1 Chronicles 4:10
And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your Hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted Jabez what was requested.
What courage it must have taken for Jabez to go before God to ask for all these things! What boldness! Who was he, Jabez, to dare to implore God for favors? Didn’t God know who Jabez was? Surely, God knew the shame he bore. Surely, God knew his name. His name said he was a pain. His name said he caused grief. His own mother–his nurturer–his protector in infancy and childhood–his own mother gave him that shameful name! His own mother marked him with a brand of shame for life!
Imagine little Jabez, looking for other children with whom to play, but whose mothers say, “I don’t want you playing with his kind. He may try to recruit you to his grievous lifestyle.”
Imagine young adult Jabez, trying to land a job, going before a prospective employer in his village, only to have that employer sneer and say, “We don’t want your kind around here.”
Imagine religious Jabez being shamed from the pulpit just for being who he was. His name said he brought grief, sorrow. His mother said she had borne him in pain.
Scripture said that Jabez was “…kabed more than his brothers…” When we researched the word kabed we discovered that while most bibles translate the word as honored or honorable, the word could just as accurately be translated burdensome, especially since the bibles follow the phrase with the conjunction and, and continue with the words, “…his mother named him Jabez, saying, ‘because I bore him in pain.’”
The words that one is burdensome…and…(causes) pain are complementary, while honorable…and…(causes) pain are not. In the latter case, the complementary words should read something to the effect of: honorable….even though….he was borne in pain. Some translations avoid the conjunction discrepancy by rewording the sentence and deleting the and altogether. Just be aware what a seemingly innocuous three-letter word can make to our understanding of what scripture is trying to tell us. What that means is that we should not always merely rely on what it appears to say, but we should ever endeavor to dig deeper, always trusting Jesus’ words: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matt. 7:7)
Whether the author of 1 Chronicles intended to show that Jabez was considered honorable or a burden to his family, the bottom line is that he had to face life with a name that brought him shame and dishonor.
Remember that in ancient Hebrew culture your name was an adjective describing who you were. For example, the name Cain in the bible comes from the word qayin, which gives a sense of striking, as with a lance or spear, and we all know what he did to his brother Abel, whose name, incidentally, comes from the word habel, meaning empty, or transitory. Since Cain did away with Abel so soon, we certainly can see how his name might reflect the nature of his existence on earth.
How many of us today can relate to Jabez, who, either by allusion or in reality, feel that we have brought pain and grief to family or loved ones, merely by virtue of the adjectives we carry to describe ourselves? Not only describe–limit! Adjectives not only describe, they can limit. Describe a ball as red and you’ve removed all of the other colors of the rainbow that it could be. Its color is limited only to the various shades of red there are.
And so it is with esteem, and with self-esteem. Who among us has not at some time in our lives been called names–from fatso to skinny to shorty to stinky? While those childhood labels hurt, mostly we grew up and grew out of them. Most, but not all. Some names have stayed with us, or have been applied to us as adults: queer, faggot, child molester, lesbo, bulldyke–the labels continue to wound, breed anger and resentment.
To the names given us by others, we add the names we give ourselves: loser, unlovable, worthless, and hopeless. Sometimes, what others don’t do for us we do for ourselves. We don’t need others to beat us up–we do a great job of it all on our own. We inadvertently enhance and build on the names others have given us, by giving ourselves even worse ones. By buying into the labels and names, and the attendant shame fostered on us by others, we further denigrate ourselves and undermine our self-esteem, some to the point of thinking, “Well, if I can’t be good and being good, then I’ll be good at being bad.”
Don’t you suppose that Jabez had reason enough to think the same things? Yet, however badly Jabez must have internalized the shame of his name, he was able to rise above it. Perhaps because of the name(s) he was called, he felt he had to work much harder than the rest of his family to overcome, and for that, he was honored. The name that could have destroyed him, he used as the impetus to become great.
Somewhere in his heart of hearts, Jabez knew that even if the world rejected him, even if the world called him names, even if the world shamed him, he could turn to the God Who made him. Jabez knew he could trust God not to reject him–knew that God would not buy into the labels heaped on him by others. God could see that Jabez’ heart was true. Jabez knew that though the world failed him, God would not.
So Jabez prayed: “Oh, that You would bless me indeed…” The word translated indeed in the original language was ‘umnam and means no doubt, surely. Jabez had no doubt about what God would do for him. He was convinced! “I’m sure, God,” he was saying, “that you will bless me!”
Years ago on television, there was a popular commercial, which showed a little boy saying, “Mother, please, I’d rather do it myself!” It really is a typical childhood response, isn’t it? It is the nature of children to desire to be on their own–to seek their own way–to do for themselves without adult help, or for that matter, supervision.
