Jesse first appears when Samuel the Prophet asks him to prepare a feast. He then sends his newly-anointed son David to play music for King Saul (I Samuel 16). He is referred to later when David asks the king of Moab to protect his parents from King Saul (I Samuel 22:3). Jesse was a well respected and righteous man who followed the word of God and set a personal example to his children of being concerned with the welfare of others. He sent David to the battlefield with food for his brothers who were serving in King Saul’s army and to see how they were faring. Jesse’s birth is mentioned in the last line of the Book of Ruth (Ruth 4:22) and in I Chronicles 2:12-13. Jesse’s name is famously mentioned in Isaiah 11:1-3 and 10-12. Christians, Bahai, and Mormons all claim that these verses are referring to their messiahs. However, the verses are actually speaking about the real Messiah son of David, who will be identified when he reveals himself, speedily in our days.
