Eugene Peterson’s vibrant, unforgettable exploration of one of the most memorable—and controversial—figures in Scripture: King David.  

The David story is the most extensively narrated single story in the Bible, and the Old Testaments reveals him both at his best and his worst. He is known as a shepherd, a psalmist, a fugitive, a war hero, a murderer, and a king whose legacy is marked by victories and moral failings alike. Peterson’s multi-dimensional portrait of this “man after God’s own heart” studies David’s humanity and examines his key relationships such as those with Saul, Goliath, Jonathan, Bathsheba, and Absolom. Uncompromisingly honest and remarkably insightful, Leap Over a Wall offers the hope that every event in David’s life was a confrontation with God, just as our every experience can hold divine encounter.  

A vision brought to life by one of the world’s most respected and influential theologians, the author of The Pastor, The Jesus Way, Practice Resurrection, and The Message, Leap Over a Wall is a unique opportunity to reconnect with David, a man simultaneously admirable, soulful, and dark, and one of the most complex and vital characters of the greatest story ever written.  

Ideal for personal devotional use, Bible study, or small group study.