vid’s father was Jesse, son of Obed and grandson of Ruth. He lived in Belém and had eight sons and two daughters. The Bible says little about Jesse.
Jesse was the grandson of Boaz, the husband of Ruth, who was a wealthy and influential man. As his heir, Jesse was probably well off. Their three oldest children were in Saul’s army ( 1 Samuel 17:13 ). Since there was no mandatory enlistment, this probably indicates that they were trained warriors, which only happened in the wealthiest families who could afford the costs and buy good weapons.
When Samuel came to Bethlehem to anoint a king, he invited Jesse and his sons to make a sacrifice, along with the city authorities. Jesse, being elderly and Obed’s grandson, was probably one of the city officials as well. Jesse took all of his children except his youngest, David, who was working taking care of the sheep. He introduced each of his sons to Samuel but God rejected them all, even the warriors. Then Jesse sent for David from the field, and Samuel anointed him in the presence of his brothers ( 1 Samuel 16: 1-13 ).
See also: why did God choose David?
Later, Jesse let David work for King Saul as a harpist. During the war against the Philistines, David was sent by Jesse to his brothers, to bring food and bring news of the war to his father ( 1 Samuel 17: 17-19 ). There David heard Goliath’s challenge and decided to kill him. When David killed Goliath, Saul was so impressed that he did not let David return to his father’s house ( 1 Samuel 18: 2 ). David went on to work full time for Saul.
