Mary and the Old Testament - part 4
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February 16, 2023
Mary and the Queen Mother
The Old Testament prepares the way for Christ.
Now that Christ has been revealed to us, this doesn’t mean that we have no reason to study the Old Testament. The Old Testament is God’s word. Just as you can never fully know a person - you can never fully know God or his word completely.
And as the Old Testament is God’s word we study it in order to know God in a deeper, more profound way.
And the idea of the Queen Mother is one of the most powerful types of Mary in the Old Testament that can help us know Our Lady more.
Who was the Queen Mother?
From Saul to Zedekiah, Israel (and later Judah) was ruled by Kings. The Queen Mother was the mother of the king (as the name suggests) and was a title of honor. And not only that, the Queen Mother was an advisor to the king who had the power to influence the king’s decision-making.
We can see this role perfectly illustrated in two verses from the First Book of Kings:
Then Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah, and the king stood up to meet her and paid her homage. Then he sat down upon his throne, and a throne was provided for the king’s mother, who sat at his right.
She said, “There is one small favor I would ask of you. Do not refuse me.” The king said to her, “Ask it, my mother, for I will not refuse you (I Kings 2: 19 - 20)
For Catholics, the interpretation is clear from this very short passage in Scripture. The mother of the king is so highly honored that the king willingly does what she asks. This is clearly a forerunner of Mary who intercedes for us with Our Lord, and this is clear in every aspect of the language used in this passage: “ask it, my mother, for I will not refuse you.”
Solomon clearly honors and loves his mother, Bathsheba, and does not want to refuse any request that she desires.
What is also interesting is that Bathsheba secured Solomon’s kingship from his father David. Adonijah was going to succeed David as king, but Bathsheba conspired with the prophet Nathan to ensure her son Solomon would be the king.
Obviously, there is no direct analogy between this event and Mary as the Mother of Christ, as Christ did not need help to be named the Messiah. But this does shed light on Mary’s role in that she leads us to Christ.
By following Mary and her lead we too will be led to the realization that her son truly is the Son of God and our Savior.
As a convert to the Faith, I was almost shocked to learn about the role of the Queen Mother in Solomon’s kingdom and in the Old Testament. Even though I was raised Protestant, I was not as familiar with some parts of the Scriptures, but I was familiar with the argument that many Protestants make, that Marian devotion is unbiblical.
Had I known about this clear forerunner of Mary’s role in the Old Testament, I think that Marian devotion would have been much clearer to me during my conversion. Given the respect that Protestants have for Scripture, I can imagine that this Marian type in the Old Testament can be used to help others see the truth of Catholic teaching on Mary.
Mary Intercedes for us
The Queen Mother as a type of Mary reminds us that Mary intercedes for us and brings us closer to her son.
We are familiar with Jesus’ first public miracle:
When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.”
[And] Jesus said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.”
His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.”
(John 2: 3-5)
Mary has been crowned the Queen of Heaven and Earth. Her will is perfectly aligned with Our Lord’s.
Our Lord has chosen to dispense grace through her intercession. As her children, we can approach Mary and ask for her prayers and her help, and God will give us grace through her intercession out of his love for her.
(Check out part 1 and part 2 and part 3 here)
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