Latest / The Chosen People / Elisha & The Floating Axe
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: Previously on The Chosen People.
- 0:04Speaker 2: Because the arrow by itself is nothing. It's weak. It's pathetic.
- 0:11Speaker 2: But if that same arrow rests in the hands of
- 0:15Speaker 2: a skilled archer.
- 0:17Speaker 3: It flies true.
- 0:19Speaker 4: I've never been powerful, Elisha. I have never been great.
- 0:27Speaker 4: I am an old, tired man. The wind stirred. Elisha
- 0:33Speaker 4: sucked in a sharp breath. The river whispered before him, waiting.
- 0:39Speaker 4: The choice was his.
- 0:41Speaker 1: He exhaled, stood, stepped forward, and lifted the mantle high.
- 0:48Speaker 1: His voice rang out, steady and unchanged, but no longer uncertain.
- 0:54Speaker 3: Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob!' God of Joseph
- 0:59Speaker 3: and Moses, God of Elijah, my God, I am your servant.
- 1:06Speaker 3: Show me your power.
- 1:13Speaker 1: The sound of axes striking wood rang out across the
- 1:18Speaker 1: Jordan River. It was the kind of sound that would
- 1:21Speaker 1: have been satisfying under different circumstances, maybe even meditative. but
- 1:27Speaker 1: today it carried the undeniable undercurrent of inexperience. The Guild
- 1:33Speaker 1: of Prophets was not built for this kind of labor.
- 1:36Speaker 1: These were not craftsmen or soldiers. They were dreamers, scribes,
- 1:42Speaker 1: and thinkers, young men learning to hear the voice of God.
- 1:47Speaker 1: It was a discipleship school of sorts, though calling it
- 1:50Speaker 1: a school was generous. The students worked under the merciless sun,
- 1:56Speaker 1: sweat dripping into their eyes as they swung their axes
- 2:00Speaker 1: with all the grace of men who had never chopped
- 2:03Speaker 1: a tree in their lives. The air was heavy with
- 2:06Speaker 1: the earthy scent of wood and the occasional grunt of frustration.
- 2:11Speaker 1: Standing a safe distance away, Elisha leaned against a rock,
- 2:15Speaker 1: his staff in hand, supervising with the ease of a
- 2:19Speaker 1: man who had absolutely no intention of helping.
- 2:24Speaker 5: Master Elisha, do you think this is what Elijah had
- 2:28Speaker 5: in mind when he passed his mantle to you?
- 2:30Speaker 1: Elisha smirked, a faint glimmer of amusement flashing in his eyes.
- 2:36Speaker 3: If you think this is beneath you, Reuben, wait until
- 2:39Speaker 3: I send you to dig ditches. You'll miss the glamour
- 2:41Speaker 3: of tree-cutting.
- 2:43Speaker 1: One of the younger students snorted at this, nearly losing
- 2:47Speaker 1: his grip on his axe in the process. The blade
- 2:51Speaker 1: grazed the trunk awkwardly, sending a spray of splinters into
- 2:55Speaker 1: the air. Why do you even need to expand the
- 2:57Speaker 1: house anyway?
- 2:59Speaker 3: It's fine as it is.
- 3:00Speaker 6: It's fine for you, but you're not the one sleeping
- 3:04Speaker 6: next to Reuben and his snoring. It's like trying to
- 3:07Speaker 6: sleep next to a bullfrog.
- 3:09Speaker 2: He's not snoring. It's prophetic breathing.
- 3:12Speaker 6: If it's prophetic breathing, then Yahweh must be very annoyed.
- 3:17Speaker 1: The group burst into laughter, their exhaustion momentarily forgotten. Even
- 3:23Speaker 1: Elisha chuckled softly, brushing the dust from his robe with
- 3:27Speaker 1: an air of mock patience.
- 3:29Speaker 3: Enough whining. You're prophets of Yahweh, not poets writing lamentations
- 3:34Speaker 3: about how hard your life is. We need the wood,
- 3:38Speaker 3: so keep chopping.
- 3:40Speaker 1: The laughter faded, replaced by the steady rhythm of axes
- 3:44Speaker 1: once more. Kisha muttered something under his breath, earning another
- 3:49Speaker 1: smirk from Reuben. Elisha watched them with a faint smile,
- 3:53Speaker 1: as though enjoying a private joke they couldn't yet understand.
