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On the brink of war, two men prepare to
duel.
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One, a Goliath, known in the Bible as a
giant more than nine feet tall.
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The other, a young Israelite shepherd,
David.
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It's one of the Bible's most famous
stories.
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But behind the heroic legend lies a tale
of relentless ambition, violent
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murder, conquests on the battlefield,
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and in the bedroom.
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David's quest will ultimately unite a
people, but not before it tears a
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apart.
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The legendary David and Goliath duel
takes place around 1015 B .C., a time
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the Israelites are in the middle of a
bloody war against a vicious enemy, the
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Philistines.
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It's been more than 200 years since the
great military commander Moses first led
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the 12 Israelite tribes out of Egypt
during the Exodus.
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Joshua then continued the Israelite
military campaign.
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and successfully invaded the promised
land of Canaan.
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Now, after two centuries and thousands
of lives lost in bloody battles, the
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Israelites no longer call this land
Canaan. It is their homeland, Israel.
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They have become one of the most
powerful military forces in the region.
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and are united for the first time under
a king named Saul.
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For years, Saul's war against the
Philistines has been drenching the soil
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blood.
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On a fateful day in the Valley of Allah,
only one will die.
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But it will be a monumental and historic
death.
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The armies faced one another for several
days until, as often happened in the
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ancient world, which believed that it
was God that decided battles, that each
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side would choose a champion.
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And the champions would meet, and
whoever won would convey victory to
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side.
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Everyone knows the story of David and
Goliath, where David ventures onto the
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plain, fires a sling at Goliath, strikes
him between the eyes, and Goliath is
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killed.
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And then David goes over, takes his
sword, and chops off Goliath's head.
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David's slaying of Goliath is a turning
point in the war against the
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Philistines. But more importantly, it
launches the young shepherd boy down a
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bloody path of intrigue. deception and
paranoia which will ultimately propel
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to the throne.
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It's one of the more interesting aspects
of the Bible that David is held in such
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high regard as the father of Israel and
the king of Israel. But when you really
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look at his career, what he really is is
a kind of bloodthirsty opportunist.
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More than a mythical figure, more than a
person of great valor, he more
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resembles Mafia Don.
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A very narrow, self -interested man who
clearly knew what he wanted and was
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prepared to do anything to get it, to
include the betrayal and killing of his
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own people. The important thing about
the incident of David and Goliath is not
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military. It's political and social.
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What happens because of the slaying of
Goliath is this young man comes to the
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attention of the great warrior King
Saul.
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David is an instant hero.
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He wins a position as King Saul's
personal weapons bearer.
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This gives David the opportunity to hone
his skills as a soldier.
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But Saul's initial feelings of
admiration soon darken into suspicion
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jealousy.
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Even from the beginning, you get the
sense that this is going to lead to
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disaster. On the way back from the first
battle after David flew Goliath, there
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is dancing in the streets and women
singing, Saul has slain his thousands
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David his ten thousands.
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Saul has just been through 20 years of
brutal war, while David has thrown
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a single stone.
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So perhaps we can forgive Saul for
being...
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A tad bit jealous.
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What Saul was concerned about, and
rightly so, having spent all his years
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creating at least a modicum of a kingdom
of Israel with him as a king, he's
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interested in passing that on to his
son.
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And he's a little bit concerned that
David has picked up some allies at
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because David turns out to be a good
soldier.
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Saul is also suspicious of David's close
friendship with Saul's son, Jonathan.
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The two young men form a brotherly bond
on and off the battlefield.
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Saul now is becoming quite alarmed that
David is positioning himself to be the
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heir of the throne or failing that to
control Jonathan.
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And this becomes the basis for the break
with David.
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To escape Saul, David retreats to his
home tribe of Judah, a region in
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Israel. But even here he is hunted by
Saul's hitmen.
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So David flees Israel and allies himself
with its greatest enemy.
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The Philistines.
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It was at this time that David begins to
assemble a cadre of what the Bible
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calls desperate men.
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They are really outlaws.
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They're soldiers of fortune, and they
place themselves on the side of the
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Philistines. So now David is not only an
outlaw, but in a very real sense, he's
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become a traitor to his own people.
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But before the Philistines accept
David's help, they must be convinced he
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a spy.
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The first thing the Philistine prince is
going to do, he's going to test David's
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loyalty. And how do you test an
Israelite's loyalty?
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I've got to believe that he's going to
order David to raid Israelite
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settlements.
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The Philistine prince controls the area
called Gath, right next to the border of
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David's home tribe of Judah.
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Easy picket against Israeli, Israelite
villages.
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And so he sends David.
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against the Israelite villages, and
David follows orders.
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David becomes a raider of the border
villages between Philistia and the
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Israelite kingdoms and gathers up the
booty and delivers it to the Philistine
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prince.
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While David and his men are stationed
near Hebron, the Bible says that the
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Philistine army makes a daring raid on
the Israelites at Mount Gilboa.
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Saul and the Israelites hold the high
ground.
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It looks as though they'll be able to
hold off the Philistine attack.
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But the Philistines manage to encircle
the Israelites and envelop them.
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Saul and Jonathan are doomed.
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Saul is hit several times.
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He turns to a sword bearer and says, do
not leave me to the uncircumcised.
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They'll torture me and make sport of me.
