Solomon’s Fractures

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Previously on The Chosen People. 00:00:03 Speaker 3: My King, as you know, I oversee the labor for these projects. King Hiram has been generous, sending us skilled laborers and craftsmen. And, of course, the tribes of Israel have provided men to serve as well. I've even gathered the descendants of the Canaanites still in our land to supplement our workforce. Yet, despite these efforts, completing projects on time remains a challenge. I fear the new endeavors will face similar difficulties. Oh yes, my king, young Jeroboam would serve. He's well-liked among the men, and he's from the tribe of Ephraim. If I may offer a suggestion, my king, Lord Adoniram, perhaps you could send the conscripted men of his tribe to him. 00:00:44 Speaker 1: The golden glow of the early morning sun reflected off the temple's gleaming limestone and gilded surfaces, refracting beams of dazzling light through the portico. Incense curled skyward from the priests' firepans, filling the air with a sweet aroma that mingled with the frenzied anticipation of the day. Thousands gathered in the vast courtyard, priests, nobles, elders and commoners, each straining to glimpse the moment Israel had waited generations for. At the heart of it all stood Solomon. The temple was finished. The promise fulfilled, and the Lord was pleased. Yet even in its perfection, Solomon wanted more. 00:01:35 Speaker 4: Then I considered all that my hands had done, and the toil I had expended in doing it. Behold, all was vanity and striving after win. All the toil of man is for his mouth, yet his appetite is not satisfied. 00:02:00 Speaker 1: The faint crackle of dying embers echoed in the vast emptiness of the temple courtyard. Long after the crowds had dispersed and the sounds of their revelry had faded into the night, Solomon still sat in the shadow of the towering golden doors. He sat with his hands clasped loosely in his lap, mulling over the churning thoughts in his mind. Nobody dared interrupt his meditation. Solomon was searching for something, although he didn't know what. The temple limestone walls loomed behind him, immense, perfect, and shimmering in some unspoken contest with the gleaming pale light of the moon. And yet, that hollowness still gnawed at the edges of his heart. 00:02:52 Speaker 5: What's next? 00:02:54 Speaker 1: The question looped through his mind, a buzzing, persistent whisper he couldn't silence. He let his gaze wander across the temple grounds. 00:03:05 Speaker 6: All was in order. 00:03:07 Speaker 1: The temple was finished. Plans for the palace complex were underway. His father's dream was fulfilled. His people were prosperous. His enemies were subdued. Everything a king could ever dream of was his. 00:03:24 Speaker 6: Then why does it feel like something's missing? 00:03:28 Speaker 1: His thoughts drifted unwillingly to Rehoboam. The boy had slipped away from the festivities as soon as Solomon concluded his final blessing, claiming he felt ill. But Solomon knew better. He had seen Rehoboam's friends hovering on the outskirts of the crowd and gesturing for him to join them. His son's irresponsibility and indifference were growing harder to ignore. 00:03:56 Speaker 6: He's young. He'll grow into it. There's still time. 00:04:01 Speaker 1: But that hollow ache only deepened. Solomon reclined on the stone steps, the coolness grounding him, and closed his eyes. 00:04:12 Speaker 6: Lord, my God, have I done enough? 00:04:17 Speaker 1: Despite the discomfort of sitting on hard stone, sleep tugged on Solomon. Weariness dragged him into a heavy, dreamless kind of sleep that only ambition-fueled exhaustion could bring. But then, warmth, light, not from the moon above, but from within. The courtyard around him blurred, then crystallized in stark clarity. The torches blazed higher, Shadows retreated, and the air grew thick, charged, holy. And then the Lord spoke. I have heard your prayers and plea for mercy. I have consecrated this temple you have built, putting my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there. Solomon's chest swelled with relief and awe. He had discerned the signs from earlier correctly. The Lord had accepted them. The temple was worthy. 