The Lion of War Podcast

In this episode, Cliff sits down with retired Navy SEAL Neil Dyer to talk about why men follow strength, competence, and courage when danger is near. Drawing from Saul’s victory over the Ammonites, they explore what makes a leader trustworthy in extreme situations, why visible strength can be so compelling, and how quickly men rally around someone who proves he can keep them alive.Neil also shares from his own background in the SEAL Teams, the challenge of following Jesus with a tender heart while still being dangerous in combat, and what he learned about good leadership, bad leadership, and the kind of competence that earns loyalty. The conversation also highlights Neil’s ministry, Warriors Rise, and why the stories of Saul, David, and Jonathan still speak so powerfully to men today.For listeners who want to find Neil and his ministry:Warriors RiseWebsite: WarriorsRise.orgInstagram: @warriors_rise_training

In this episode, we move through the early rise of Saul, Israel’s first king. From a private anointing and Spirit-empowered signs to his public selection at Mizpah, Saul begins with real promise. He looks the part, wins a decisive victory over the Ammonites, and briefly appears to be exactly what Israel hoped for. He is tall, striking, and publicly impressive, the kind of man a frightened nation would naturally want to rally behind. Yahweh arranges Saul’s path, empowering him for battle and granting Israel real deliverance through him. This episode follows Saul from obscurity to acclaim, tracing the early hope of his reign and the reasons so many would have believed he might become the answer to Israel’s fears.--Learn more at lionofwarseries.com and lionofwar.substack.com, and follow Cliff on Instagram @cliff.t.graham.

Israel finally does the right thing. Under Samuel’s leadership, the people repent, put away their idols, and cry out to Yahweh alone. Yahweh answers with thunder, driving back the Philistines and giving the nation peace. For one brief, shining moment, it seems like Israel has learned the lesson.But it does not last.When Samuel grows old and his sons prove corrupt, the elders demand a king. They want to be like the nations around them, with visible power, military strength, and a man they can point to as their idol.In this episode, we walk through Israel’s demand for a monarchy, the sadness in Yahweh’s response, and Samuel’s solemn warning about what kings always take. It is the heartbreaking story of a people rejecting the God who has protected them.

After the ark of God is captured, Israel staggers under judgment, Eli dies in horror, and the old order at Shiloh collapses. But the Philistines soon learn that they have not captured a powerless trophy. When they place the ark beside Dagon in Ashdod, Yahweh begins to move against them with terrifying force, humiliating their god, striking their cities, and turning their victory into dread. This episode follows the ark’s grim journey through Philistia and back into Israel, revealing a holy God who cannot be used, mocked, or handled without reverence.

We enter the dark world of the Philistines, Israel’s most relentless enemy, a people of iron, fortified cities, military discipline, and gods that sanctify cruelty. As Israel faces them at Aphek, a first defeat turns into panic, and the elders make a disastrous choice: they bring the ark of the covenant into battle, treating the presence of Yahweh like a weapon rather than approaching Him with repentance. The Philistines rally, Israel is shattered, thirty thousand men fall, the sons of Eli are killed, and the ark of God is captured. This episode explores the terror of Philistine power, the danger of false confidence, and the sobering truth that holy things cannot be used to manipulate the living God.--Learn more at lionofwarseries.com and lionofwar.substack.com, and follow Cliff on Instagram @cliff.t.graham.

In this episode, we walk into the darkened sanctuary where a boy named Samuel lies down to sleep near the ark of God, and hears his name called in the night. At first he thinks it is Eli, the aging high priest, calling for him. It is not. After years of silence, Yahweh is speaking again.But the first word He gives is not a word of comfort. It is a word of judgment against Eli’s house, against corruption in the priesthood, and against the passivity that allowed it to fester.This is the story of Samuel’s call, of a quiet voice in the dark, and of the moment heaven breaks its silence and begins to move history forward again through the least likely vessel imaginable: a child.