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But the sword bearer can't bring himself
to kill his king.
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Not willing to be captured, Saul takes
his own life.
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The Philistines behead Saul and hang his
body on a wall of a Philistine city.
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From the Philistine position, nothing
could have been better. The Israelite
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monarch is gone.
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Israel is in defeat.
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The Philistines now control everything.
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But the Philistines have a problem. One
heir to Saul's kingdom still remains,
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his son Ishbal.
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And neither he nor his chief military
commander, Abner, is willing to accept
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defeat.
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Ishbal and Abner move across the Jordan
River, but their government is too small
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and remote to be of major concern.
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So the Philistines simply ignore it.
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However, they do want a way to control
the Israelite population.
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Their answer?
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Make David king.
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A messenger tells David of Saul's
demise.
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He carries with him Saul's crown.
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The last people to have Saul's headpiece
and his head, quite frankly, were the
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Philistines. Now suddenly it ends up in
the hands of David.
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Makes one think that the Philistines
have plans for David.
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With the backing of the Philistines,
David becomes king of the tribe of
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But David's ambition is greater than
that.
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He's not interested in merely ruling as
a Philistine puppet.
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He wants to be king of all Israel.
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He brings in muscle from his days as an
outlaw, men who are ruthless,
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experienced killers, and completely
loyal to David.
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Well, he takes...
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those that was called the gegud which
are those 600 uh outlaws that he had
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fought with uh and he establishes them
in all the villages and towns of judah
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and the reason for this is not only to
extend his political control but when he
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has to raise a militia force from the
from those israelite territories these
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can enforce his will david chooses his
nephew yoav as his chief military
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commander to lead a civil war against
ishmael's growing army
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David knows that to become the
uncontested king of Israel, he must
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wipe out Saul's bloodline.
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Israelites believe that Saul was
anointed by God, so any blood relative
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is automatically more legitimate than
David can ever be.
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That is, as long as they're alive.
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Over the next two years, David's forces,
led by Yoav, clash with Ishmael's
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troops.
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With every slash of his blade, David
moves closer to his ultimate goal,
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the crown of Israel.
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Superior technology puts you in control,
both on the battlefield and at home.
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With DirecTV, you can easily set your
home DVR from any cell phone or
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It's around 1004 B .C., just ten years
after David slays Goliath, he fights a
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bloody civil war to become king of all
Israel.
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David's nephew, Joab, leads the army
against Ishba, the son of the dead
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Israelite king Saul.
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The Bible is silent about the number of
battles and how many people were killed,
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but it's very clear about the fact that
Ishmael's army was getting the worst of
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it. The weapon of the day is the
straight sword used to hack, slash, and
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deadly iron into the enemy.
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The six -foot wooden spear, now tipped
with iron, is used to skewer opposing
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soldiers.
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Ultimately, David's men prevail, but
there is a loose end to tie up.
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And this is where David the Mafia Don
really starts to show his colors.
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Like a scene right out of The Godfather,
David becomes king and whacks all of
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his enemies.
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One of the first to die is Abner,
Ishbal's commander.
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He had tried to defect to David's side,
but Yoav considered him a threat.
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Yoav is the consigliere. Yoav is the
trigger man. And he did it because it
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the right thing to do.
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At least if you're talking strategic
politics.
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Then one night while he sleeps, Ishmael
is assassinated.
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When the assassins present David with
Ishmael's head, the king of Israel puts
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them to death.
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Now, looked at from a kind of Sicilian
perspective.
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If one orders the assassination of
another person, the best way to prove
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weren't involved is to kill the
assassins you sent to kill him.
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And he killed them as soon as they
walked in the door.
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David makes this whole to -do about how
horrible it was that Ishbal was killed.
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But of course, who is the one that
benefited most from Ishbal's death?
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David. The Bible never blames David for
his death. But logically... Who else
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could have done it?
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In one final grisly act designed to
secure his position as the king of
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David orders the execution of the last
remaining blood heirs to the throne,
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Saul's seven young grandsons.
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David has them crucified and staked out
into the sun where they all die.
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With that act, there are no more
legitimate claimants to the throne.
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David will never be blamed for any of
the murders.
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David's grip on the throne of Israel is
secure, but his ambitions have grown.
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He wants to expand Israel into an
empire.
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David rises to power because he's really
the toughest guy on the block. He's the
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most ambitious guy on the block.
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He's the man with almost no limits in
what he'll do to further his own
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And so it's a bloody rise to power. And
then what happens is it becomes a
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bloody regime today in power.
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David's first order of business is to
rid himself of any obligation.
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He betrays the Philistines who helped
put him in power.
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In a series of bloody battles, he beats
them into submission.
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After this defeat, the Philistine
soldiers will fight for David's army.
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They'll supply him with their most
prized weapon, the war chariot.
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The Philistine chariot of the day is
drawn by two horses and usually carries
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men, the driver and the archer. The
archer must be highly skilled to launch
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precision shots while traveling on
uneven surfaces at up to 10 miles an
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The wooden platform is fashioned in the
shape of a D, with the axle placed in
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the middle of the carrying platform,
ensuring stability and giving the
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added strength.
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With an army that now numbers some 8
,000 to 10 ,000 soldiers, David captures
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the city of Jerusalem, where he
establishes Israel's first capital.
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He looks around, and what does he see?
