The Lion of War Podcast

15. A King Cursed

We walk through one of the darkest and most decisive chapters in Saul’s tragic reign: 1 Samuel 15. Yahweh sends Saul against the Amalekites, the ancient enemies of Israel, with a clear command to devote them to destruction. Saul wins the battle, but spares Agag the king and keeps the best of the spoil, disguising disobedience as religious sacrifice. This episode introduces the Amalekites, and wrestles honestly with the moral weight of divine judgment. It also follows Samuel’s grief, Yahweh’s sorrow over Saul, the famous rebuke that “to obey is better than sacrifice,” and the final tearing away of the kingdom from Saul himself. FREE - LISTEN TO DAY OF WAR [https://www.kavodfamilyministries.org/links]

14. The Battle of Michmash

In this episode, we climb the cliffs of Michmash with Jonathan and his armor-bearer as one of the great acts of faith and courage in Scripture explodes into battle. Israel is outmatched, underarmed, and trembling beneath Philistine power, but Jonathan believes what the frightened nation has nearly forgotten: nothing can hinder Yahweh from saving by many or by few. This episode follows the sudden assault on the Philistine outpost, the panic of God that sweeps through the enemy camp, Saul’s delayed response, and the rallying of Israel’s scattered fighters. It also traces the darker turn of the day, as Saul’s rash oath weakens his men, Jonathan unknowingly violates it by tasting honey, and the people are forced to ransom the very prince through whom God has worked salvation. The Battle of Michmash becomes both triumph and warning: Jonathan shines, Saul darkens, and Israel learns again that victory belongs to Yahweh.

13. Perhaps the Lord Will Be With Us

We return to the tense days before the Battle of Michmash, when Israel stands outmatched, underarmed, and spiritually unstable beneath the shadow of Philistine power. Saul has been rebuked by Samuel. His army has dwindled to six hundred frightened men. The Philistines control the heights and all of the roads. But in the early morning darkness, Jonathan son of Saul begins to move. This episode examines the terrain of Michmash, the strategic importance of the pass, the fear inside Israel’s camp, and the ordinary farmers and tradesmen who have answered the trumpet call with little more than tools in their hands. It also sets the stage for one of the great acts of faith and courage in the biblical story, when Jonathan and his armor-bearer step toward impossible odds with the words, “Perhaps the LORD will be with us.” Day of War, the first novel in the Lion of War series, is available for free for a limited time on all podcast platforms. Download it today and share with a friend.

12 . A Prince of Israel

In this episode, we slow down and step away from the battlefield for a moment to meet Jonathan. Before he is David’s friend, he is Saul’s son, the crown prince of a brand-new kingdom, raised in the shadow of a father who once seemed larger than life.  This episode explores what Jonathan may have seen, learned, and loved in those early years, and why his loyalty to Saul later in the story is so much deeper and more painful than it first appears. Along the way, Cliff reflects on fathers and sons, memory, hero worship, disappointment, and the way a young man’s heart is shaped by the example set before him.  As the Philistine threat continues to hang over Israel, and Saul’s early promise begins to darken, Jonathan emerges as one of the brightest and noblest figures in the entire narrative: a prince formed for war, righteousness, and heartbreak.

11. Shadows Gathering

In this episode, the early promise of Saul begins to darken. After Israel’s first taste of victory under its new king, Samuel delivers a solemn address reminding the nation that even now, both king and people remain under the authority of Yahweh. Grace is still present, but so is warning. Eventually, the period of peace between Israel and Philistia ends. The Philistines gather in terrifying strength, Israel begins to panic, and Saul finds himself facing the kind of moment that reveals a man’s character. Instead of waiting on the word of the Lord, he takes matters into his own hands, and the result is the first great fracture in his reign. This episode traces the shift from triumph to foreboding, from public hope to the first signs of collapse. And as the shadows begin gathering around Saul, another figure steps more clearly into view: Jonathan, the prince of Israel, whose courage and faith will soon shine all the brighter against the darkness.