Zeruiah: Mother Of The Warrior Clan

Now the three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab and Abishai and Asahel. And Asahel was as fleet of foot as a wild gazelle.”

Introduction:

Zeruiah (whose name meant balsam of God). The name of this desired and welcomed daughter expressed a similar sentiment to her parents. Zeruiah, a sister of David, became the mother Abishai, Joab and Asahel who are always referred to the “sons of Zeruiah.” Edith Dean remarks, “The fact that her name appears 25 times besides that of her sons is sufficient proof that she was a mother of distinction who had a marked influence over the lives of her sons.” Two reasons are advanced for the absence of their father’s name. He may have died early, or Zeruiah may have been a most remarkable woman, with a more impressive personality, or we have in the omission of survival of the ancient custom of tracing kinship through the female line. Zeruiah’s sons were conspicuous in the Israelite history during David’s reign.

Source: Dr. Herbert Lockyer, All The Women In The Bible

I. The Daughter of a Great Sire

A. She Was a Welcomed Daughter

21 Salmon begot Boaz, and Boaz begot Obed;

22 Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David.”

—Ruth 4:21-22

1. Zeruiah’s name means balsam from God.

a. A balsam tree is one that produces various fragrances and ointments.

b. In that day balms and plasters were as common as the sandals on your feet.

c. For Jesse to give his daughter the name “The Balm of Jehovah” was to give her a name will never expire!

2. Zeruiah’s was most likely Jesse’s the first daughter.

a. You might have thought I had lost my mind because I read you the account of King David’s genealogy.

b. But King David and Zeruiah are brother and sister.

c. How happy Jesse was to welcome this beautiful baby girl to his family!

B. She Was A Worthy Daughter

5 Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse,

6 and Jesse begot David the king…”

—Matthew 1:5-6

1. Two incredibly special mothers are in the lineage of Zeruiah

a. One is Rahab (a great maternal ancestor to Zeruiah and David)

i. This is that Rahab who was instrumental in saving the lives of the Hebrew spies during the time of Joshua.

ii. She lived in Jericho and due her faith was saved and spared during the battle for that great city.

iii. She is the first Gentile convert in the Bible and is in the lineage of King David and of King Jesus!

b. The other is Ruth (great-grandmother to Zeruiah and David)

i. This is that Ruth who refused to leave her mother-in-law.

ii. Her words have become immortal

16 But Ruth said: “Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God.

17 Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.”

—Ruth 1:16-17

2. Two facts immediately come to mind about Zeruiah and her ancestors!

a. She must have benefited from having these strong, Godly, heroic women in her family tree!

b. She must have known that something was very special about her family for both of the above named women were Gentile converts to the Jewish faith!

3. I wonder if Zeruiah the daughter of Rahab and the daughter of Ruth ever aspired to achieve the same greatness in her family?

C. Application to The Church

1. While we can easily recount the acts of Rahab and Ruth, there is not a single act of Zeruiah recorded in all the Bible.

2. She is always mentioned in conjunction with someone else.

II. The Sister of a Great sibling

A. She Was A Sister To King David

1. What it must have been like to be the sister of King David

a. When he was young, he was just her baby brother.

b. But as he grew older, signs that God was at work in his life began to appear.

2. One can only

a. David’s trials in the wilderness with the sheep.

b. Was Zeruiah there that day when Samuel anointed David King of Israel?

c. Surely she heard of his daring feat in killing the Philistine giant, Goliath!

d. As King David grew into his role of Commander of the Army, she was proud to have her sons in that Army!

B. She Also Had A Sister Who Was Also Mother Of A Great Warrior

25 And Absalom made Amasa captain of the army instead of Joab. This Amasa was the son of a man whose name was Jithra, an Israelite, who had gone in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister of Zeruiah, Joab’s mother.”