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What do any kings see when they're in
charge?
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Threats. And he looks to the east, and
there on its border, on what today we
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would call the modern Jordanian River or
Jordan Valley,
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There are three states that offer
strategic and economic threats.
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Amman, Moab, and Edom, which is first on
David's hit list.
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The real reason he wants that is
economic.
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There are large copper and iron mines in
Edom, and Edom sits right across
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what we call the King's Highway.
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The King's Highway connects Syria and
Egypt.
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David wants free access to this
important trade route, so he moves to
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by force.
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David moves very quickly to bring Edom
within the Israelite orb and does so
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incredible brutality.
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David orders the complete extermination
of the Edomite male population.
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The children and women are sold into
slavery.
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Their government is dismantled.
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And Edom essentially ceases to exist and
is annexed by Israel.
225
00:19:28,100 --> 00:19:32,580
The brutal carnage at Edom is a potent
message to any who might consider
226
00:19:32,580 --> 00:19:36,880
retaliation. But David's bloodletting
has only just begun.
227
00:19:40,120 --> 00:19:46,960
Next on his hit list, is moab having
achieved the conquest of edom destroyed
228
00:19:46,960 --> 00:19:51,160
its population but gathered all its
economic resources and now having cut
229
00:19:51,160 --> 00:19:57,440
king's highway uh the state that boarded
up against edom the state of moab
230
00:19:57,440 --> 00:20:03,420
now appears to be a threat to containing
those, to preserving those resources.
231
00:20:03,500 --> 00:20:08,000
It's an old story in history where
something that was a buffer state at one
232
00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:11,240
point suddenly becomes a threat and has
to be neutralized. It's kind of
233
00:20:11,240 --> 00:20:13,320
history's first domino theory.
234
00:20:14,360 --> 00:20:18,620
David knows Moab is not really a
military threat to Israel because it's
235
00:20:18,620 --> 00:20:19,960
far side of the Dead Sea.
236
00:20:20,580 --> 00:20:22,440
But he doesn't want to take any chances.
237
00:20:22,840 --> 00:20:25,240
And again, he proves to be merciless.
238
00:20:26,460 --> 00:20:29,740
David sends his army against Moab and
makes very quick work of it.
239
00:20:30,240 --> 00:20:34,780
Sure, numbers would have carried the
day, but here we find an interesting
240
00:20:34,780 --> 00:20:37,100
description of how he actually dealt
with them.
241
00:20:37,660 --> 00:20:42,540
And he smoked Moab and measured them
with the line, making them to lie down
242
00:20:42,540 --> 00:20:43,540
the ground.
243
00:20:44,780 --> 00:20:49,660
And what the Bible tells us is that the
captives of all military age were laid
244
00:20:49,660 --> 00:20:56,000
out in three lines, while the troops
went among two of the lines and put them
245
00:20:56,000 --> 00:20:58,320
all to the mouth of the sword, which...
246
00:20:58,780 --> 00:21:01,080
means, essentially, beheading them.
247
00:21:04,980 --> 00:21:10,260
For the second time, David massacres his
neighbors, leaving them unable to rise
248
00:21:10,260 --> 00:21:11,260
against him.
249
00:21:15,320 --> 00:21:19,620
But David's about to collide with
Israel's most powerful competitor in the
250
00:21:19,620 --> 00:21:22,900
region. More blood is about to spill on
the Holy Land.
251
00:21:27,310 --> 00:21:32,850
It's around 1000 BC, and King David's
Israelite army is on the warpath.
252
00:21:34,430 --> 00:21:38,390
They've already destroyed both the
Edomite and Moabite people.
253
00:21:42,950 --> 00:21:46,810
Now, David leads nearly 10 ,000 troops
north.
254
00:21:47,770 --> 00:21:52,950
Having conquered both Edom and Moab,
David naturally turns his eyes to the
255
00:21:52,950 --> 00:21:53,950
remaining.
256
00:21:54,260 --> 00:22:00,620
that is a competitor for Israeli
interests in the Jordan Valley, and that
257
00:22:00,620 --> 00:22:04,980
Ammonites, whose capital is at Rabah,
which is modern Amman.
258
00:22:06,340 --> 00:22:11,180
Amman is the last but most important of
the three eastern border states David
259
00:22:11,180 --> 00:22:12,180
seeks to conquer.
260
00:22:12,400 --> 00:22:15,740
It is Israel's prime competitor for
regional influence.
261
00:22:16,840 --> 00:22:19,860
In order to understand what happened at
Raba, I have to understand the political
262
00:22:19,860 --> 00:22:22,180
context, and that is that the Ammonites
were not stupid.
263
00:22:22,380 --> 00:22:27,420
They could clearly see the expansion of
Israelite interests into the valley.
264
00:22:27,740 --> 00:22:32,820
There were some negotiations between
David and Haman, the king of Ammon,
265
00:22:32,820 --> 00:22:38,320
David claimed some kind of diplomatic
insult, at which point the Ammonites got
266
00:22:38,320 --> 00:22:40,600
the message and began to look around for
allies.
267
00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:46,040
They found their allies in the north.
268
00:22:46,360 --> 00:22:48,960
the land of Aram, in what is called
Syria today.