- 3:58Speaker 1: Keisha was Elisha's apprentice, chosen by the prophet himself, though
- 4:03Speaker 1: no one could quite figure out why. Wiry and sharp-tongued,
- 4:08Speaker 1: Keisha had a knack for asking questions that walked the
- 4:11Speaker 1: line between curious and insubordinate. If Elisha found him exasperating,
- 4:17Speaker 1: he didn't show it. In fact, he seemed to enjoy
- 4:20Speaker 1: the boy's energy. He reminded him of his master.
- 4:25Speaker 6: Master Elisha, I think the Jordan just swallowed my body
- 4:28Speaker 6: weight in sweat.
- 4:29Speaker 7: Does this count as a baptism?
- 4:32Speaker 3: No, but if you keep swinging like that, it might
- 4:35Speaker 3: count as your funeral.
- 4:36Speaker 5: Kish is just mad because he's the worst axeman here.
- 4:39Speaker 6: That's because I didn't come here to chop trees, Reuben.
- 4:43Speaker 6: I came here to learn how to hear Yahweh's voice.
- 4:47Speaker 3: And do you think Yahweh's voice is going to make
- 4:49Speaker 3: you a bigger house? Because if it does, you're not
- 4:52Speaker 3: hearing Yahweh, you're hearing your own wishful thinking.
- 4:56Speaker 1: The students laughed, though some of them were clearly more
- 4:59Speaker 1: focused on not splitting their own feet open than on
- 5:03Speaker 1: Elisha's wit. Keisha, however, wasn't ready to let it go.
- 5:07Speaker 7: You're telling me the Lord, who parted the sea and
- 5:11Speaker 7: brought fire down from heaven, can't drop a few trees
- 5:14Speaker 7: for us?
- 5:17Speaker 3: He is chopping trees, my boy, through the able arms
- 5:20Speaker 3: of his young prophets. Praise be to God that we
- 5:23Speaker 3: get to play a part in his noble work.
- 5:26Speaker 1: And then, as if the Jordan itself had been waiting
- 5:29Speaker 1: for the perfect moment to interrupt, there was a sharp crack,
- 5:34Speaker 1: followed by a splash.
- 5:36Speaker 4: Oh no.
- 5:37Speaker 7: Oh no no no no no no.
- 5:39Speaker 2: What did you do?
- 5:40Speaker 7: It wasn't me.
- 5:40Speaker 2: The axe head, it flew off.
- 5:43Speaker 7: Look, it's sinking.
- 5:45Speaker 1: All eyes turned to the water. Sure enough, the iron
- 5:49Speaker 1: axe head was now disappearing into the murky depths of
- 5:52Speaker 1: the Jordan.
- 5:53Speaker 2: Isn't that your uncle's axe?
- 5:55Speaker 8: Yep.
- 5:56Speaker 7: Why do you think I'm panicking?
- 5:58Speaker 3: Because you don't trust the Lord.
- 6:01Speaker 1: The group turned to Elisha who had stepped forward. His
- 6:04Speaker 1: tone was casual but pointed.
- 6:07Speaker 6: Are you about to tell me that the Lord is
- 6:10Speaker 6: going to use the able body of his young prophet
- 6:13Speaker 6: to retrieve the axe?
- 6:14Speaker 7: I'll stop you there.
- 6:15Speaker 3: I can't swim. You spend far too much energy complaining, worrying,
- 6:21Speaker 3: and reeling about what can't be done. It must be exhausting.
- 6:26Speaker 1: Elisha bent down, picking up a stick from the ground.
- 6:30Speaker 1: His students watched, their laughter fading into a tense, curious silence.
- 6:35Speaker 5: What's that stick supposed to do?
- 6:38Speaker 8: Shh.
- 6:39Speaker 3: I'm obviously trying to be a mysterious prophet. Quit ruining
- 6:43Speaker 3: my lesson with your questions.
- 6:45Speaker 8: Just watch.
- 6:47Speaker 1: With a practiced flick of his wrist, Elisha tossed the
- 6:51Speaker 1: stick into the water. The water rippled, and then, impossibly,
- 6:56Speaker 1: the iron axe head floated to the surface, bobbing as
- 7:00Speaker 1: though it were weightless.
