There isn’t a lot of information about David’s mother in the bible. Many have wondered who she was. They ponder how her life was lived. We know she was the wife of Jesse. Other than that, our bibles seem to deliberately ignore her story. Today I will explore the untold story. You can determine for yourself whether or not some of these stories are true.
Usually it is my only intention to explore the holy scriptures. Today I am making an exception and reporting what I have heard from other sources and other commentators. I’ll try to present both sides of the story. My thoughts are to let you determine the facts for yourself. Please do your own research. Though I’ve studied long and hard, I’m not necessarily sure what is true. In my search I’ve found a great deal of information. There is no way to verify the facts. Only God and David know the whole truth. The untold story of David’s mother looms out at us. It seems to scream out for attention and verification.
THE UNTOLD STORY – IS IT TRUE?
Many are the theories about why David’s mother’s story is so silent. I wanted to know more. So, I dug into the ancient writings from the Talmud. What I’m about to discuss here isn’t necessarily scriptural. Please know that up front. These are simply the thoughts of a few Jewish rabbis. I will always tell you if I’m leaving scripture. Today we are mostly studying Jewish history. This is one of those times I will allow myself. In all of this exploration I do have reasons for studying more. It is all about understanding why David set up The Tabernacle of David as he did.
During all the searching, I did stumble across this amazing story. For the sake of being absolutely thorough, I wanted to share it. Again, I did not get this story from the scriptures but from ancient Jewish literature which isn’t always accurate.
This very complicated (possibly imagined) story about David’s mother is too long for me to repeat. Also, since I did not write it, I could not legally do so. I can only pass on references for you to check. Thus, I will simply refer the link of the story I found about Nitzevat. Many think Nitzevat was the name of David’s mother. There are scholars who might disagree with that name too. Just as many scholars as agree with this story will give reasons for the interpretations here to be wrong.
YOU CAN DECIDE
There are several references we could explore. I’m only presenting one. The story for this next link was written by Chana Weisberg for Chabad.org. It seemed to me to be the most intriging story. This story is presented here by a link so you can read it word-for-word. If you skip this link, you may not understand the rest of this article. I would advise reading all of this very intriguing supposition. Here is the link: https://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article_cdo/aid/280331/jewish/Nitzevet-Mother-of-David.htm.
I will ask one question of anyone who reads the above link. Have you ever read such an amazing story? As I read through the words I kept recalling other biblical stories which paralleled these words about David’s mother’s story. If this story isn’t true, it is at least an amazing work of literature.
MORE DETAILS
There are many other informative links from other Christian/Jewish writers who write about this topic. A few of them stick strictly to the scriptures and present the slightly mentioned history. Listen to those thoughts too. Many of them are opposed to the above story. Maybe we can begin to determine some of these facts (or fiction.) We should look at both possibilities. Perhaps we will begin to discern what these stories could (or could not) mean to us today.
One huge take-away from this research is that we DO know David’s Mother was a woman of faith. It seems to be proven from the scriptures. These scriptures by David are found in Psalm 116:16 and Psalm 86:16. That thought alone helps me to understand David better. This one important fact most likely influenced many of the ways he thought and acted.
Thus it seems we can be assured David’s huge faith (one of his best characteristics) was passed down from his Mother. In the past I attributed that fact to Jesse. It is always possible that the trait of faith could have been passed down from both parents. Jesse was a very well respected religious leader among the people. Do not forget this as you read through people’s theories of who David’s mother might have been.
SHOULD WE WALK DOWN THIS ROAD?
Many people will tell you not to travel down this trail. They will warn if something isn’t officially in the bible, you should never consider it. To a point, I agree. However, I’ve also found the ancient writings have made the history of certain eras come alive.
After studying the history, those facts I know are true seem more clear for me. Understanding cultural history helps us understand translation error passages of the bible also. Some translators did not understand the Hebrew. Therefore they often interpreted certain passages to mean what they did not. So, I will let you be the judge of how you study this lesson. My only thoughts are that you should do this carefully with discernment. Use prayer, asking God to reveal what He wants you to know.
It was tempting to me to not to open this can of worms. In the end, I simply could not fail to mention these possibilities. It is up to all of us to pray. We must discern what is true and what is not, and decide how to digest it all.
IF THE STORIES PROVE TRUE
At any rate, in light of the above writings, I have the following thoughts to offer. I offer them just in case these legendary stories are true and accurate. You must decide. I do not claim to be telling the gospel in mentioning these stories. The next thoughts are simply my own thoughts. These are the things that came to mind as I pondered and studied these interesting “extra” stories and possibilities.