269
00:22:49,940 --> 00:22:54,800
It's a new force that has come to power
under a leader named Hadadezer, who has
270
00:22:54,800 --> 00:22:55,880
ambitions of his own.
271
00:22:57,560 --> 00:23:02,440
Hadadezer's no fool. He's looking for
any pretext to extend his main influence
272
00:23:02,440 --> 00:23:05,860
south into Israel and to stop David's
advance.
273
00:23:06,420 --> 00:23:08,460
This is just the perfect pretext.
274
00:23:09,540 --> 00:23:14,440
When David gets word the Ammonites have
reached out to Hadadezer for help, He
275
00:23:14,440 --> 00:23:16,560
orders Yoav to lead his army to Rabah.
276
00:23:16,900 --> 00:23:23,740
And very quickly he assembles the entire
army and puts his consuliere,
277
00:23:23,860 --> 00:23:30,000
Yoav, in charge and tells him quickly to
march on the capital of Rabah and
278
00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:33,000
destroy it and defeat the Ammonites.
279
00:23:34,160 --> 00:23:37,680
Yoav and the Israelites cross the Jordan
River without opposition.
280
00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:42,780
With no other troops in sight, Yoav
marches straight across the plain to
281
00:23:43,600 --> 00:23:48,980
What happens is, is the Ammonite army
comes out of its city and deploys in
282
00:23:48,980 --> 00:23:51,960
of the city with its infantry offering
battle.
283
00:23:54,200 --> 00:23:58,960
Yoav positioned his army opposite the
Ammonites. But as the Israelites marched
284
00:23:58,960 --> 00:24:03,280
toward the walls of Rabbah, 20 ,000
Arameans attacked them from the rear.
285
00:24:05,500 --> 00:24:10,900
What had happened was the Ammonites
formed up, essentially as bait to a
286
00:24:12,600 --> 00:24:17,060
Yoav and the Israelite army are now
caught between a hammer and an anvil.
287
00:24:18,300 --> 00:24:22,800
To counter the Aramean attack, Yoav does
something completely surprising.
288
00:24:23,160 --> 00:24:25,260
He divides his force in two.
289
00:24:26,380 --> 00:24:30,900
So Yoav turns to his brother, who's
second in command, and says, you take
290
00:24:30,900 --> 00:24:34,620
group and attack the walls. I'll take
the other and deal with the chariots.
291
00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:36,660
Remember that David...
292
00:24:37,230 --> 00:24:42,470
had at his disposal a number of vassals
of Canaanite and Philistine states whose
293
00:24:42,470 --> 00:24:46,070
specialty was heavy infantry and chariot
warfare.
294
00:24:47,470 --> 00:24:52,810
Yoav orders his Canaanite and Philistine
chariot corps to turn around and charge
295
00:24:52,810 --> 00:24:54,690
the Arameans approaching from the plain.
296
00:24:55,650 --> 00:25:00,110
What follows is a swirling mass of
chariots vying for position.
297
00:25:03,720 --> 00:25:08,080
as the opposing infantries fight it out
in bloody hand -to -hand combat.
298
00:25:09,440 --> 00:25:15,620
So this large chariot battle is fought
on the open plain in which the Arameans
299
00:25:15,620 --> 00:25:17,840
get the worst of and begin to flee.
300
00:25:18,440 --> 00:25:22,420
With the chariots on the run, Yoav turns
his infantry loose.
301
00:25:39,530 --> 00:25:44,790
The Ammonite infantry, now mixing it up
with the Israelite infantry in front of
302
00:25:44,790 --> 00:25:49,630
the city, lose their spirit, and they
begin to withdraw back into the city.
303
00:25:49,870 --> 00:25:53,170
And so the battle is essentially a draw.
304
00:25:54,790 --> 00:25:59,870
Yoav's success with his divided forces
remains an amazing military feat to this
305
00:25:59,870 --> 00:26:00,870
day.
306
00:26:03,010 --> 00:26:07,290
Modern military tacticians always teach
commanders to keep their forces
307
00:26:07,290 --> 00:26:08,290
together.
308
00:26:09,390 --> 00:26:14,850
But it sure must have put the fear of
the Lord in Yoav, because he made no
309
00:26:14,850 --> 00:26:20,130
further movement to attacking the
capital of Rabah. He immediately grabbed
310
00:26:20,130 --> 00:26:24,330
infantry, grabbed the chariots he had,
and basically withdrew quickly back
311
00:26:24,330 --> 00:26:30,330
across to Jordan and back to Jerusalem,
saying that this has not been a great
312
00:26:30,330 --> 00:26:31,330
day.
313
00:26:31,790 --> 00:26:36,370
After the battle, the Arameans retreat
north into what is now southern Syria.
314
00:26:37,390 --> 00:26:39,130
David wastes no time.
315
00:26:39,470 --> 00:26:42,970
The Bible states that he orders all
Israel to assemble.
316
00:26:44,170 --> 00:26:48,650
When you hear that phrase, all Israel,
what you mean is the entire militia
317
00:26:48,930 --> 00:26:55,130
probably 20 ,000 to 25 ,000 strong.
David personally leads the Israelites
318
00:26:55,370 --> 00:26:58,850
bypassing the capital of Rabbah and the
Ammonite army.
319
00:26:59,920 --> 00:27:05,480
He's a smart tactician, a little bit
smarter than Yoav. He does not cross the
320
00:27:05,480 --> 00:27:07,420
Jordan Valley where Yoav crossed.