00:05:27 Speaker 7: 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, as I have promised your father, saying, You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel. 00:05:53 Speaker 1: A swell of pride surged through Solomon, but it was quickly deflated by what came next. 00:06:00 Speaker 7: 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. I will reject this temple I have consecrated for my name. 00:06:19 Speaker 1: The word struck him to the bone. 00:06:23 Speaker 7: Israel will become an object of scorn and ridicule among all the peoples. Though it is now exalted, all who pass by will be appalled and say, Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple? And they will answer, because they abandoned the Lord their God. 00:06:44 Speaker 1: The vision in Solomon's dream flickered, and for a brief, harrowing moment, Solomon saw it. Cracked stones, weeds growing through broken doors, the temple hollow and cold, its golden walls stripped bare. 00:07:00 Speaker 7: A ruin. 00:07:02 Speaker 1: Solomon jolted upright, gasping for breath. The sun was just cresting over the horizon. casting golden light over the temple. It was whole, intact and gleaming. The courtyard was still. Birds chirped softly in the distance from the olive trees lining the terraces. Soon, the priests would awaken the altar's fires for the morning offerings. Solomon quickly rose, smoothing his hair and making his way back to the palace. But as he went, his hands trembled. It was just a dream. 00:07:38 Speaker 7: And yet. 00:07:38 Speaker 1: The words clung to him, heavy as iron. He rose and paced the length of the temple steps, heart pounding. 00:07:47 Speaker 6: The Lord accepted it. 00:07:49 Speaker 2: He heard me. 00:07:50 Speaker 6: He chose this place. But that warning, that threat, I cannot let that happen. 00:07:59 Speaker 4: This legacy is my responsibility to uphold. 00:08:02 Speaker 6: But are the cracks already forming? 00:08:06 Speaker 1: But then the claws of anxiety tickled the edges of his mind. Rehoboam's indifference, the growing complaints from the heads of the northern tribes about the high taxes, the conscripted workers he had to pay, and the lent resources from other kingdoms. Not to mention all his wives. How many did he even have now? All but one were political marriages, and many even remained unconsummated. He hardly saw the women, but far too many of them inquired about altars to their gods. The concessions Solomon made in his marriages resulted in little shrines sprouting up beyond Jerusalem's walls like weeds. 00:08:51 Speaker 4: I have to keep Israel pure and my wives appeased. I have to honor my father's memory. 00:08:57 Speaker 5: I have to. 00:08:58 Speaker 1: Solomon clenched his jaw in fierce determination. He thought about that vision again, the cracks in the temple, the weeds sprouting from each fracture, the vision of ruin. 00:09:10 Speaker 6: It'll hold. The temple stands. The kingdom is strong. And I'll fix the rest. 00:09:17 Speaker 1: His gaze drifted upward to the temple's mighty pinnacle, shining against the brightening sky. It was solid, magnificent, and a monument to his reign. And yet, the hollow ache lingered in the deepest part of his heart. Thirteen years had passed since Solomon's dream. His palace complex was finally complete, a shining jewel of the capital. His family had grown, his fame had spread across the world, and peace still reigned. Their prosperity was undeniable. 00:09:59 Speaker 8: Now. 00:10:00 Speaker 1: In a rare moment of quiet amid the weight of ruling, Solomon found himself in his mother's home. Bathsheba gushed as she listened to Rehoboam talk about his newborn child. 00:10:13 Speaker 9: And to think, three generations of Israel's kings in one room. 00:10:19 Speaker 4: Together we're building an empire that would have made King David proud. 00:10:25 Speaker 1: Bathsheba could barely contain her joy. Becoming a great-grandmother had softened her, but there were certain things that pricked at her. Bathsheba's eyes narrowed subtly at Macha, who beamed at her husband as she cradled her newborn son. Now a man grown at 25, Rehoboam already had several wives and children, but this was the firstborn of his favored wife, Macha, a controversial wife to say the least in the eyes of Bathsheba. Though Macha was a great-great-granddaughter of David, she had turned from the god of her forefathers to worship the pagan god Asherah. Worse still, her grandfather was none other than the traitorous Absalom, and while past rebellions were now history, Bathsheba made it clear she still harbored a grudge against that branch of the family. Solomon had to admit he hadn't been pleased with the match either, but Rehoboam was his weakness. His son loved Macha, so he had allowed the marriage, much to Bathsheba's chagrin. Solomon's first wife, Nehemiah, Rehoboam's mother, didn't help. She was an Ammonite