Israel is drifting.By the opening of 1 Samuel, the sanctuary still stands at Shiloh, sacrifices are still offered, and pilgrims still make their yearly journeys to worship. But beneath the surface something vital has begun to deteriorate. The priesthood has grown corrupt, leadership has grown dull, and the voice of God has become rare.Into this weary moment steps a woman named Hannah.Childless in a world where motherhood defines security and honor, Hannah carries a grief that touches every corner of her life. Year after year she travels to Shiloh with her family, enduring quiet humiliation and rivalry within her own household. Finally, in desperation, she pours out her soul before the Lord and makes a vow that will shape the future of Israel.Her prayer—often called the Song of Hannah—rings out like a warrior’s declaration, announcing a God who overturns human power, who raises the weak and humbles the strong, and who will one day give strength to His king and exalt the horn of His anointed.Through the birth of her son Samuel, God begins to speak again in Israel, and the stage is set for the rise of prophets, kings, and the long story that will eventually lead to David.Learn more at lionofwarseries.com and lionofwar.substack.com, and follow Cliff on Instagram @cliff.t.graham.

Before David ever appears in Scripture, a long story has already been unfolding.In this episode, we step back to trace the history that leads to Israel’s greatest king. From the Garden of Eden to the flood, from the Tower of Babel to the call of Abraham, the Old Testament tells a repeating story: humanity rebels, God judges, God shows mercy, and the cycle begins again.God forms a covenant people through Abraham’s family, a promise carried through Isaac and Jacob to the tribes of Israel. After centuries of slavery in Egypt, the Lord delivers them through Moses, gives them His law at Sinai, and leads them toward the promised land.Yet Israel struggles to remain faithful. The era of the Judges becomes a time of chaos and spiritual drift.By the time we reach 1 Samuel, the nation still has its sanctuary and priesthood—but something vital has grown dim.This is the world David will inherit.--Learn more at lionofwarseries.com and lionofwar.substack.com, and follow Cliff on Instagram @cliff.t.graham.

Long before David ever set foot on a battlefield, the land of Israel was already one of the most contested pieces of ground on earth. Sitting between the great powers of Egypt and Mesopotamia, it formed a narrow strip of territory historians often call the Corridor of Empires—a land bridge armies had marched across for centuries. Every invading force, trade caravan, and migrating people moving between continents passed through these hills and valleys.In this episode, Cliff Graham explores the geography and history that shaped the biblical world David would inherit. Why did so many nations fight for control of this small piece of land? What made it strategically priceless? And how did the struggle for this corridor shape the culture, warfare, and faith of Israel?Learn more at lionofwarseries.com and cliffgraham.substack.com, and follow Cliff on Instagram @cliff.t.graham.

At the bottom of a quiet valley in Israel, there is no monument—just a farm, a dry creek bed, and a gas station beside the highway. At first glance, it looks like nothing at all. But if you stand there long enough and begin to peel away the modern world in your imagination, the ground starts to tell a different story.In this opening episode, author and former soldier Cliff Graham brings listeners to an unassuming place that once stood at the edge of invasion: a narrow pass ancient soldiers knew as the “Boundary of Blood.” It was the kind of ground where armies gathered, where fear settled in the stomach, and where the fate of a nation could hinge on a single moment.This episode introduces The Lion of War Podcast, a long-form exploration of the life of King David through Scripture, archaeology, battlefield geography, and the stories of the warriors who fought beside him. Drawing on twenty years of research, military experience, and time spent studying the land of Israel, Cliff sets the stage for a journey into one of the most gripping stories in the Bible.To learn more about the Lion of War series and the work behind this project, visit lionofwarseries.com or cliffgraham.substack.com, and follow Cliff on Instagram @cliff.t.graham.Praise to our God, and arrows to the enemy.

In “The Lion of War” Podcast, author and former soldier Cliff Graham invites listeners into the world behind the Lion of War novels—an immersive journey into the life of King David, the warriors who fought beside him, and the brutal, beautiful reality of the biblical world they lived in. Through Scripture, archaeology, battlefield geography, and hard-won human experience, this series explores the faith, courage, and suffering that shaped one of history’s greatest leaders.To learn more, visit Lionofwarseries.com or cliffgraham.substack.com, and follow Cliff on Instagram @cliff.t.graham.