321
00:27:07,740 --> 00:27:13,600
What he does instead is he moves on the
Israelite side along the water course of
322
00:27:13,600 --> 00:27:16,340
the Jordan Valley, using it to protect
his flank.
323
00:27:17,500 --> 00:27:21,800
David and the Israelites collide with
the Arameans somewhere south of Sikuth.
324
00:27:24,860 --> 00:27:27,380
It is known as the Battle of Helam.
325
00:27:29,710 --> 00:27:34,170
What we have to imagine in the battle at
Helan was that it was a combined
326
00:27:34,170 --> 00:27:35,890
infantry and chariot battle.
327
00:28:02,050 --> 00:28:03,750
David refuses to lose.
328
00:28:09,350 --> 00:28:13,650
King David of the Israelites is being
true to his brutal reputation.
329
00:28:14,290 --> 00:28:18,270
His current victims are the Arameans,
and they are getting slaughtered.
330
00:28:22,970 --> 00:28:27,010
There's no great detail in the Bible
except to say that a swirling battle was
331
00:28:27,010 --> 00:28:29,290
fought, and many of the Arameans were
killed.
332
00:28:29,820 --> 00:28:32,840
The proof of this is that the commander
of the Arameans was killed.
333
00:28:33,240 --> 00:28:36,140
Now, that tends to suggest that they
were completely overwhelmed.
334
00:28:42,480 --> 00:28:47,320
When you kill the commander of an
ancient army, whose chariot borne, by
335
00:28:47,340 --> 00:28:50,220
which means I can actually get out of
here very quickly if I have to, you've
336
00:28:50,220 --> 00:28:51,540
done a very good day's work.
337
00:28:52,540 --> 00:28:57,360
Bruised by the Israelites a second time,
the Arameans again retreat north.
338
00:28:58,430 --> 00:29:04,950
David now understands that I didn't come
this far to win a single battle. We
339
00:29:04,950 --> 00:29:08,470
might as well deal with it while we have
the troops in the field. And he
340
00:29:08,470 --> 00:29:10,390
continues to move north.
341
00:29:12,290 --> 00:29:16,490
News of the Aramean defeat at Halam
spreads quickly throughout the region.
342
00:29:17,430 --> 00:29:21,610
Revolts erupt throughout the states that
the Aramean king Hadadezer had already
343
00:29:21,610 --> 00:29:22,610
conquered.
344
00:29:23,470 --> 00:29:26,910
This creates a real problem for the
Armenian king Hadadezer.
345
00:29:27,660 --> 00:29:32,720
because he can't launch a concerted
attack against David until he puts down
346
00:29:32,720 --> 00:29:33,720
these revolts.
347
00:29:33,880 --> 00:29:36,000
So he has to deal with both at once.
348
00:29:38,620 --> 00:29:43,300
Hadadezer orders one force to hold off
David and the Israelites while he mounts
349
00:29:43,300 --> 00:29:45,480
a campaign to put down the local
revolts.
350
00:29:47,480 --> 00:29:54,160
At this point, David continues his
advance north and slams right
351
00:29:54,160 --> 00:29:55,160
into...
352
00:29:55,850 --> 00:30:02,830
Had the desert's rear guard For the
third time in six months the
353
00:30:02,830 --> 00:30:08,630
Israelites battle the powerful Arameans
What
354
00:30:08,630 --> 00:30:16,530
happens
355
00:30:16,530 --> 00:30:21,780
is that David catches up with
Hadadezer's main army. He turns, and a
356
00:30:21,780 --> 00:30:25,560
battle occurs in which many thousands
were playing the Bible.
357
00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:37,700
And David smote Hadadezer, king of
Zobah, by Hamas, as he went to establish
358
00:30:37,700 --> 00:30:39,080
dominion at the river Euphrates.
359
00:30:45,130 --> 00:30:49,470
David and the Israelites catch the
Arameans on the run and slaughter many
360
00:30:49,470 --> 00:30:50,470
them.
361
00:31:02,950 --> 00:31:04,910
Hadadezer's empire is destroyed.
362
00:31:10,710 --> 00:31:16,380
Now, unopposed from the north, David
claims the Aramean vassal state in the
363
00:31:16,380 --> 00:31:17,380
of Israel.
364
00:31:17,580 --> 00:31:21,920
So now, with the addition of the Aramean
kingdom, David controls a very large
365
00:31:21,920 --> 00:31:26,300
area. This is what comes to define what
is called the empire of Israel.
366
00:31:28,540 --> 00:31:33,720
The new Israelite empire now stretches
from the Euphrates River in the north to
367
00:31:33,720 --> 00:31:38,760
the Egyptian border in Sinai to the
south, from the Mediterranean Sea in the
368
00:31:38,760 --> 00:31:41,420
west to the Jordanian mountains in the
east.
369
00:31:42,380 --> 00:31:45,960
But one last foe remains to be conquered
before David can rest.
370
00:31:46,920 --> 00:31:48,780
The Ammonites at Rabbah.
371
00:31:50,200 --> 00:31:54,440
Now, of course, they are deprived of
their Aramean armies.
372
00:31:54,960 --> 00:32:00,180
And so David turns his attention to
bringing Ammon into the Israelite orbit.
