The Chosen People

# 253 - Rebuilding The Temple - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, Returned exiles rebuild the altar and lay the temple’s foundation in Ezra 3–4, their songs of joy mingling with elders’ tears as worship rises from the ruins. When fake “allies” scheme and opposition mounts, the work stalls—but the altar’s flame keeps burning, calling a weary people to faithful beginnings. Epi...

# 252 - Return of the Exiles - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, Exiled Israel hears King Cyrus’s stunning decree and begins the long road home, as Zerubbabel and Jeshua rally families, priests, and Levites to return and rebuild. In Ezra 1–2, names are recorded, temple vessels are restored, and worship—more than walls—becomes the first foundation of renewal. Episode 252 of T...

# 251 - Esther the Hero - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, With Haman gone, Esther and Mordecai still face an irrevocable death decree and must act with courage and wisdom. Empowered by the king’s signet, they issue a counter-edict, lead their people to defend themselves, and transform a day marked for annihilation into Purim—a celebration of deliverance, steadfast faith, a...

# 250 - Haman Hangs - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, At Esther’s second banquet (Esther 6:14–7:10), the queen unveils her identity, exposes “this wicked Haman,” and the king orders Haman hung on the very gallows he built for Mordecai. This gripping episode explores courage under pressure, God’s quiet justice, and how pride prepares its own downfall. Episode 250 of The Cho...

# 249 - Haman's Plot - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, we witness Haman’s pride unravel as the gallows he builds for Mordecai become the stage for his own humiliation. In Esther 5:9–6:13, God’s hidden hand turns power upside down, reminding us that true honor belongs to the humble and that justice comes in His timing. Episode 249 of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein is...

# 248 - The Rise of Esther - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, Mordecai’s public grief forces Esther to choose between palace safety and covenant courage, leading her to fast, reveal her true name—Hadassah—and step toward the throne “for such a time as this.” With the golden scepter extended and a strategic banquet set, her quiet wisdom begins to unravel Haman’s plot and awa...

# 247 - Whispers of Evil - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, Mordecai exposes an assassination plot and is forgotten as Haman rises to power, demands homage, and spins a sealed decree to annihilate the Jews. In the shadows of Persia’s palace, Esther’s hidden position—and a single act of defiance—sets the stage for a showdown between whispering evil and quiet courage. Episode...

# 246 - The Peasant Princess - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, Dragged from obscurity into Persia’s palace, an orphan named Esther is swept into a beauty selection that feels more like exile than honor—yet quiet courage and hidden providence begin to move behind the curtains. In Esther 2, witness how favor, fidelity, and a remembered name (“Hadassah”) set the stage for a p...

# 245 - The Exiled Queen - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein,Episode 245 of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein is inspired by the Book of Joshua. Sign up for The Chosen People devotionals at https://www.thechosenpeople.com/sign-upFor more information about Yael Eckstein and IFCJ visit https://www.ifcj.org/Today's opening prayer is inspired by Psalm 118:6, “Yahweh is on my s...

# 244 - Daniel & The Lion’s Den - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, When a royal decree outlaws prayer, Daniel’s only “crime” is faithfulness—so his enemies throw him into a pit of lions. Journey through Daniel 6 as God shuts mouths, topples schemes, and proves that allegiance to the Eternal King outlasts every empire. Episode 244 of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein is i...

# 243 - The Writing on The Wall - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, A drunken feast in Babylon is shattered by a disembodied hand writing judgment on the wall—MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN. Walk with Daniel in Daniel 5 as he deciphers the message, confronting pride, false worship, and the urgency to humble ourselves before the God who numbers our days. Episode 243 of The Chosen...

# 242 - The King & The Beast - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, Nebuchadnezzar—the “Beast King”—is stripped of his glory and driven to the fields until he lifts his eyes to heaven. Discover how pride dehumanizes and how humble worship restores our reason, dignity, and calling as God’s image-bearers. Episode 242 of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein is inspired by the Book...

