Good Morning and Welcome to the first Saturday Spotlight of July 2025!
Hope your Independence Day celebrations are safe and happy.
Today we bring Barbara Britton back with her book, Defending David, part of her "Tribes of Israel" series.
Thanks for visiting us again, Barbara. Tell us what makes Defending David so special...
Thank you for having me back on the blog, Pam.
King David is a popular Bible hero and recently people have taken a renewed interest in David’s life with the drama “House of David.” Amazon Prime takes a few licenses with Scripture, but viewers tune in to see how a shepherd boy rose to power and became king over Israel.
In my novel “Defending David,” I capture David’s life when it is in turmoil. David is older and his son Absalom is determined to kill his father and claim the throne. David flees Jerusalem like a criminal. David is not fighting with armies or even a sling. David retreats in weakness.
David is still the man after God’s own heart as we read in I Samuel 13:14, and God provides a helper for David. God has a sense of humor because He sends a Philistine exile to assist David. This enemy exile has hundreds of fighting men and is sold out to the One True God. Who is this unlikely hero to David? A man with a fun name—Ittai the Gittite.
I enjoyed shining a light on Ittai and showing how David trusted him during a tumultuous time. Ittai is front and center as the buff warrior who saves an aging king, and he also finds love along the way.
“Defending David” covers a chunk of Scripture in II Samuel, chapters 15-19:8.
Wonderful! Give us more please...
Sure here's the cover, blurb and an excerpt...
When a quiet journey to Jerusalem turns tragic, newly orphaned Rimona must flee a kinsman set on selling her as a slave. Racing into the rocky hills outside of Hebron, Rimona is rescued by a Philistine commander journeying to Jerusalem with six-hundred warriors.
Exiled commander, Ittai the Gittite, is seeking refuge in the City of David. Protecting a frantic Hebrew woman is not in his leadership plan. Although, having a nobleman's niece in his caravan might prove useful for finding shelter in a foreign land. Rimona and Ittai arrive in Jerusalem on the eve of a rebellion. In the chaos of an heir's betrayal, will they be separated forever, or can they defend King David and help the aging monarch control his rebellious son?
Excerpt:
Stifling a laugh, Ittai surveyed the approach of the closest stranger. Why was anyone traipsing over rock and crevices in the dark when sunlight wasn’t far off? Some men had no sense. How many fools had he encountered in battle? Too many and they were dead. Crouching near a tower of rocks and a spindly sapling, Ittai unsheathed his blade. He breathed in cool air untainted with kicked-up camel dust. His eyes overcame the darkness to rest on a form breeching the top of the hill.
Sandal slaps. Wheezing. One fool had made it to the crest. Hamuran would cut off the others.
Nearer and nearer the climber came. Ittai swallowed. The sour taste of bile pulled his jaw tight.
Lord, give me victory.
The man stumbled over a rock and whimpered.
Ittai lunged.
He grabbed the stranger and pulled the thin frame taut to his chest. His knife rested against the flesh of the prowler’s neck.
“Stay silent, or I will send your head thumping to the dirt.”
His captive turned to stone. Trembling stone.
A swell of breast rose and fell beneath Ittai’s arm. No stench of sweat or body odor offended his nose. This quivering climber smelled of scented soap even after a trek up a hill. An abundance of soft curls tickled his chin.
He’d caught a woman.
What was a woman doing out at night? In the wilderness? In his arms?
He eased his blade from her neck. “I mean you no harm. I am not a foe. I will release you if you keep your voice low.”
She nodded ever so slightly. A tiny whine escaped from her lips as if she were agreeing to his demand in earnest.
He loosened his hold but kept her upright with a commanding grasp of her arm. A crazed or enraged woman could do harm. He had learned that in the most difficult of ways. He gave her enough slack to turn and face him in the shadows.
“Help me,” the woman rasped. “Men are chasing me.”
Securing his weapon, he kept his gaze centered on the gleam in her dark eyes.
“They mean to cut out my tongue.” Her chest rose and sunk like the sea. “And sell me as a slave. My father is not a thief.”
The woman’s eyes blinked without rest. He had only seen someone so undone under two circumstances—when he told his mother he was going off to war, or in war, when a man was pleading for his life. His mind became a fog of memories. His calm, tranquil night had been set ablaze.
AMAZING! I remember how much I enjoyed reading
Defending David. Get your copy on
Amazon (FREE in KU), you won't regret it!
Hope you enjoyed Barbara's visit today folks and that you'll check back every week for another Saturday Spotlight. See Barbara's other spotlights
HERE.
Until next time take care and God Bless.
PamT
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