The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein

Episode: King Joram & The Boiled Babies

Date: September 3, 2025
Host: Yael Eckstein (with full-cast dramatization)
Podcast by Pray.com

Overview

This emotionally charged episode centers on one of the Old Testament’s darkest and most desperate stories: the siege of Samaria under King Joram (Jehoram), the city’s descent into famine-induced horror, and the role of the prophet Elisha. Through evocative dramatization, host Yael Eckstein and her cast explore the crisis of faith and leadership at Samaria’s breaking point, revealing how suffering tests trust, prophecy, and hope. The episode dives deep into themes of blame, despair, reluctant prophecy, miraculous deliverance, and the tragic cost of disbelief.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Setting the Scene: Samaria Under Siege

• The city of Samaria is crippled by famine as the Aramean army encircles it, waiting for starvation to cripple the Israelites into surrender.
• Elisha’s disciples, troubled by the suffering and accusations against their master, question the role of the prophet during such catastrophe.
• Elisha’s reaction: He calmly frames prophetic calling as one of unwelcome honesty—forcing people to “see” what’s true.

Notable Quote:

"People hate prophets because we make them see. And once a man sees, he cannot unsee. That is what they cannot forgive."
— Elisha (B), [03:55]

2. The Crisis of Blame and Leadership

• King Joram (son of Ahab and Jezebel) is portrayed as a broken, anguished leader, angry at God, the prophet, and circumstance, but unable to admit moral responsibility.
• The king’s cynicism and despair bubble over as he surveys his starving people, lamenting that their only nourishment is “donkey heads and dove droppings.”

Notable Quote:

"They come to me crying out, help me, my lord the king. They ask for my help as though I can turn stones into bread..."
— King Joram (C), [09:28]

3. The Horrors of Famine: The Boiled Babies Incident

• In the emotional climax, a woman tearfully describes (to King Joram) a pact made with another: to boil and eat their children for survival.
• She details the horror and betrayal—she gave up her son but was denied the other’s, demanding justice.
• The king is left devastated and speechless, facing the city’s moral collapse.

Notable Moment:

• “We boiled him. We ate my son. Oh God, we ate my boy. My baby. O Lord, forgive me. My son.”
  — First Woman (F), [12:15]

4. The King’s Rage and Scapegoating of Elisha

• In grief and rage, Joram blames Elisha for the calamity and orders his execution, vowing, “The head of Elisha, son of Shaphat, remains on his shoulders today.” [15:16]
• Guards are dispatched to seize Elisha, blaming the prophet for God’s silence and the city’s misery.

5. Elisha’s Message of Imminent Salvation

• Despite the chaos, Elisha is calm and assures his followers of the Lord’s coming deliverance:
  • “Before the sun sets tomorrow, the siege will end. The gates will open. There will be so much food in this city that a measure of the finest flour will sell for a single shekel…” [19:19]
• One of the king’s skeptical officers mocks the prophecy, to which Elisha grimly retorts,
  • “You will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat of it.” [19:55]

6. The Miracle and Its Ironies

• The narrative shifts to the Aramean camp, found deserted by desperate lepers. The enemy army fled, abandoning food and riches.
• King Joram, dubious, but desperate, sends scouts—who confirm the lepers’ account.
• The city surges out to plunder the abandoned camp; the doubting officer is trampled to death at the gate, fulfilling Elisha’s chilling prophecy literally.

Notable Moment/Quote:

• “He’ll be crushed by the news.” — King Joram (C), bitterly and with dark irony, after witnessing the officer’s death [27:21]

Memorable Quotes & Timestamps

• On prophetic truth:

  • “Blame does not require logic, my boy. The king sees his people starving and looks for someone to hang the weight of it on. He cannot blame the Armenians. ...So he blames me because I am here and I am inconvenient.”
    — Elisha (B), [04:56]

• On faith and suffering:

  • “Faith does not come from what you feel, but from what you know to be true about the Lord's character. And what I know is the Lord has never failed us. And he has not forgotten his people. He never has and never will. Even now, he is moving.”
    — Elisha (B), [18:02]

• On deliverance:

  • “Deliverance will come, but not how you expect... The Lord is not a tame God. He's not some street cat you can woo with a saucer of milk. He's a lion. He does not move according to your timetable or mine. But he will move. That I know.”
    — Elisha (B), [06:35]

• On broken leadership:

  • “My people, my people. What have we become?”
    — King Joram (C), [14:28]

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | | -------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | | 00:23–02:27 | Samaria’s siege and famine introduced, Elisha’s disciples | | 03:45–07:28 | Dialogue with Elisha; prophetic burdens and blame discussed| | 09:09–15:38 | King Joram’s despair, confrontation with famine’s horrors| | 10:49–14:22 | The boiled babies account and its aftermath | | 15:38–16:55 | King orders Elisha’s capture, guards dispatched | | 17:00–20:56 | Elisha’s prophecy of salvation, his students’ doubts | | 22:21–25:00 | Lepers report the empty Aramean camp, king’s suspicion| | 26:14–27:49 | Prophecy fulfilled, officer’s death, city’s salvation| | 27:49–28:31 | Spiritual reflection and blessing by Yael Eckstein |

Episode Tone and Style

• The episode is rich in dramatic tension, deeply empathetic to human suffering, and unafraid to confront biblical darkness.
• The tone is grave yet ultimately hopeful, leaning into the mysterious faithfulness of God, represented through Elisha and the narrative’s ultimate deliverance.

Takeaway

Through the grim story of Samaria’s famine, the prophet Elisha’s endurance, and a miraculous—and ironic—deliverance, the episode prompts listeners to grapple with faith under pressure, human blame, divine timing, and the persistent assurance that “the Lord has never failed us.” The story ends on a bittersweet note: deliverance arrives unexpectedly, prophecy is vindicated, but not everyone receives its blessing—a poignant testament to the cost of doubt and the necessity of faith.

“Stay here, my students. Pray for the city. Salvation is near. And when it comes, it will come swiftly.”
— Elisha (B), [20:46]