373
00:32:03,140 --> 00:32:07,900
But at the same time, the Bible says
David is distracted from his military
374
00:32:07,900 --> 00:32:11,260
conquest by a beautiful woman he spies
from his palace.
375
00:32:15,630 --> 00:32:21,750
This seems to be the time when David is
smitten by this beautiful girl named
376
00:32:21,750 --> 00:32:22,750
Bathsheba.
377
00:32:26,490 --> 00:32:33,330
And so, instead of taking the army
himself into battle, some
378
00:32:33,330 --> 00:32:39,150
analysts suspect what kept David in
Jerusalem was his lust for Bathsheba.
379
00:32:39,290 --> 00:32:43,650
Instead, he turns to his consigliere,
Yoav, and says, take the army.
380
00:32:45,470 --> 00:32:47,870
Go among the Ammonites and defeat them.
381
00:32:52,290 --> 00:32:54,930
David orders Bathsheba to be brought to
him.
382
00:32:55,350 --> 00:32:56,930
But she is a married woman.
383
00:32:57,130 --> 00:33:02,090
Her husband, Uriah the Hittite, is a
soldier under Yoav in the Israelite
384
00:33:04,370 --> 00:33:05,370
Total scandal.
385
00:33:06,350 --> 00:33:07,970
David is the stuff of legend.
386
00:33:08,190 --> 00:33:11,930
He's thought of as a great warrior and a
great unifier.
387
00:33:12,620 --> 00:33:16,840
He's the founder of the first Israelite
nation state, the darling of the Bible.
388
00:33:17,160 --> 00:33:21,460
But much has been said of his flaws,
especially with women.
389
00:33:26,680 --> 00:33:31,540
And so, while David is having his way
with Bathsheba, Yoav assembles the
390
00:33:31,540 --> 00:33:33,480
Israelite armies in two bodies.
391
00:33:35,620 --> 00:33:39,560
One is the militia force stationed at
Succuth in the Jordan River Valley.
392
00:33:40,170 --> 00:33:44,450
The other is the elite army made up
mostly of professional infantry and
393
00:33:44,450 --> 00:33:47,970
chariotry. They march to Rabah and bring
it under siege.
394
00:33:49,230 --> 00:33:55,110
When you talk about a siege, and this
time among the Israelites, is they have
395
00:33:55,110 --> 00:33:55,849
siege equipment.
396
00:33:55,850 --> 00:33:59,890
They take cities the way they normally
take cities, which is by storm.
397
00:34:00,190 --> 00:34:04,530
The problem with that, with regard to
Rabah, is in order to do that, you need
398
00:34:04,530 --> 00:34:05,710
large numerical advantage.
399
00:34:06,050 --> 00:34:08,670
And most of the militia troops are at
Sukkot.
400
00:34:10,120 --> 00:34:14,780
From on top of the walls of Rabbah,
Ammonite archers are easily able to pick
401
00:34:14,780 --> 00:34:15,780
the Israelite infantry.
402
00:34:17,880 --> 00:34:22,460
The blood spilled at Rabbah, however, is
not what's occupying David's mind.
403
00:34:23,380 --> 00:34:28,719
David is back in Jerusalem, apparently,
having a good time with Bathsheba, and
404
00:34:28,719 --> 00:34:34,679
he gets a message from Yoav, his
commander, saying things are pretty
405
00:34:35,290 --> 00:34:40,150
He said, you know, every time we venture
near the walls, we lose men. We lost 18
406
00:34:40,150 --> 00:34:46,310
men just yesterday, in which case David
replies, well, then don't go near the
407
00:34:46,310 --> 00:34:51,730
walls. Well, here is when the problem
begins to develop, is that apparently
408
00:34:51,730 --> 00:34:53,389
Bathsheba turns up pregnant.
409
00:34:53,690 --> 00:34:58,530
And the problem with this is that she is
married to Uriah the Hittite.
410
00:34:59,150 --> 00:35:01,530
So this creates a bit of a problem.
411
00:35:02,050 --> 00:35:04,630
Uriah is stationed with the army at
Hrabah.
412
00:35:05,150 --> 00:35:06,150
fighting for David.
413
00:35:08,370 --> 00:35:10,570
David calls Uriah back to Jerusalem.
414
00:35:12,210 --> 00:35:16,190
So Uriah, being a good soldier that he
is, reports back to Jerusalem.
415
00:35:16,610 --> 00:35:20,770
And David says to him, look, you've been
a good soldier, you're on the front
416
00:35:20,770 --> 00:35:25,710
line, you deserve a rest. Go back to
your wife, go rest a little before you
417
00:35:25,710 --> 00:35:26,710
back to battle.
418
00:35:27,870 --> 00:35:29,230
Think about this for a minute.
419
00:35:29,650 --> 00:35:33,210
There's only one reason David would send
Uriah home to Bathsheba.
420
00:35:33,720 --> 00:35:34,720
so they can have sex.
421
00:35:35,040 --> 00:35:39,040
It looks like David is trying to hide
the paternity of Bathsheba's unborn
422
00:35:39,580 --> 00:35:45,580
Well, the next day, after David told him
to go to his wife,
423
00:35:45,820 --> 00:35:51,280
David walks out of his bedroom door and
stumbles over Uriah the Hittite, who was
424
00:35:51,280 --> 00:35:54,980
falling asleep outside the door. And one
can imagine what the conversation was
425
00:35:54,980 --> 00:35:59,230
like when the king of Israel says to
this lowly soldier, What are you doing
426
00:35:59,230 --> 00:36:03,390
here? I told you to go home to eat and
be with your wife.
