I haven’t watched many Amazon or Netflix series, but I kept seeing ads for the series House of David on Amazon, and it intrigued me. It was rated 13+, and the reviews mentioned there was no sex or nudity, so I decided to give it a try. Honestly, right from the start, I realized it’s rated 13+ because of the blood. They really don’t hold back on the fighting, death, and blood, which would have been common in the type of society they lived in.
WATCH HOUSE OF DAVID ON AMAZON
I started watching the first episode and was immediately intrigued by the depiction of the fight between David and Goliath. I hadn’t considered that Goliath might have tried to kill David and could have even wounded him. The scene was captivating, with Goliath throwing multiple spears at David and even wounding him at one point. I know how the story ends, but I’m anxious to see how they portray the rest of it.
Episode 1 continues with a young David and his mother are confronted by a lion, and his mother saves his life by sacrificing her own. I’ve been so impressed. To me, the show has been told very well. The acting, cinematography, and scripting have all been excellent. They haven’t held back from making David true to his heritage and faithful to the Lord. Likewise, the fall of Saul, and the faithfulness of Samuel in following the spirit of God. Though it doesn’t show Samuel praying, it portrays his understanding of receiving revelation from God in a very believable way.
I’ve binged about three episodes at this point, and I love this series.
In Episode 2, David hunts and kills a lion, while at the same time, the kingdom is being taken from Saul. The show toggles back and forth, telling these parallel stories. The scenes depicting Samuel the prophet confronting Saul were powerful. They didn’t mince words or minimize the fact that the God of Israel has power, is the only God, and is central to the story. Sometimes Hollywood tries to tell biblical stories without even mentioning the word “God,” unless it’s used as a slur. This has not been the case here. God has been central to the story.
In Episode 3, Samuel goes on the search for the new king, while King Saul seeks to destroy Samuel. In the Bible, you have the worshipers of Baal and other soothsayers who work in darkness. The show intertwines these narratives into the story in a tasteful manner. They could have made it much darker, but instead, it’s done in a manner constructive to the story. It’s made me realize just how powerful the story of David is.
I keep having images of the Liken the Scriptures musical with Thurl Bailey going through my head, which, by the way, is very good. I love the music and their version of the story. In it, Saul breaks all the fancy dishes during his mental breakdown. This depiction of Saul’s breakdown is darker and more intense.
At the end of this episode, the prophet Samuel finds David and anoints him with oil to be the next king. Though my personal beliefs might have depicted it slightly differently, the way they told the story of the anointing was captivating.
House of David: How to watch on Prime Video on February 27
I haven’t watched all of the episodes yet, but this series is making me realize that Amazon is really capable of creating a solid biblical story without messing it up. There hasn’t been anything in this series that has repelled me because it grossly misrepresents the biblical story. Now, I know it’s a historical fiction narrative, and I’m sure there are inaccuracies, but they’ve been overshadowed by the quality of the production.