AMA.2.R
New Member
(Sorry. It's spelled Nitzevet. Or Nitzbet). Never heard of her? I hadn't either. But in studying the Psalms this morning, I ended up on a rabbit trail that led to the story of the YOUNG David as passed down in the Jewish Mishnah.
Now, please understand that I do realize the Mishnah is not the inspired Word of God. It is part of the Talmud, basically containing Jewish history, genealogies, and traditions passed down from generation to generation until officially recorded in, like, 200 A.D.? But where their personal genealogical histories were concerned, I guess the one area I'd be inclined to strongly trust would be that one.
Please be patient. I promise, I'm leading to a question.
So, studying David's psalms reminded me that I had always wondered about two peculiar things:
firstly, why--when the prophet Samuel had requested a meeting with Jesse and **all** of his sons--WHY was David left in the pastures with the sheep? Why did Samuel have to explicitly ask about whether there were any more sons at home? If the prophet had asked for them all, shouldn't they all have been brought? So strange! And secondly (maybe only us moms would think of this one, LOL) who was the mother who had laid the foundation for the amazing man David would become? How did she nurture this sensitive boy who would be "a man after God's own heart?" I mean, wouldn't we ALL want to be that kind of mom? Yet Scripture doesn't mention her overtly.
...which led me to this article, printed in a Jewish publication written by a Jewish woman based on Jewish history.
It absolutely blew my socks off. It seemed to explain soooo much about Psalm 69! It broke my heart in a whole new way for Jesse's grandmother, Ruth. It explained why David's brothers would have considered him as, not a brother, but a stranger, an alien (the root of which is actually "bastard")!
So finally, with all that explained, here's the link followed by my question:
http://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article_cdo/aid/280331/jewish/Nitzevet-Mother-of-David.htm
Q: Is it possible, where the Talmud and Mishnah are concerned, that we as Christians have thrown the baby out with the bath water? Is it worthy of open study to the extent that, while not inerrant, it might nonetheless shed amazing light on inerrant Scripture, not to mention the historical and cultural context into which Jesus was born? Does anyone know how the Biblical scholars we discuss on RF view it?
I can only say that I'd never, ever heard of Nitzevet, or the information about the death of Boaz, or Ruth's continued sorrows, or David's even-greater parallels as a *type* of our Lord, etc., but this one little article seemed to add such nuances to the things I DID know and wonder about.
What think the rest of you? Do we miss opportunities, not acquainting ourselves with the Talmud (or Josephus, for that matter)? Is it wrong to consider at least Jewish genealogical histories with any weight?
Now, please understand that I do realize the Mishnah is not the inspired Word of God. It is part of the Talmud, basically containing Jewish history, genealogies, and traditions passed down from generation to generation until officially recorded in, like, 200 A.D.? But where their personal genealogical histories were concerned, I guess the one area I'd be inclined to strongly trust would be that one.
Please be patient. I promise, I'm leading to a question.
So, studying David's psalms reminded me that I had always wondered about two peculiar things:
firstly, why--when the prophet Samuel had requested a meeting with Jesse and **all** of his sons--WHY was David left in the pastures with the sheep? Why did Samuel have to explicitly ask about whether there were any more sons at home? If the prophet had asked for them all, shouldn't they all have been brought? So strange! And secondly (maybe only us moms would think of this one, LOL) who was the mother who had laid the foundation for the amazing man David would become? How did she nurture this sensitive boy who would be "a man after God's own heart?" I mean, wouldn't we ALL want to be that kind of mom? Yet Scripture doesn't mention her overtly.
...which led me to this article, printed in a Jewish publication written by a Jewish woman based on Jewish history.
It absolutely blew my socks off. It seemed to explain soooo much about Psalm 69! It broke my heart in a whole new way for Jesse's grandmother, Ruth. It explained why David's brothers would have considered him as, not a brother, but a stranger, an alien (the root of which is actually "bastard")!
So finally, with all that explained, here's the link followed by my question:
http://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article_cdo/aid/280331/jewish/Nitzevet-Mother-of-David.htm
Q: Is it possible, where the Talmud and Mishnah are concerned, that we as Christians have thrown the baby out with the bath water? Is it worthy of open study to the extent that, while not inerrant, it might nonetheless shed amazing light on inerrant Scripture, not to mention the historical and cultural context into which Jesus was born? Does anyone know how the Biblical scholars we discuss on RF view it?
I can only say that I'd never, ever heard of Nitzevet, or the information about the death of Boaz, or Ruth's continued sorrows, or David's even-greater parallels as a *type* of our Lord, etc., but this one little article seemed to add such nuances to the things I DID know and wonder about.
What think the rest of you? Do we miss opportunities, not acquainting ourselves with the Talmud (or Josephus, for that matter)? Is it wrong to consider at least Jewish genealogical histories with any weight?
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