and indifferent to the ways of the Lord. 00:11:49 Speaker 5: Bathsheba, Solomon, you should have been there at the celebration we had for Abijam's birth. We danced and worshipped at the Asherah poles on the high place all day and all night. Why, I will be going up to the high place again later today to worship my god, Milcom, to thank him for such a blessing. What a glorious king my grandson will be. 00:12:13 Speaker 1: Bathsheba stiffened, her grip tightening around the edges of her cup. She had held her tongue long enough. Clinging to the edges of her control, she confronted her daughter-in-law at last. 00:12:26 Speaker 8: Please, Naama, you know that neither I nor my son the king will set foot on those high places with their shrines to other gods. And if Rehoboam is wise, he will follow suit. Your people may worship other gods, but my great-grandson will be circumcised on his eighth day and dedicated on his thirteenth at the Lord's temple, just as his father was and his father before him and David before them, all the men in the house of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 00:12:57 Speaker 1: Solomon and Rehoboam winced. The words landed as sharply as Bathsheba had intended. 00:13:04 Speaker 6: Mother! 00:13:05 Speaker 8: No! Don't give me that tone, Solomon! If your father were still alive, he would have taken an axe to those Asherah poles the moment they were erected. 00:13:15 Speaker 1: Solomon nodded for Nehemiah and Macha to leave with the children. It was only Solomon, Rehoboam, and Bathsheba now. 00:13:24 Speaker 4: Mother, there's a delicate balance to these conversations. You need to show more tact. 00:13:30 Speaker 9: Not to mention you've insulted Macha so quickly after giving birth to our firstborn. 00:13:36 Speaker 1: Bathsheba was too old to speak with her usual regality and temperance. Solomon and Rehoboam weren't just a king and prince. They were her son and grandson. 00:13:49 Speaker 8: 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. 00:14:04 Speaker 7: Mother? 00:14:05 Speaker 3: Mother? 00:14:06 Speaker 4: Gabira, I have to consider our wives. These marriages secure alliances and ensure peace. 00:14:14 Speaker 8: Your father, for all his faults, never made marriages like these. 00:14:19 Speaker 4: Yes, but father was constantly at war. The surrounding nations were always challenging him and pressing Israel's borders. He was a man of war, but I am a man of peace. These marriages keep the welfare of our nation bound with the others. 00:14:36 Speaker 8: They also bind their culture to ours and their gods to our people. Will my new great-grandson make just as many trips to the Asherah poles as the temple? 00:14:47 Speaker 6: Abijam will grow up in our faith. 00:14:50 Speaker 4: And you know that the worship of our neighbor's gods is only permitted outside the city. 00:14:56 Speaker 6: This is an important concession on. 00:14:58 Speaker 4: Which the peace and prosperity of our great nation stand. 00:15:02 Speaker 5: But Solomon. 00:15:04 Speaker 1: Solomon waved off the protestations of his mother and charged forward. 00:15:10 Speaker 4: My son understands his obligations to the Lord, don't you, Rehoboam? 00:15:14 Speaker 2: I do, father. 00:15:16 Speaker 4: See, mother? 00:15:17 Speaker 6: Many of my wives, Nema. 00:15:19 Speaker 4: Included, worship other gods. But Rehoboam understands his duty to the Lord. 00:15:25 Speaker 6: It's the same with Israel. 00:15:27 Speaker 4: The people know who promised us this land, who brought them out of slavery all those generations ago, and who promised to make us a great nation. 00:15:36 Speaker 6: And look, we're living in the land of promise. We're free. 00:15:39 Speaker 4: We are indeed a great nation. Now, the three of us are due for a council meeting. We're presenting King Hiram with a gift for his contributions to the temple and the palace complex. 00:15:53 Speaker 6: Lady Naima, Lady Meika. 00:15:57 Speaker 4: I will leave my grandson in your care and see you both at his circumcision and dedication at the temple. 00:16:03 Speaker 2: Of the Lord. 00:16:04 Speaker 1: Bathsheba looked as though she had more to say, but she carefully tucked it away. She missed Nathan, she missed David, and she feared that the age of imperfect but still righteous men was coming to an end. Solomon strode from the room, his focus already shifting to more important matters. 00:16:26 Speaker 7: He stepped into the. 00:16:27 Speaker 1: Newly constructed Hall of Judgment, its gleaming stone and towering columns standing as a testament. 