments glittering like ophir's riches. She was striking, not merely beautiful, but commanding. The queen's dark eyes swept the hall before settling on Solomon. She took him in, the famed king of Israel, and smirked. Solomon returned the smirk in kind. 00:13:12 Speaker 3: Your Grace, welcome to the City of David. You honor us all with your visit. 00:13:18 Speaker 7: So, the rumors were not exaggerated. You do sit on a throne of ivory and gold, and your kingdom does shine as if the sun itself dwells within your walls. 00:13:32 Speaker 1: She glanced at the chiseled cedar columns around her, the intricate carvings of lilies, pomegranates, and palm trees. the lavish tapestries, the rare woods lining the floors. A coy smile played at her lips. She began her gambit. 00:13:51 Speaker 7: But tell me, King Solomon, does wisdom shine as brightly as gold? Or is it merely another thing for a man to hoard? 00:14:04 Speaker 3: Gold glitters for the eyes of the simple. Wisdom burns within. It's not hoarded, my queen. It consumes. 00:14:13 Speaker 1: The queen stepped forward one pace. 00:14:16 Speaker 7: Then you are a man on fire. 00:14:20 Speaker 3: I have known the heat of truth, yes. And I have the scars to prove it. 00:14:26 Speaker 7: So the songs are true. The wise king with answers on his tongue and riddles in his bones. Tell me, if a man knows all, Why do his eyes still hunger? 00:14:42 Speaker 1: Solomon hid the brief, sharp pain to his ego. The Queen of Sheba had only been there for mere moments, and it seemed as though she saw right through him. She saw the hollow core. The eye is never filled with seeing, nor the ear with hearing. The heart of a man is a deep pit. Even the wise fall in if they hear too long into its darkness. 00:15:09 Speaker 7: You speak as if you've fallen. 00:15:12 Speaker 3: More than once. 00:15:14 Speaker 7: What did you find in there? 00:15:17 Speaker 6: Love. 00:15:18 Speaker 7: Lust. 00:15:20 Speaker 5: Pride. 00:15:20 Speaker 3: A son's grief. A father's guilt. All lying in that pit, side by side, like bones on the battlefield. 00:15:30 Speaker 7: I hear your father felled many on the battlefield. Yet no blood has stained your hands. Why is that? You are the first king in this region to build a prosperous nation without the sword. 00:15:46 Speaker 1: Solomon smirked and stood from his throne. He gestured for the queen to take his arm. 00:15:53 Speaker 3: A nation may be won and protected by the sword, but it must be built through wisdom and diplomacy. Come, I will show you. 00:16:05 Speaker 1: The king of Israel and the queen of Sheba walked shoulder to shoulder, surveying the great city of David. The queen was bewitched by the sheer grandeur, but she hadn't come just to see architecture and riches. 00:16:20 Speaker 7: I have palaces more splendid than this, king of Israel. I came for something rarer than stone and cedar. I came for wisdom. 00:16:34 Speaker 3: Then you came to drink from a deep well. Though I warn you, the water may show you your reflection. 00:16:42 Speaker 1: She laughed at that. Her bracelet sang softly with each movement. 00:16:47 Speaker 7: If a man claims to be wise, is he not already a fool? 00:16:54 Speaker 3: Maybe so. Especially if he speaks before listening. Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent. 00:17:01 Speaker 1: Her eyes sparkled like a viper's watching prey. 00:17:06 Speaker 7: And if he gains all the wisdom of the world? What then? What profit is there in it, if, in the end, death claims both the wise and the foolish alike? 00:17:20 Speaker 3: He who increases knowledge increases sorrow. Yes, I have seen the end of all men. It is but a vapor chasing the wind. But wisdom lights a man's path, even under the grave. 00:17:36 Speaker 1: The queen laughed, not mocking, but sharp and curious. 00:17:40 Speaker 7: You are not the child they say you are. You must be proud of all you've accomplished. 00:17:47 Speaker 3: In truth, I'm not. 00:17:51 Speaker 7: Happiness eludes you. 00:17:53 Speaker 3: Yes, always. I've tasted every wine. bedded hundreds of women, planted forests and built towers of grandeur. All the wealth of men has been mine to squander, ivory towers and gold beneath my feet. I've written poems and hunted game. I've sought wisdom and found treasures beyond my wildest dreams. But it's not enough. It's all vanity, vapour, striving after the wind. 00:18:31 Speaker 1: The queen stood silent. Then, without a word, she stepped forward and placed her hand upon his. 00:18:39 Speaker 7: So all is meaningless. 00:18:41 Speaker 3: Yes. And no. All is temporary. Riches. 00:18:49 Speaker 7: Glory. Power. Ah, yes. 00:18:53 Speaker 1: Power. 00:18:56 Speaker 7: What place does power have in your kingdom of vapor? 00:19:01 Speaker 3: Power is a shadow cast by fear. It deceives the wielder and enchants the beholder. But it's not real. A dying man cannot command the wind. 00:19:13 Speaker 7: Yet here you sit, above all Israel, the richest, wisest man on earth. You don't command the wind, but you command armies and servants. 