27

27th November - Jesse

Reflection by Susan Jourdain

A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse,
   and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
   the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
   the spirit of counsel and might,
   the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

Isaiah 11.1-2

Jesse is called the root of a family which ruled over many generations: his grandchild was Solomon and the family’s most famous member, Jesus. Jesse's grandfather was the farmer who told his servants to leave generous gleanings for the foreign woman, Ruth. Other long-lasting families are that of Mohammed and the Khan/Luan dynasty and also our Cavendishes. So what are the features that support them even through a period of 'bad kings'? 

I see the habit of looking outward, valuing foreigners and even their wives. Successful families all contribute what they can to society and Jesse respected Samuel's choice of his youngest son to rule over the older. Abigail's servants respected her enough to send tribute to David's protection racket, even when her husband witheld payment. Mohammed allowed his wife full powers for social and ethical management of the new religion. Ghengis Khan trusted his family and friends with regional govenance as he rode across his vast Empire, unlike the Romans.

One of the features of believing in one almighty God and an after-life is a belief that all people are valuable, even those others consider worthless or mad. Respect for those who differ from oneself is shown by Abraham who paid for Sarah's gravesite: he looked around and saw a good future. The Hebrew rule gives servants a sabbath rest and a fallow year in seven for fields. Now the desert there flourishes.

A feature of believing in a creator god is understanding and respect for animals, insects and plants. Respect for the whole creation recognises that the world was not made only for us, we are the beneficiaries of God’s gift to us.