00:16:34 Speaker 2: To his rule. 00:16:36 Speaker 1: Here at least was one place untouched by the quarrels of his household. Here wisdom reigned. Here his work brought satisfaction. Here he reveled in the gift the Lord had given him, a gift that surely would always be enough. A few hours later, still riding high on the public praise he had received from King Solomon himself, Jeroboam's heart swelled with pride. From his humble beginnings in the territory of Ephraim to overseeing the repair of the great city of David, Jeroboam had come so far. 00:17:20 Speaker 2: How far I've come from that spring morning when I first crossed paths with King Solomon too. Managing hundreds of my fellow tribesmen. If only my father could see me now. 00:17:34 Speaker 1: His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of furious whispers echoing down the corridor. One of the voices, indignant, livid, belonged to King Hiram of Tyre. Jeroboam tensed. He had no desire to be entangled in a treasonous conversation. Looking around for an exit, he swore under his breath. The voices were approaching too quickly. 00:17:59 Speaker 9: Did you see how he just handed over those good-for-nothing cities with a smile? 00:18:06 Speaker 6: Land of Kabul? 00:18:09 Speaker 9: What use is land in Galilee to me? Everyone knows the soil is worthless. And of course Solomon keeps Joppa and the Jezreel Valley for himself. 00:18:21 Speaker 2: The only land worth having. 00:18:24 Speaker 9: What is this? 00:18:25 Speaker 3: You, then! 00:18:26 Speaker 6: Turn around! 00:18:28 Speaker 1: Jeroboam froze, caught mid-step. The men had spotted him. He straightened his spine and faced the King of Tyre like the soldier he was. 00:18:38 Speaker 9: I'm Jeroboam, the man tasked to fortify the city of Megiddo, Israel's gateway to Egypt, Assyria and Sumer. 00:18:50 Speaker 7: It seems you're quite the leader on the rise. 00:18:52 Speaker 4: Yes. 00:18:54 Speaker 9: And how does your. 00:18:55 Speaker 6: Reward sit with you? 00:18:57 Speaker 9: Sent off to lord over the slaves further in their. 00:19:00 Speaker 2: Own land now? 00:19:02 Speaker 7: Best of luck with that. 00:19:04 Speaker 9: I wager you'll spend more time quelling rebellions than fortifying cities. 00:19:10 Speaker 1: Jeroboam was taken aback. He had not suspected that the new assignment he had received from Solomon could be perceived as anything but favourable. Jeroboam had the deliberate sense that they knew something he didn't. Unease sank to the pit of his stomach. Jeroboam despised not being in control above all else. 00:19:34 Speaker 3: What are you implying, good king? I don't oversee slaves. They are conscripted laborers from the tribes. They are sent willingly. 00:19:41 Speaker 9: You're from the north, aren't you? 00:19:44 Speaker 3: No, I'm from the central territory of Israel, your highness. 00:19:48 Speaker 9: Well, then, when you go back home, talk to your neighbors. Keep your eye on the resentment up north, my boy. They won't stand to keep sending their men to the south with nothing to show for it back home. 00:20:06 Speaker 1: With that, Hiram and his attendant sauntered off down the corridor... their hushed conversation resuming as they disappeared around the corner. Jeroboam frowned. He was no politician. He preferred direct, decisive action over whispered schemes. But if he was to live up to the future Solomon had placed before him, he would need to learn how to play this game. 00:20:33 Speaker 2: What was the king implying? 00:20:36 Speaker 1: At the end of the week, he would leave Jerusalem to oversee the next round of conscripted laborers, men from Ephraim and Manasseh. 00:20:46 Speaker 2: But they're not slaves. Only the Canaanites are slaves. 00:20:51 Speaker 1: But even as he spoke the words, they felt less certain than they once had. He thought of the murmurs of discontent he had often dismissed, the begrudging tones of his fellow tribesmen, as they worked under him in the city of David. He had always assumed they were simply dissatisfied with their assignments, lower in status, chafing under the weight of the work. But Hiram's words gnawed at him. 00:21:21 Speaker 2: Was it really just the work they resented, or was it something deeper? Is the king subtly enslaving God's people? 00:21:31 Speaker 1: Jeroboam exhaled slowly. He would see for himself when he headed north. This Pray.com production is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina, Max Bard, Zach Schellewager 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 Zaradok, 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.