00:19:27 Speaker 3: Yet I don't feel powerful enough. I have armies, chariots, and alliances, but somehow deep in my bones I... I know my father felt even more powerful with his sling and shepherd staff. 00:19:42 Speaker 1: She looked at him now, not as a ruler to another ruler, but as a woman who had found a man who did not lie to himself. 00:19:52 Speaker 7: You wear your crown like a burden you dear queen know more than anyone that it is. 00:20:00 Speaker 1: The queen studied him then at last she nodded satisfied the two re-entered the palace courtyard where courtiers from both Sheba and Israel were awaiting them. The queen gave Solomon a regal nod, then raised her voice for all to hear. She spoke to Solomon, but it was really a show for the rest of them. 00:20:25 Speaker 7: The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. But I must admit I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes Your kind, good queen. I am honest. How happy your people must be. How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom. Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. May you reign in righteousness for many years, Solomon. 00:21:07 Speaker 6: Amen. 00:21:08 Speaker 1: Solomon smiled graciously and clapped his hands together to signify the end of their session. Cupbearers and attendants sprang forward and readied the hall for a great feast. But as the evening of celebration and feasting carried on, a word she had used gnawed in the back of his mind. Righteousness. The weight of his father's name, of his legacy, pressed against him. 00:21:39 Speaker 3: Have I built something that will last? Or have I only built monuments to myself? 00:21:46 Speaker 1: He glanced toward his son, his own legacy. His heart sank. Rehoboam was certainly not concerned with righteousness. Solomon was not blind. He did not like to admit it, but he knew his son's heart had been turned to other gods, and he had long strayed from the righteous path of the Lord. His eyes then slid to his mother, the last remaining tie to David's reign. As if she knew the nature of her son's thoughts, she drifted over to him and sat at his side. She tracked Solomon's gaze toward Rehoboam. 00:22:27 Speaker 7: I am now quite an old woman. 00:22:31 Speaker 4: I will retire and leave all this revelry to the young. But before I do... One last proverb for my brilliant scholar to meditate on. Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people. Be careful, my son. I feel it in my bones. The peace in Israel balances on a knife's point. Be careful that you don't let all of this. 00:23:08 Speaker 1: She gestured around to the lavish room, and excessive wine and food crowded the tables. 00:23:16 Speaker 4: Don't let all of this lavishness and spectacle blind you. Your wisdom is a gift, but it is not a shield against folly. The Lord gave you a kingdom. He can take it away. 00:23:35 Speaker 7: The Lord gave. 00:23:36 Speaker 4: And the Lord has taken away. 00:23:39 Speaker 3: The Lord made a covenant with my father, and he's kept his word. Do you truly think he would take it all away? 00:23:48 Speaker 4: I worry he won't have to. 00:23:53 Speaker 1: With that, Bathsheba gently squeezed her son's arm and kissed his forehead before retreating from the hall, leaving Solomon to mull over the heaviness of the warning. Solomon, nursing a terrible hangover from the night before, was jolted awake by a pounding at his chamber door. He groaned, rolling onto his back as pain throbbed behind his temples. A perplexed but equally groggy concubine stirred beside him. Solomon cursed under his breath and sat up, pressing his palms to his eyes before snapping at the messenger. 00:24:36 Speaker 7: Ugh. 00:24:38 Speaker 3: What could you possibly want this early in the morning? 00:24:42 Speaker 6: My king, urgent reports from the north. Jeroboam is raising arms up against you. Word is spreading. He's calling himself king. 00:24:51 Speaker 1: Solomon blinked away the last remnants of sleep. 00:24:56 Speaker 3: Jeroboam? The foreman? 00:24:59 Speaker 5: There's more. 00:25:01 Speaker 6: The prophet Ahijah has prophesied against you. He's declaring that the northern tribes will break away from Israel, and the north is spreading the news like wildfire to rally their forces. The spies believe an outright rebellion is imminent. 00:25:17 Speaker 1: Solomon's spine went rigid, the last traces of sleep burning away. 00:25:24 Speaker 3: Where is he now? Megiddo. 00:25:27 Speaker 1: Solomon stood abruptly, his heart pounding. 00:25:31 Speaker 5: Fear. 00:25:32 Speaker 2: Rage. 00:25:33 Speaker 1: A prophecy of division. His eyes darkened as he turned to his guards, his voice like iron. 00:25:41 Speaker 3: Find him. And kill him. 00:25:56 Speaker 1: 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.