- 7:02Speaker 7: It's... it's... how's it even possible?
- 7:05Speaker 8: Possible?
- 7:06Speaker 2: Possible?
- 7:07Speaker 3: Kisha, do you know the story of Moses, the man
- 7:11Speaker 3: who raised his staff and split the sea in two?
- 7:14Speaker 3: Or did you just skim over that part when you
- 7:16Speaker 3: were learning the law?
- 7:18Speaker 7: Of course I know the story.
- 7:20Speaker 8: I just.
- 7:21Speaker 7: this is different.
- 7:23Speaker 3: That's because it's an axe head, not an ocean. Yahweh
- 7:27Speaker 3: doesn't struggle with scale. The question isn't whether he can,
- 7:32Speaker 3: it's whether you actually trust him to do it. And
- 7:34Speaker 3: from the look on your face, I'd say you don't.
- 7:37Speaker 5: Then why not summon such miracles more often? For signs
- 7:41Speaker 5: like these not convince people to turn back to the Lord.
- 7:44Speaker 7: If only.
- 7:45Speaker 3: My master Elijah summoned fire from heaven not once, but twice.
- 7:50Speaker 3: The people were stirred initially, but then went back to
- 7:52Speaker 3: their ways. It's not about the sign performed, but the
- 7:57Speaker 3: truth the signs communicate to us. Today, the lesson given
- 8:01Speaker 3: to you is about trust. Trust that the Lord cares
- 8:05Speaker 3: for the axe head. the small, insignificant things.
- 8:09Speaker 1: Keisha waded into the water slowly, his movements careful, as
- 8:14Speaker 1: though the river might demand payment before giving the axe
- 8:17Speaker 1: head back. When his fingers closed around the iron, he
- 8:21Speaker 1: lifted it from the surface, water streaming down its sides
- 8:25Speaker 1: like tears. He turned to Elisha, his face a mixture
- 8:29Speaker 1: of embarrassment and wonder.
- 8:32Speaker 6: I thought I trusted him, but maybe I didn't.
- 8:36Speaker 3: Not like this. Good, now you know. Trust starts small, Kisha,
- 8:43Speaker 3: like an axe head in a river. But it doesn't
- 8:46Speaker 3: stay there. One day you'll need to trust him for
- 8:49Speaker 3: something much bigger. Your Red Sea moment, as it were.
- 8:54Speaker 3: When that day comes, remember this.
- 8:57Speaker 1: The group stood in silence, the weight of Elisha's words
- 9:01Speaker 1: settling over them. Keisha, still clutching the dripping axe head,
- 9:06Speaker 1: stared at the prophet, his earlier frustration now replaced by awe.
- 9:11Speaker 1: For a moment, the Jordan's gentle flow seemed to reflect
- 9:15Speaker 1: something greater, a reminder that God's power moved quietly beneath
- 9:20Speaker 1: the surface of all things. Reuben broke the silence, his
- 9:25Speaker 1: voice cutting through the stillness but carrying a note of unease.
- 9:30Speaker 2: Master, is it true? what they say.
- 9:34Speaker 5: That you can hear the Lord's voice, even in Ben-Hadad's
- 9:38Speaker 5: war room. That you know what the Arameans are planning
- 9:42Speaker 5: before they do.
- 9:44Speaker 1: The rumors had been whispered among the prophets for weeks,
- 9:47Speaker 1: but now, with Israel's enemies pressing harder against the nation's borders,
- 9:52Speaker 1: they felt less like gossip and more like prophecy. Elisha
- 9:57Speaker 1: raised an eyebrow, his expression hovering somewhere between amusement and
- 10:02Speaker 1: exasperation ah.
- 10:04Speaker 3: So that's what you really want to learn not how
- 10:07Speaker 3: to trust but how to spy no i just oh
- 10:13Speaker 3: Maybe a little. And what would you do with that power?
- 10:17Speaker 3: Eavesdrop on your little enemies? Or perhaps listen through the
- 10:20Speaker 3: walls to hear what Miriam thinks about you?
- 10:23Speaker 1: The group burst into laughter. Elisha leaned on his staff
- 10:27Speaker 1: and surveyed the group.
