17. Interview with Rich Froning

20. The Boundary of Blood

In Episode 20, we arrive at the beginning of one of the most famous stories in all of world history: David and Goliath. The Philistines have gathered for war at Ephes-dammim, “the Boundary of Blood,” a contested place between Israel and her most dangerous enemy. Saul’s army stands across the valley, frightened but present, knowing that failure could mean devastation for their homes, wives, and children. It is a desperate national crisis. Along the way, Cliff reflects on how certain people or places become symbols of national pride and resistance, such as Nolan Ryan and the Alamo (Texans will love this episode). The stage is set: two armies, one trembling king, a valley between them, and a monster emerging from the Philistine ranks. The Boundary of Blood has been drawn.

19. Music In The King’s House

We enter one of the darkest scenes in David’s early story: the moment when the Spirit of Yahweh has rushed upon David, the Spirit has departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit begins tormenting the rejected king. Before David ever faces Goliath, he is brought into Saul’s house as a musician. Cliff explores the difficult timeline questions surrounding 1 Samuel 16 and 17, the ancient textual issues behind David’s introduction to Saul, and the serious spiritual reality of Saul’s torment.  At the center of the episode is a striking providence: Saul receives relief from the young man Yahweh has chosen to replace him. David arrives from Bethlehem with a lyre in his hands, carrying gifts formed in obscurity, and the future psalmist of Israel plays worshipful music in the troubled house of the king.

18. An Old Man By The Fire

After David’s anointing in Bethlehem, the story seems ready to rush toward Goliath, but the biblical narrative takes a more complicated path. In this bridge episode, Cliff prepares listeners for the way David’s story unfolds through Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles: not as a modern biography arranged in strict chronological order, but as prophetic history told with theological purpose. The next passage, 1 Samuel 16:14–23, introduces David entering Saul’s service as a musician, yet the following chapter seems to reintroduce David at the Valley of Elah as though Saul hardly knows him. This apparent tension becomes the first major example of a recurring challenge in studying David’s story. Cliff explains his commitment to the inspired Word of God while also honestly acknowledging that faithful Bible study requires wrestling with difficult passages, narrative gaps, and ancient storytelling patterns. Using the image of an old man by the fire telling true stories from the old days, this episode invites listeners to receive the biblical text as Yahweh gave it: selective, purposeful, inspired, and true.

17. Interview with Rich Froning

In this special interview episode of the Lion of War Podcast, Cliff talks with Rich Froning, one of the most accomplished athletes in CrossFit history and the founder of CrossFit Mayhem in Cookeville, Tennessee. As the podcast moves into the early years of David, this conversation explores the physical, mental, and spiritual formation of a young man who would one day become Israel’s warrior king. Before David faced Goliath or led the Mighty Men, he was a shepherd, learning responsibility, endurance, courage, and skill in the hidden years. Cliff and Rich discuss competition, discipline, stewardship of the body, holy contentment versus holy discontentment, and how a Christian man can pursue excellence with intensity while remaining humble before Yahweh. They also talk about confidence, meekness, physical readiness, and the private preparation that forms a man before public pressure reveals him. Rich brings the perspective of a champion athlete, business leader, and follower of Jesus who has spent years learning what it means to compete at the highest level while trying to faithfully steward the platform the Lord has given him.

16. The Shepherd of Bethlehem

“The Shepherd of Bethlehem” finally introduces David. We begin in the hills outside Bethlehem, imagining the hidden life of the youngest son of Jesse as he tends the family flock, learning responsibility, danger, and worship in the lonely school of the sheepfold. We also look at the Tel Dan Stele, the strongest extra-biblical evidence for David’s historical existence, before tracing Jesse’s family line through Judah, Tamar, Boaz, and Ruth. Then the story turns to Samuel, still grieving over Saul, as Yahweh sends him to Bethlehem to anoint a new king. One by one, Jesse’s older sons pass before the prophet, but Yahweh sees what man does not. The forgotten shepherd boy is summoned from the fields, anointed in the midst of his brothers, and the Spirit of Yahweh rushes upon him from that day forward. Check out: lionofwarseries.com [lionofwarseries.com]