427
00:36:03,650 --> 00:36:07,030
And he said, Sire, how can I do that?
428
00:36:08,690 --> 00:36:14,490
When my colleagues and fellow soldiers
are in danger at the front lines, I
429
00:36:14,490 --> 00:36:16,870
cannot go with my wife.
430
00:36:17,270 --> 00:36:18,890
It would be wrong.
431
00:36:19,350 --> 00:36:22,150
Uriah keeps to the Israelite soldiers'
code of honor.
432
00:36:22,870 --> 00:36:26,650
None shall sleep with their wives when
at war. All for one, one for all, so to
433
00:36:26,650 --> 00:36:27,650
speak.
434
00:36:27,760 --> 00:36:32,500
But in refusing David's command to sleep
with his wife, he seals his fate with
435
00:36:32,500 --> 00:36:33,500
David.
436
00:36:35,580 --> 00:36:39,920
The Bible says David writes a note for
Doab and sends it back to the front
437
00:36:39,920 --> 00:36:40,920
with Uriah.
438
00:36:44,160 --> 00:36:49,300
And he wrote in the letter saying, Set
ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest
439
00:36:49,300 --> 00:36:53,720
battle, and retire ye from him, that he
may be smitten and die.
440
00:37:00,650 --> 00:37:04,790
A good soldier to the end, Uriah follows
his commander's orders without
441
00:37:04,790 --> 00:37:05,790
question.
442
00:37:23,770 --> 00:37:27,350
Uriah the Hittite is a valiant soldier
who fights for the Israelites.
443
00:37:29,580 --> 00:37:32,640
But the great King David has doomed him
to die.
444
00:37:35,000 --> 00:37:39,900
David essentially, having failed to
camouflage the pregnancy of Bathsheba,
445
00:37:39,980 --> 00:37:45,260
simply decides to have her husband
killed in an almost mafia -like style.
446
00:37:45,840 --> 00:37:49,920
And who else is in command of this, of
course, is his consul, Yeri, which is
447
00:37:49,920 --> 00:37:50,920
Yoav.
448
00:37:51,140 --> 00:37:55,040
Yoav orders Uriah into battle, where
survival is impossible.
449
00:37:57,600 --> 00:38:00,480
David will stop at nothing to possess
Bathsheba.
450
00:38:29,230 --> 00:38:33,350
In Jerusalem, Bathsheba hears that Uriah
has been killed in action.
451
00:38:33,650 --> 00:38:36,530
She goes into mourning, standard
cultural practice.
452
00:38:37,350 --> 00:38:41,790
As soon as her period of mourning is
over, King David calls her to become his
453
00:38:41,790 --> 00:38:42,790
wife.
454
00:38:43,410 --> 00:38:46,130
But David's behavior doesn't go
unnoticed.
455
00:38:47,010 --> 00:38:51,830
The Bible says it is God's will that the
baby dies as punishment for David's
456
00:38:51,830 --> 00:38:52,830
sins.
457
00:38:54,110 --> 00:38:55,110
Uriah is dead.
458
00:38:55,290 --> 00:38:57,310
David has taken Bathsheba as his wife.
459
00:38:57,690 --> 00:38:59,630
This is all pretty heavy Old Testament
scandal.
460
00:39:00,010 --> 00:39:04,270
But militarily, there's still a battle
being waged at Rabbah. The Israelites
461
00:39:04,270 --> 00:39:10,410
still stuck outside the walls of Rabbah.
And so finally,
462
00:39:10,670 --> 00:39:16,550
David sends a message to Yoav, renew the
attack, carry the day.
463
00:39:22,390 --> 00:39:25,050
Yoav finally breaks through the Ammonite
defenses.
464
00:39:34,410 --> 00:39:38,350
And then Yochav, he sends a message back
to David and says, in essence, look,
465
00:39:38,510 --> 00:39:43,210
this is going well, but you'd better
come out here because your absence is
466
00:39:43,210 --> 00:39:46,670
noted. And what people are going to say
is they're going to give me credit for
467
00:39:46,670 --> 00:39:48,150
this victory. Well, David's no fool.
468
00:39:48,550 --> 00:39:52,270
He understands that to be king means
that you have to do kingly things. And
469
00:39:52,270 --> 00:39:57,290
what he does is he marches up to
Sukkoth, joins with the rest of the
470
00:39:57,290 --> 00:40:01,850
then marches on Rabbah. And then now
with even more troops, the city is taken
471
00:40:01,850 --> 00:40:02,850
storm.
472
00:40:14,410 --> 00:40:19,090
As with all his previous triumphs, David
makes a point of eliminating any chance
473
00:40:19,090 --> 00:40:21,070
of the banquet rising up against him.
474
00:40:24,470 --> 00:40:25,810
The slaughter continues.
475
00:40:34,150 --> 00:40:39,090
The Bible says he set the people to the
mold, which is essentially what Pharaoh
476
00:40:39,090 --> 00:40:42,190
had done to the Israelites. He set them
to construction work.
