Good morning. For our Thursday consideration of a Bible character, I would like to have us consider someone who is both obscure and quite well known. If that doesn’t seem to make sense, consider Jabez. All we know of him from scripture comes from two verses, 1 Chronicles 4:9-10. With no more said about him than what we learn from those verses, I would say that he qualifies as obscure. However, because what he prays in those two verses have caused books, meditations, and sermons to be written about him, he may also qualify as one who is well known.
Jabez is listed as a part of “the other clans of Judah.” This sets his grouping apart from the kings and the royal line after the exile. The verses where we find him are in the midst of one of those mind-numbing sections of scripture we know as “genealogies”. The verses immediately preceding his, which are 1 Chronicles 4:4-8 go like this: Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer the father of Hushah. These were the descendants of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah and father of Bethlehem. Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah. Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni and Haahashtari. These were the descendants of Naarah. The sons of Helah: Zereth, Zohar, Ethnan, and Koz, who was the father of Anub and Hazzobebah and of the clans of Aharhel son of Harum.
I think you see what I mean…yawn. By the way, after we read of Jabez, the scripture goes right back to the genealogies.
But in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10, the verses of Jabez, we read something different: Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.
Jabez is the Hebrew word for “brings me pain.” He carried the name meaning “giver of pain” throughout his life because his delivery at birth was exceptionally painful for his mother. By the way, it is very unusual for the mother to name a child, that responsibility typically falls to the father.
It is his prayer that resonates with the faithful, and it always has. After lifting this brief prayer to the Lord and recognizing that the Lord affirmed his prayer with blessings, Jabez went on to establish a special council among the Levites. It was a council of 31 members that was known as the Tirathim, which means “trumpets.” They were called the trumpets because they were known for their constant hymns and prayers of praise to God Almighty. It was said that you could hear them coming from a distance because their songs were sung with “voices like trumpets” and their prayers excited the heart within persons who heard them.
Jabez was known for his worship, for his prayers, and for his songs of praise. He became so well known that there is record of him in the writings of the Arabs and the Persians.
For us, it is the prayer that he brings to the Lord that is recorded with his name in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 which is most noteworthy. Let’s share it again: “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.”
I find it especially interesting that Jabez, whose name means “one who brings pain” asks the Lord to keep him from pain.
Why did Jabez feel worthy of asking the Lord for the blessings we read in his prayer? Because he knew that he lived his life righteously. He knew that he was a person of noteworthy honor. He was comfortable to ask these things of God because he lived his life in such a way that he was comfortable with God.
And God granted his request. Those are amazing words when you think about it. Jabez prayed, God listened, and God agreed.
Jabez believed that his welfare was in keeping with God’s will and he prayed accordingly. Perhaps we might consider such a righteous prayer?
The most recognized book about Jabez is The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life by Bruce Wilkinson. In this book, the author spells out a 30 day challenge to righteous life that would end with a person feeling, as did Jabez, confident of the Lord’s blessing.
The prayers of the righteous are powerful and effective. (James 5:16)
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