The Third Hour Podcast

The tale of Absalom — son of David, avenger of Tamar, murderer of Amnon, rebel king of Israel — is an enigmatic chapter in the long tale of King David. It's a story full of cowardly justice and bold injustice, one that touches upon courtly intrigues and distasteful sexual ethics. What can we learn from this Biblical story? Read along as the Third Hour Podcast tries to find out!

Something is wrong in King David's court, but it's even worse than you've been told. Join the Third Hour Podcast as we discuss the curdling of David's tale, including the fate of Jonathan's son, David's rape of Bathsheba and murder of Uriah, and Nathan's rebuke of the king's behavior.

Through sheer serendipity, the path has been paved for David's ascent to the kingship, and his good favor continues when his rivals stumble over themselves time and time again. Join the Third Hour Podcast as we discuss holy dice, cheapened revelation, and why David is perhaps not the paragon of virtue you've been led to believe.

With his options quickly running out, David decides that it isn't enough to be a criminal — he must also join the Philistines. Meanwhile, King Saul is so uncertain about his future that he resorts to necromancy, raising Samuel's spirit to ask for advice. In the end, Saul is killed in battle entirely without David's involvement, a suspicious turn of events to say the least. Join the Third Hour Podcast as we discuss the etymology of "spirit," the welcome circumstances of David's enemies being swept from the field, and what the author of the Book of Samuel might be trying to say about these complicated characters.

We all know the story. On the run from King Saul, David assembles a band of outlaws to survive both the rugged landscape and the pursuits of the King. Except the text doesn't quite line up with the plucky image. Join the Third Hour Podcast as we discuss David's time as a ruffian, from his two run-ins with Saul to some light racketeering on the frontier.

Continuing into 1 Samuel, we reach one of the most famous stories in all of human literature: David and Goliath. Or rather, two intertwined stories about David and Goliath, plus a third later in 2 Samuel. Today on the Third Hour Podcast, we not only peel apart those tales, but also dig into David's marriage to Michal, his love for Jonathan, and the presence of household gods in the royal court.

The people want a king to rule over them. Sound familiar? Samuel balks at the idea, but he soon finds a suitable candidate in the person of Saul. Join the Third Hour Podcast as we discuss Samuel's scheming, Saul's bumbling, and why we really ought to read the text of the Bible before coming up with scriptural takeaways.

The Book of Samuel offers an enigmatic and compelling portrait of multiple men of power. This week, we examine the passing of the mantle from the House of Eli to Samuel, including questions of authorship, the way we read the text versus what it actually argues, and the value of thinking outside the box. Meanwhile, the Ark of the Covenant goes on a solo adventure.

There's a good chance you know the story of Ruth. After the horror and bloodshed of Judges, this is the one where everybody's courteous and does the right thing. Right? Well, about that. Today on the Third Hour Podcast, we're talking about who wrote Ruth, why they wrote it, and how that should inform what we draw out of it.

The last few episodes in the Book of Judges contain some of the most difficult material in the entire Hebrew Bible. Join the Third Hour Podcast as we discuss Micah's idol, the Levite's concubine, and the Benjamite War — and why these episodes exhibit the Bible at its most morally coherent.