A Review of David,
King of Israel by Nick Olszyk
Distribution Service: Fox Nation
FCC Rating, TV-PG
OSV Rating, Unrated at the time of Review
Reel Rating, Three Reels
King David
has been experiencing a renaissance. Last year, Angel Studios released a successful animated
adaptation of his story while Amazon continues a multi season streaming
series. Now we have a docuseries put on by Fox Nation, highlighting both
his spiritual and political prowess. It’s a decent, competent production with
plenty of good insights, and, given
current events, offers hope to its target audience.
The series
starts with King Saul (Langley Kirkwood), still trying to honor God’s commands
but frequently giving into the whims of the crowd and his own desires. The
prophet Samuel (Peter Butler) is frustrated and soon told by God that the
kingdom will pass to another who has “a heart for God.” Samuel is led to the
house of Jesse, where he secretly anoints his youngest son David (Nahum Hughes)
future king. The spirit of the Lord comes upon this boy, and he soon
experiences a meteoric rise. After defeating the giant Goliath in battle, he
becomes the most celebrated warrior in Saul’s army and a talented musician as
well. He is so popular so quickly that Saul feels threatened and soon seeks his
death, causing David and his followers to flee Jerusalem and become wandering
mercenaries for several years. The story is presented back and forth between a
dramatization and several talking heads giving commentary, mostly Protestant
pastors and Orthodox rabbis.
The reflections
are decent but rarely rise above the level of a Sunday school presentation. The
acting is passable but not as good as other recent productions on the same
subject. The one standout aspect of the production is the art direction. Saul
and David don’t live in giant palaces or where fine colored clothes but reside in
moveable tents or even straw huts. Everything is dirty, covered in mud and
sweat. This is a society that is tethered to the Earth. Clothes are made by hand.
Food comes directly from the ground. It reminds the audience, mostly removed
from these realities, the importance of the “toil” given to Adam.
Unlike the
aforementioned Angel Studios production, King of Israel is quite violent
with constant scenes of warfare, pulling the camera away at just the right
moment to avoid at TV-MA rating but keeping the imaginative “blood splatter”
noises. When Saul asks for “a hundred Philistine foreskins,” the audience
doesn’t see the actual process but is shown the bloody sack and knows exactly
what it contains. While unnerving, it is true to the story. People forget that
the pre-Christian world had no concept of universal human rights, and paganism
was the dominant religious philosophy of the day. While God called the
Israelites to something greater, they were often influenced by their neighbors.
Without the sacrifice of Christ, violence was far more rampant. While David
wasn’t perfect in this regard, he did demonstrate restraint, only killing when
necessary for warfare or God’s justice, frequently sparing the lives of others
when it would not be advantageous for himself.
What comes
across most clearly in the miniseries is David’s radical trust in God even when
things are the bleakest. His early life was a spiritual roller coaster. The
youngest of his brothers, he was nonetheless anointed to be king and then slew
Goliath, earning great praise and rising station. It would be easy to perceive
this as God’s obvious path to glory. Suddenly, he loses favor with Saul and is
hunted like an animal. He is a fugitive: hungry, tired, and confused. In these
moments he composes some of his greatest Psalms, pleading to God for help but
firm in his belief that somehow God’s purposes are working.
As the
episodes of this series roll out in February and March of 2026, the land of
David is once again in turmoil. This cycle of drone strikes, broken cease
fires, and regime changes can seem endless. Yet, like David, we can trust that
God is working through these events to bring about his Kingdom. Evil may reign
for a time and even do great damage, but it never has the last word. The series
encourages leaders to act like David, using their skills and strengths but
ultimately trusting God to win the day. Hopefully, they will listen.
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