- 10:29Speaker 3: Let me tell you this. Hearing God's voice isn't about
- 10:33Speaker 3: knowing secrets for your own gain. It's about trust. The
- 10:37Speaker 3: kind of trust that lets you act when he calls
- 10:40Speaker 3: and stay silent when he doesn't. If you want that,
- 10:44Speaker 3: you'd better learn to listen and stop looking for shortcuts.
- 10:48Speaker 1: The students fell quiet, their eyes fixed on Elisha. Somewhere
- 10:53Speaker 1: in the distance, the Jordan flowed on, its waters carrying
- 10:58Speaker 1: both the memory of the axe and the lesson that
- 11:01Speaker 1: none of them would soon forget. In the war room
- 11:08Speaker 1: of the King of Aram, the king paced like a
- 11:11Speaker 1: caged animal. His heavy boots echoed on the stone floor
- 11:15Speaker 1: as he gestured wildly to the array of maps and
- 11:19Speaker 1: figurines on the table before him, each one marking a
- 11:22Speaker 1: plan that had failed spectacularly. The throne nearby was studiously
- 11:28Speaker 1: ignored because sitting down implied composure, and the King of
- 11:32Speaker 1: Aram had none left.
- 11:34Speaker 2: Explain it to me again. How does Joram, that quivering, spineless.
- 11:40Speaker 7: Milk-drinking whelp of a king.
- 11:42Speaker 2: Always know what I'm planning, huh?
- 11:45Speaker 1: His generals, advisors, and assorted sycophants stood silently, their expressions
- 11:52Speaker 1: frozen somewhere between fear and discomfort.
- 11:56Speaker 5: Joram couldn't lead a parade, but somehow he manages to say,
- 12:00Speaker 5: one step ahead of me!
- 12:02Speaker 1: He slammed his fist onto the table. 'sending a figurine
- 12:06Speaker 1: of a chariot skittering across the map.' The generals flinched
- 12:10Speaker 1: in unison,' and one particularly unfortunate advisor let out an
- 12:14Speaker 1: audible squeak.
- 12:16Speaker 2: A spy! That's the only explanation.' There' s a spy in
- 12:22Speaker 2: my ranks. Isn't there?
- 12:24Speaker 1: He turned on the room like a wolf circling a
- 12:27Speaker 1: flock of sheep,' his eyes narrowing at each face in turn.
- 12:31Speaker 5: Which one of you is it?
- 12:34Speaker 2: Who's been whispering my plans to that overgrown child with
- 12:40Speaker 2: delusions of kingship?
- 12:42Speaker 8: Your Majesty, if I may.
- 12:44Speaker 2: You may not, unless you're about to confess. In which case, yes,
- 12:51Speaker 2: by all means, speak.
- 12:54Speaker 1: The advisor stepped forward cautiously, like a man approaching a
- 12:58Speaker 1: very angry bear.
- 13:00Speaker 7: It's not.
- 13:02Speaker 8: it's not a spy, Your Majesty. Oh no?
- 13:05Speaker 2: Then what is it? Sorcery? A divine intervention? Don't tell
- 13:10Speaker 2: me Joram actually developed a spine. It would be the
- 13:14Speaker 2: first backbone in that family for generations.
- 13:17Speaker 8: It's Elisha, your majesty.
- 13:20Speaker 3: Elisha?
- 13:21Speaker 2: The prophet?
- 13:23Speaker 8: Yes, your majesty.
- 13:25Speaker 2: It is said he.
- 13:26Speaker 8: he hears things. Everything, in fact. Even the words you
- 13:31Speaker 8: whisper and the sounds you make in your bedroom.
- 13:37Speaker 1: The king's face shifted from confusion to horror, then to
- 13:42Speaker 1: a kind of mortified rage.
- 13:44Speaker 2: In my bedroom? My private conversations? My private sounds?
- 13:54Speaker 1: A muffled snicker escaped from somewhere in the back of
- 13:57Speaker 1: the room, though it was quickly stifled when the king's
- 14:00Speaker 1: glare swept the table like a scythe.
- 14:03Speaker 2: Where is this Elisha? Tell me where he's hiding.