# 241 - The Fiery Furnace - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, When Babylon’s music swells and a golden idol towers over the plain, three exiles refuse to bow—choosing faith over survival. Their stand leads to the furnace, where a fourth figure appears in the flames and a humbled king witnesses the God who rescues “even if not.”Episode 241 of The Chosen People with Yael Eckst...

# 240 - Daniel & The King's Dreams - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, Nebuchadnezzar’s troubling dream of a towering statue reveals the fragility of every earthly empire. In this episode, Daniel unveils its meaning and points to the eternal kingdom that will never be shaken. Episode 240 of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein is inspired by the Book of Joshua. Sign up for T...

# 239 - Daniel’s Captivity - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, In Babylon’s shadow, Daniel and his friends are stripped of their names and groomed for the king’s court—but a quiet act of conviction redraws the battle lines. This episode explores how faithful resistance begins with small choices, as Daniel resolves not to defile himself and discovers that identity in God outl...

# 238 - The Destruction of Jerusalem - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, the Temple burns, and King Zedekiah’s fear leads Judah into ruin—but even in the ashes, God’s covenant voice is not silent. This episode walks through the grief of exile and the surprising hope that still breathes in Jeremiah’s promises. Episode 238 of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein is inspired by...

# 237 - Nebuchadnezer Attacks - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, As Judah unravels after Josiah, Jehoahaz is seized, Jehoiakim bows to Egypt, Jeremiah’s scroll burns—and a new name rises from the east: Nebuchadnezzar. This gripping chapter traces the slow slide toward exile and asks what happens when leaders drift, altars are replaced, and the Word refuses to stay silent. E...

# 236 - Josiah & The Burning Gods - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, Josiah tears down idols and burns the gods that once devoured children, choosing obedience even when judgment is already sealed. His story is both tragic and holy—showing that righteousness may not save a nation, but it still matters to God. Episode 236 of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein is inspired b...

# 235 - Josiah & The Hidden Scroll - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, A boy-king raised in the shadow of Molech discovers a hidden scroll, and the forgotten Word of God slices through generations of idolatry. Follow Josiah’s tear-soaked repentance and fearless reforms as he leads Judah from ashes to covenant renewal. Episode 235 of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein is in...

# 234 - Hezekiah & The Silent Slaughter - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, Under siege by Assyria’s taunts, King Hezekiah lays a threatening letter before God—and heaven answers the silence with sovereign deliverance. Explore a breathtaking story of prayer over panic, courage under mockery, and the God who topples empires without loosing a single arrow. Episode 234 of The C...

# 233 - Jonah & The Beast P. 2 - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, Jonah runs hard from God’s call to show mercy to Nineveh—straight into a storm, a casting of lots, and the belly of a great fish, where rebellion finally turns into prayer. This episode dives into Jonah 1–2 to show how the “belly of the beast” becomes a womb of grace, where teshuvah (return) begins and salvat...

# 232 - Jonah & The Beast P. 1 - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, Jonah runs hard from God’s call to show mercy to Nineveh—straight into a storm, a casting of lots, and the belly of a great fish, where rebellion finally turns into prayer. This episode dives into Jonah 1–2 to show how the “belly of the beast” becomes a womb of grace, where teshuvah (return) begins and salvat...

# 231 - Jehu: The Butcher King - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, Jehu returns in 2 Kings 10 with blazing zeal—toppling Baal yet leaving the golden calves—forcing us to ask whether our “justice” looks anything like God’s. This episode wrestles with zeal without surrender, and why true reform must be aligned with mercy, humility, and obedience. Episode 231 of The Chosen Peop...

# 230 - Jehu: The Kingslayer - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, A prophet’s oil crowns a warrior and unleashes a firestorm: Jehu rides hard into 2 Kings 9, toppling Ahab’s house and forcing us to confront the razor’s edge between divine justice and human vengeance. In this episode, we wrestle with anointing without holiness—and why Jesus’ way of the cross tells a different...

# 229 - King Joram & The Boiled Babies - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, Samaria collapses under siege—famine ravages the city, the king unravels, and despair blames the prophet—until Elisha declares a shocking promise of overnight deliverance. This episode wrestles with judgment and mercy, the silence of God, and the unexpected ways He saves when hope seems impossible. Ep...