I feel certain that when Boaz and Ruth formed their family, they had no idea of the amazing things that would happen throughout the history of the Bible. They had one son, Obed. The sum of his life is recorded in the last verse of the book of Ruth. “And Obed begat Jesse”; that is all we know.
The story of Jesse isn’t much different. As the grandson of a Moabitess and an Israelite, he held no special status. He was an ordinary man, living an ordinary life. There is no mention of a Mrs. Jesse, but there is recorded that he had eight sons.
Only four of his sons are named; the eldest is Eliab, and the next two, Abinadab and Shammah. David was the youngest.
We do see Jesse as an obedient servant of God. When God sent the prophet Samuel to Bethlehem to the home of Jesse, we find him ready to accept the prophet’s invitation to a sacrifice to God. After the sacrifice, Samuel asked Jesse to have his sons pass before him, but Scripture does not indicate that Jesse knew this was for the purpose of selecting a king.
As each son passed before Samuel, he was rejected as the chosen one. Samuel asked Jesse to bring David in from the field, and God revealed that he was the future king of Israel.
Later, when King Saul was suffering from an evil spirit, someone in Saul’s inner circle suggested that a harpist be brought in to calm the king. The search began, and David was chosen to come to the palace to play for the king. When Saul’s messengers revealed the need of the king, Scripture says that Jesse took a donkey and placed on it bread, wine, and a kid and sent them to King Saul.
David was so successful in calming Saul that the king sent word to Jesse that he wanted David to stay with him. We don’t know how long he stayed or how often he went home; but we do know David continued to care for his father’s sheep.
The three oldest sons fought in the army of King Saul. Younger brother David was sent to the battle to take gifts to their captain and supplies for his brothers. We know the rest of the story. David faced the Philistine giant, Goliath, and killed him.
The only descriptive term we find about Jesse is found in First Samuel 17:12. It says, “ Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons. In the days of Saul the man was already old and advanced in years.” His younger days with his sons are not mentioned. Nothing distinctive is shared about his life, yet there are some things we can know.
We know that he had sheep, because David was sent to Bethlehem to tend his father’s sheep (verse 15). We know that David was an obedient son, following his father’s instructions to check on his brothers and deliver supplies. That act of kindness shows Jesse’s generous spirit in sending food to Saul’s army and previously to King Saul.
I think Jesse represents a significant number of people who are just ordinary people, serving God and doing what they can. He serves as an example to us that great things can happen to ordinary people. Much of the good passed along may never be known by the giver. Boaz and Ruth did not know that they would be in the lineage of an Almighty King, Jesus our Savior. Jesse did not know that the Son of God would be born through the descendants of his youngest son.
Jesse lived his life, serving where and when he could. But notice—he never refused to serve. He did not refuse Samuel when he ordered David home from the field. He did not refuse when Saul sent for him to serve him in his palace. He did not refuse to support his sons’ service in Saul’s army.
The words of the psalmist in Psalm 100 give us some beautiful insights about our relationship with God. Be joyful in our verbal responses. Serve the Lord with a happy spirit. Know and acknowledge that the Lord is God. Live like we belong to God. Be a thankful people, and bless the name of our Lord. Acknowledge His mercy and His faithfulness as long as we live.
Sandra Oliver