- 14:07Speaker 8: In Dothan, your majesty. A small city, lightly defended.
- 14:13Speaker 2: Lightly defended, you say? Then I'll make sure it's not
- 14:17Speaker 2: defended at all. Prepare the army. If Elisha can hear
- 14:23Speaker 2: my whispers... Let him hear this. I'm coming for him.
- 14:28Speaker 2: I won't rest until his head is mounted on my wall.
- 14:33Speaker 2: To Dothan!
- 14:34Speaker 1: The king swept out of the room, his cloak billowing
- 14:38Speaker 1: behind him. Far away in Dothan, Elisha remained untroubled. The
- 14:43Speaker 1: prophet had already heard far more than the king realized.
- 14:49Speaker 1: Keisha hauled the bucket from the well. Water sloshing over
- 14:54Speaker 1: the sides. The morning was quiet, the first light brushing
- 14:59Speaker 1: the hills of Dothan with gold. He exhaled, savouring the calm.
- 15:05Speaker 1: Then he heard it. A low, rhythmic thunder. Hooves marching.
- 15:12Speaker 1: The hills were alive with soldiers. Spears glinted like fire.
- 15:18Speaker 1: Horses snorted, their breath clouds in the cool air. The
- 15:22Speaker 1: chariot stood in endless rows, dark and menacing. Keisha dropped
- 15:27Speaker 1: the bucket.
- 15:28Speaker 7: Dear God.
- 15:30Speaker 1: The water splashed across his feet, unnoticed. Keisha turned and ran,
- 15:36Speaker 1: his heart pounding harder than the drums of war.
- 15:39Speaker 7: Master Elisha!
- 15:41Speaker 3: Master!
- 15:43Speaker 1: His voice cracked as he turned, sprinting toward Elisha, who
- 15:46Speaker 1: was standing a short distance away, leaning on his staff.
- 15:50Speaker 1: The prophet didn't even glance at the army. His gaze
- 15:54Speaker 1: was calm, steady, fixed on some distant point that Kisha
- 15:59Speaker 1: couldn't see.
- 16:01Speaker 7: They're here! The army! They've surrounded us! There's no way out! Master,
- 16:07Speaker 7: do you hear me?
- 16:08Speaker 3: I hear you, Kisha. I also hear your knees knocking together.
- 16:12Speaker 3: It's distracting.
- 16:14Speaker 7: How are you this calm? Do you not see what's
- 16:17Speaker 7: out there?
- 16:19Speaker 3: I see it.
- 16:20Speaker 7: Then why aren't you panicking? They'll kill us. They'll kill everyone.
- 16:25Speaker 7: We're outnumbered a hundred, no, a thousand to one.
- 16:29Speaker 1: Elisha finally turned to him, his face unreadable, but his
- 16:34Speaker 1: voice firm.
- 16:35Speaker 3: You're wrong.
- 16:37Speaker 8: What? How can you?
- 16:40Speaker 3: We're not outnumbered.
- 16:42Speaker 1: Keisha froze, his fear momentarily overtaken by confusion. Elisha stepped closer.
- 16:49Speaker 1: his gaze sharp, almost piercing.
- 16:52Speaker 3: There are more on our side than theirs.
- 16:55Speaker 2: More?
- 16:56Speaker 7: What are you talking about? It's just us!
- 17:00Speaker 6: The city has you, me, the other students, and a
- 17:03Speaker 6: few farmers and herders.
- 17:06Speaker 1: Keisha gestured wildly toward the hills, where the Aramean army
- 17:10Speaker 1: stood like a silent avalanche waiting to fall. Elisha placed
- 17:15Speaker 1: a hand on his shoulder, steady and unshakable.
- 17:19Speaker 3: Remember the Red Sea, Kisha. Remember Moses standing before the
- 17:23Speaker 3: waters with Pharaoh's army at his back. Did he panic?
- 17:27Speaker 3: Did he run?
- 17:28Speaker 8: No, but.
- 17:30Speaker 7: But nothing.
- 17:32Speaker 3: The Lord didn't abandon Moses and he hasn't abandoned us.
- 17:36Speaker 3: This is your moment of faith, Kisha. Your Red Sea moment.
- 17:40Speaker 3: Stop looking at what frightens you and trust in what
- 17:44Speaker 3: you cannot see.
