Struck by the realisation that many believe that the Bible is only filled with genealogies and Jesus petting lambs, Army vet-turned-author Cliff Graham commenced writing his epic Lion of War series—depicting the life and times of David and his Mighty Men.
“The Bible is an exciting true story filled with the blood, sweat and tears of men and women whom God used in mighty ways to bring glory to Himself, and any notion of it being a dry and dull book is false,” shares Cliff. “By reading and experiencing this take on God’s Word in a vivid way, people will hopefully be excited to read the real account.”
The second book, Covenant of War (Zondervan), takes place during the early years of David’s reign. Cliff relied on Biblical experts, university professors and the research of former Israeli Army commanders and historians for historical accuracy.
“At the end of the day, however, I write fiction,” Cliff says, “and many parts of this series are from my imagination. I think it is informed imaginative speculation. I studied what is known, tried to think like a military commander, and also remembered that the whole point of the story of David in the Bible is God teaching us about Himself.”
Cliff believes we can learn from David’s men, “We don’t know much about the Mighty Men, but we do know that many of them began as disgruntled outcasts from society, and God, through David, forged them into a fearsomely effective kingdom-building force. With the power of Christ in us, we can be the same in the modern world—albeit, without killing Philistines!”
The Lion of War series is currently being produced as a major motion picture franchise by the newly-formed GiantKiller Pictures, with director David L. Cunningham (To End All Wars, The Path to 9/11), producer Grant Curtis (the Spider-man trilogy, the upcoming “Oz: The Great and Powerful”) and screenwriter John Fusco (Young Guns, Hidalgo, The Forbidden Kingdom).