In some ways, I think we never outgrow that attitude, even, or especially with God, unless we’re in a crisis. When our worlds are falling about our ears, then we call on God. Other than that, it’s, “God, please, I’d rather do it myself.” Or, we find ourselves in a mess, then we blame God for not intervening and rescuing us. We forget that God’s gift to us of free will, prevents God from acting without invitation.
Even so, as God did for Jabez, God awaits our call, our plea, our expression of desire for God’s blessing. “Oh, that You would bless me indeed…” can be our prayer also. Note that Jabez didn’t tell God what those blessings ought to be, only that Jabez was sure that God would indeed bless him.
Do you find fulfillment in your chosen career? Do your after-work activities fill you with a sense of accomplishment and joy? Do you feel that you’re making your little corner of the world a better place? Do you yourself feel like you are changing for the better? Or do you often find yourself thinking as in the words of the old Peggy Lee song, “Is that all there is, my friends?” What is it that you could do to make the world better? How could you help to make the lives of others a little brighter? How can you make it happen in your life? Do as Jabez did. He prayed: “…enlarge my territory…” and God did. What God did for Jabez God will do for you. Remember again that you have to be willing–and you have to pay attention. God gives us opportunities all the time to make a difference in others’ lives, and all too often, we look away. We don’t intend to be mean–we’re just not paying attention to realize that the soul looking to us for help was sent to us by God. Each time you help another you enlarge your territory. Each time you help another you make the world a better place.
When God first called me to ministry, I had a pocketful of excuses for not accepting the task. I was too old; I had only a high school education; I didn’t have the time or the money to pursue God’s call. One by one, God removed the barriers and took away my excuses. This time I said yes. Immediately, God heaped miracle upon miracle on me, opened doors that were impossible for me to open by myself, and three years later found me licensed clergy with the UFMCC. God so enlarged my territory.
Do you believe in miracles? Or do you relegate them to the legends of biblical history? As I struggled with God’s calling me to the ministry, I found myself in a great deal of emotional pain, such that one evening I could do no more than sit on the floor in my little apartment, back to the wall, and cry out for God’s immediate help. Instantly, I literally felt something touch my head and fall over my shoulders. I was covered in what I have since called a blanket of peace. I felt that I was covered and filled with the “the peace that passes understanding.” My prayer echoed Jabez’ “…that Your Hand would be with me…” I had prayed for God’s peace, and the peace was mine. Yes, I believe in miracles. I’m one. Am I different? Am I extraordinary? Do I have a special “in” with God? Not hardly. I’m only an example. I’m just a sample of what God can and will do for all of us and in our lives, if only we would ask, acknowledge and follow through. It is all up to us. God waits patiently to bless us abundantly–God is ever ready to provide for all our needs–God waits patiently for us to ask.
Jabez’ heart was pure. In spite of any difficulties Jabez might have faced for whatever reason, Jabez was not vengeful, spiteful or retaliatory. However much Jabez may have been hurt by others, Jabez had no desire to hurt in return. So Jabez prayed “… that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” In the era of “eye for eye and tooth for tooth,” Jabez asked God for the grace not to be tempted–not to cause pain to another.
So many religions seem to teach that life is a constant battle and struggle with the devil. From the time they are children, so many are taught that they must constantly guard against temptation and the whiles of Satan–that Satan is always ready to grab and drag them down to the depths of Hades. I have counseled so many who live in fear that the devil’s going to “get” them, and they don’t know how to fight Satan successfully.
Do you really think you could ever win in a battle against Satan? I don’t think so! Your battle is not with Satan. That’s Jesus’ fight. Way back in the book of Genesis, 3:15, God told the serpent, often understood to be Satan, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Most scholars’ interpretation of this passage is that Jesus would be crucified as the result of Satan’s work (“you will strike his heel”), but that Jesus would be the ultimate victor over Satan, (“he will crush your head “ ). Remember that what you focus on is what you give power to. Your focus should not be on fighting Satan, but on honoring and trusting Jesus to fight that battle for you.
So God granted Jabez what was requested. Jabez asked, sought, and knocked on God’s door, and God granted Jabez’ request. Jesus told us, “…everyone who asks receives; they who seek find; and to those who knock, the door will be opened.” (Matt. 7:8). It is Jesus’ promise to us: what God did for Jabez, God will do for you.
Life Application
God calls us to ask and to seek, and says that if we do, we will find. As the saying goes, “When all else fails, give God a try.” Try the prayer of Jabez, and see what a difference it makes in your life.