- 17:46Speaker 1: Kisha's breathing slowed. but his face remained taut with fear.
- 17:51Speaker 1: Elisha closed his eyes, lifting his head toward the sky.
- 17:55Speaker 3: Lord God, open his eyes so that he might see.
- 18:00Speaker 1: The air shifted, heavy and electric, as though the world
- 18:05Speaker 1: itself held its breath. Keisha blinked, and when he opened
- 18:09Speaker 1: his eyes again, everything was different. The hills that had
- 18:13Speaker 1: seemed full of enemies now burned with light. Horses and
- 18:18Speaker 1: chariots of fire stood upon the ridges, their forms glowing
- 18:22Speaker 1: with an otherworldly brilliance. The army of heaven surrounded the
- 18:27Speaker 1: army of Aram, their numbers vast, their presence overwhelming. The
- 18:33Speaker 1: sight was so magnificent, so utterly beyond comprehension, that Kisha
- 18:38Speaker 1: stumbled backward, his legs giving way beneath him.
- 18:42Speaker 3: It's... it's... Yahweh's army. Angelic beings, each with more power
- 18:48Speaker 3: in a single finger than all the armies of the
- 18:51Speaker 3: earth combined.
- 18:52Speaker 2: They've always been here, Kisha.
- 18:54Speaker 8: You just couldn't see them until now.
- 18:57Speaker 1: Kisha knelt on the ground, his eyes wide, tears streaming
- 19:02Speaker 1: down his face as he stared at the heavenly host.
- 19:06Speaker 8: Master, I... I didn't know.
- 19:10Speaker 3: Now you do. Remember this, Kisha. Trust isn't about seeing.
- 19:15Speaker 3: It's about believing in what you cannot see. Yahweh has
- 19:19Speaker 3: always been fighting for his people.
- 19:22Speaker 1: A horn blared from the Aramean camp, breaking the moment.
- 19:27Speaker 1: The enemy army began its march, their footsteps shaking the earth.
- 19:32Speaker 1: Keisha scrambled to his feet, his awe replaced by renewed panic.
- 19:37Speaker 7: They're coming! What do we do now?
- 19:40Speaker 3: We pray.
- 19:41Speaker 1: Elisha stepped forward. raising his staff as the first ranks
- 19:46Speaker 1: of the Aramean army drew closer. His voice rang out,
- 19:51Speaker 1: clear and commanding.
- 19:53Speaker 3: Lord of Heaven's armies, strike them with blindness!
- 19:57Speaker 1: The shift was immediate. Soldiers stopped mid-charge, stumbling and clutching
- 20:03Speaker 1: their faces. Cries of confusion rippled through the ranks as
- 20:08Speaker 1: the once mighty force dissolved into chaos. The Arameans groped
- 20:13Speaker 1: at the air, their weapons falling uselessly to the ground.
- 20:17Speaker 1: Keisha stood frozen, his jaw slack as he watched the
- 20:22Speaker 1: miracle unfold. Awe, faith, trust, it was all there, blooming
- 20:29Speaker 1: like fire in his chest. Elisha turned back toward the
- 20:34Speaker 1: blinded army, his staff in hand, his voice steady and sure.
- 20:39Speaker 3: Let's go, my boy. They're not done learning their lesson yet.
- 20:44Speaker 1: The two walked forward, stepping into the chaos with the
- 20:48Speaker 1: confidence of men who knew exactly who was fighting for them.
- 21:02Speaker 1: Steve Gatina, Max Bard, Zach Schelleberger and Ben Gammon are
- 21:06Speaker 1: the executive producers of The Chosen People, narrated by Paul Coltofianu.
- 21:11Speaker 1: Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz,
- 21:16Speaker 1: Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwald, Sylvia Zaradoc, Thomas Copeland Jr., Rosanna
- 21:22Speaker 1: Pilcher and Mitch Lashinsky. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith. Written
- 21:27Speaker 1: by Aaron Salvato, Brie Rosely and Chris Baig. You can
- 21:31Speaker 1: hear more Prey.com productions on the Prey.com app, available on
- 21:36Speaker 1: the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. If you
- 21:39Speaker 1: enjoyed The Chosen People, please rate and leave a review.