477
00:40:43,080 --> 00:40:46,760
One of their first tasks, tear their own
walls down.
478
00:40:47,480 --> 00:40:50,200
Which is a very common thing to do in
those days.
479
00:40:50,720 --> 00:40:55,580
Once you took the city, you destroyed
its defenses so it couldn't resist you
480
00:40:55,580 --> 00:40:56,580
anymore.
481
00:40:57,500 --> 00:40:59,120
David's goals are complete.
482
00:40:59,440 --> 00:41:01,880
The Israelite empire is born.
483
00:41:03,940 --> 00:41:05,720
So it's a bloody right to power.
484
00:41:06,180 --> 00:41:10,340
And then what happens is it becomes a
bloody regime to stay in power. It
485
00:41:10,340 --> 00:41:11,340
so bad.
486
00:41:11,400 --> 00:41:14,320
that there are even revolts against
David by his own people.
487
00:41:15,760 --> 00:41:17,300
Even by his own son.
488
00:41:18,680 --> 00:41:20,360
Talk about a dysfunctional family.
489
00:41:21,220 --> 00:41:23,180
David is still married to Bathsheba,
right?
490
00:41:23,440 --> 00:41:24,720
The first baby dies.
491
00:41:25,140 --> 00:41:29,960
Well, David's got other wives and
concubines and eventually has many more
492
00:41:29,960 --> 00:41:36,620
children, one of whom is Absalom. Well,
it turns out Absalom will kill his older
493
00:41:36,620 --> 00:41:40,020
brother because the older brother rapes
their half -sister.
494
00:41:40,400 --> 00:41:44,120
All right, now, this will start a rift
between David and Absalom.
495
00:41:45,860 --> 00:41:48,780
The rift evolves into a full -fledged
rebellion.
496
00:41:49,640 --> 00:41:54,880
Two Israelite armies clash in what is
known as the Battle in the Wood of
497
00:41:55,520 --> 00:41:58,280
Absalom wants to overthrow David and
become king.
498
00:41:59,380 --> 00:42:02,560
But in the end, Absalom's army is
routed.
499
00:42:04,020 --> 00:42:07,520
The story goes that Absalom had this
beautiful long hair.
500
00:42:07,740 --> 00:42:09,840
And during the battle, he gets it
caught.
501
00:42:10,330 --> 00:42:13,110
on the branches of a tree in the wood of
Ephraim.
502
00:42:13,930 --> 00:42:18,830
Now, exactly what happened, we don't
know. But one thing is certain, he
503
00:42:18,830 --> 00:42:20,210
make it out of that forest alive.
504
00:42:22,810 --> 00:42:25,770
David has issued orders to spare
Absalom's life.
505
00:42:29,290 --> 00:42:31,070
But one man disobeys.
506
00:42:33,050 --> 00:42:34,050
Yoab.
507
00:42:34,950 --> 00:42:37,690
True conciliary, if that's what we could
call him.
508
00:42:38,330 --> 00:42:41,040
Yoab. eliminates David's biggest threat.
509
00:42:41,660 --> 00:42:43,260
Politically, he did the right thing.
510
00:42:45,580 --> 00:42:51,020
David rules the Israelite empire for 23
more years. The Bible states he dies
511
00:42:51,020 --> 00:42:53,400
peacefully in his bed at the age of 110.
512
00:42:55,120 --> 00:42:58,880
But even after his death, the murder and
intrigue continues.
513
00:43:00,360 --> 00:43:04,880
David's other son with Bathsheba,
Solomon, becomes the next king.
514
00:43:05,280 --> 00:43:08,480
One of his first acts, murder Yoav.
515
00:43:09,480 --> 00:43:15,040
This wasn't done for any kind of
retribution. It most likely was to
516
00:43:15,040 --> 00:43:16,080
own personal power.
517
00:43:17,100 --> 00:43:19,660
Solomon might have seen Yoav as a
threat.
518
00:43:20,280 --> 00:43:23,900
And like his father before him, he
eliminated that threat.
519
00:43:28,320 --> 00:43:32,520
David is the most popular figure in the
Bible. Children are named after him.
520
00:43:32,600 --> 00:43:39,000
He's seen as a hero, as the person who
founded the Israelite empire, the nation
521
00:43:39,000 --> 00:43:44,460
state. So he is a kind of almost
mythical figure. But when you look at
522
00:43:44,460 --> 00:43:47,320
reality, he turns out to be all too
human.
523
00:43:50,190 --> 00:43:54,130
From my perspective, even more
fascinating that people still hold him
524
00:43:54,130 --> 00:43:58,470
kind of mythical person to emulate
because he had a lot of bad habits.
525
00:44:01,230 --> 00:44:05,590
David is revered throughout the ages for
uniting the tribes of Israel and
526
00:44:05,590 --> 00:44:07,390
establishing the Israelite empire.
527
00:44:08,190 --> 00:44:13,130
Like many conquerors, he was also
ambitious, treacherous, and without
528
00:44:15,470 --> 00:44:20,030
The Bible says that toward the end of
his life, he was always cold, no longer
529
00:44:20,030 --> 00:44:21,050
able to feel warm.
530
00:44:22,110 --> 00:44:27,030
Perhaps, like his amazing
accomplishments, that too was a gift
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