Consider yourself IF the legends are true. (You must first explore the link at the beginning of this article to understand the story of which I speak.) This information is included to help us understand why David did some of the things we are about to discuss. They are things concerning the Tabernacle of David. I truly desire to know the logic he used. Did these facts play a part in deciding how the worship was set up in this new Tabernacle? Many things were new and different. I think how David was influenced in these matters could be important. Perhaps these possibilities do matter in a million different ways.
A CHILD OF NO DWELLING OFFERS GOD A PLACE TO DWELL
Suppose for a moment the above stories are true. Perhaps there was a reason David needed a Father’s love during those lonely days of his childhood. His own amazing father could have neglected him. If David experienced what the legends proclaim, he was told he wasn’t a legitimate child of Jesse. This could have happened during his early childhood, before he could even begin to comprehend what it meant.
Perhaps He heard the talk of the villagers. Maybe they were saying his mother committed adultury after she gave birth to Jesse’s other sons. In all of these stories David’s mother was AT FIRST thought to be a woman of ill repute. The truth, THAT SHE WAS NOT, would not have come forth until David was crowned the anointed King of Israel. That was when the mother in the story revealed the true facts of his birth. It was possible David lived his childhood out in the shadows of the undeserved shame the local community heaped upon his Mother.
CAST OUT TO BE A SHEPHERD
Remember when Samuel came to Jesse to anoint David as Israel’s future king? David had been out in the fields tending the sheep. It was customary for children born out of wedlock to become the family shepherds. Legend has it that the families of such children secretly hoped they would be devoured by a bear or a lion. That was a possibility when children were left tending sheep in the fields. Remember in the days of Joseph how Egypt regarded shepherds as being lowly and the least respected of the people? Perhaps these customs carried over to Israel from those days.
Now this shameful custom was a proven historical fact during David’s generation. Thus, any less than honorable child born to an Israelite would not be living directly inside the father’s home. He was not treated as well as the more respectful sons. These bastard children were still loved and cared for. However, they were not provided for as well as the children of the more respected wives. No one wished for them to be among the ones who inherited from their Father’s fortunes.
When the prophet Samuel came to see Jesse, David was not there. It was because he was not allowed to dwell within his father’s home. Samuel asked, “Is there not another lad?” That was when Jesse revealed that one was out tending the sheep. After that David was brought in to Samuel.
NO PLACE TO LAY HIS HEAD
Suppose the above legends could be true. Did you notice the next parallel between the earthly life of Jesus and the life of David?
Most of the people of Yeshua’s family realized that Joseph was not the birth father of Jesus. Most of the family realized Mary had become pregnant before their wedding. Joseph had been caught up in something he did not understand. An angel had to guide him.
Jesus too, might have been a child treated as one who could not live within the house. He might have been numbered as one destined to live as a shepherd in the fields. The angel coming to Joseph probably spared this for Yeshua. God’s guidance of Joseph’s decisions most likely changed this undeserved situation for Jesus. Still the whispers and the backtalk probably evolved all around his life as a child. We also know how Yeshua did later spend time as a shepherd. This was just as David had done. Neither of these two seemed to have a true home. They both became shepherds at a young age.
One scripture comes to mind as I ponder this thought. Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:20.) Here we are considering how David wanted to build a house for God. Was this because He was acqutely aware of what it was like not to have a home? Did David wish to give God the thing that He had always longed for yet never accomplished? When the palace was built in all of its granduar, this thought must have grown stronger within David’s heart.
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE A MOTHER’S LOVE
Here I will leave this subject. This is where I quit my comments. Now I will let God guide you in considering whether or not the legends are true. I truly cannot say. Sort them out in prayer and determine for yourself. I just felt it was an important part of the story of David’s life. These were possibilities which needed to be presented before we move on. Legend or not, there does seem to be a large number of parallels with our Messiah and David.
David’s love for his Mother influenced the way he set up worship at the Tabernacle of David. The stories say she treated all people the same. She was very forgiving and merciful to all whom she met. Every story seems to indicate David’s Mother trained him to love and honor God. Maybe one day we can ask David what was true and what was not.
I can’t help but ponder the thoughts in David’s subconscious mind as he danced wildly down the streets of Jerusalem. There was his Mother’s child, joyfully carrying the Ark of the Covenant into a new location. He was now a King, but his faith in God had never waivered. Now he wanted to make a home for God’s throne in Jerusalem, The City of David.I like to think his Mother would have been very proud of him.
PRAYER: Father, I pray you open our eyes to unseen truths. Also, please guard our hearts from being deceived in any way. Yeshua warned us deceptions could happen during the end times. We trust You, Our Father, to lead us. Guide us to use the scriptures in ways that help us to grow. Teach us your ways, and your ways alone. Amen