Wednesday, December 7, 2016

THE PRAYER OF JABEZ (1)


1 Chronicles 4:10

"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 him what he requested.

A Biblical-Theological Reflections

There are two principal aspects to this little chronicle buried among a thread of genealogies. The first; Jabez's name. The second; Jabez's prayer. Each of these two aspects ties into the larger flow of Biblical redemptive history in three areas. First, they tie into the account of the Fall and its effects. Second, they tie into the kingdom and its works. Third, they tie into the development of the messianic hope. Let’s explore each together.

The Naming of Jabez
The eminence of his character: He was more honourable than his brethren, qualified above them by the divine grace and dignified above them by the divine providence; they did virtuously, but he excelled them all. We are not told upon what account he was more honorable than his brethren;we have most reason to think it was upon the account of his learning and piety, not only because these, above any thing, put honor upon a man, but because we have reason to think that in these Jabez was eminent. 1. In learning, because we find that the families of the scribes dwelt at Jabez (1 Chron. 2:55), a city which, it is likely, took its name from him. The Jews say that he was a famous doctor of the law and left many disciples behind him. And it should seem, by the mentioning of him so abruptly here, that his name was well known when Ezra wrote this. 2. In piety, because he was a praying man. His inclination to devotion made him truly honorable, and by prayer he obtained those blessings from God which added much to his honor. The way to be truly great is to be truly good and to pray much.


The naming of Jabez takes us immediately to the story of the Fall and curse in Genesis 3. It supports two things with that suggestion.

§  First, the curse is still in effect. The included explanation of the name makes that clear. Jabez's name, involving a rearranging of the letters for the word "pain" convey a hope for the undoing of the curse, much as did Lamech's naming of Noah (Gen. 5:29).
§
    Second, the faithful are still looking for the seed promised to Eve. The conservation of the explanation of Jabez’s name would have provided inspiration for the same hope through the ages between the time of Jabez and the recording of the story by the author of Chronicles in the post-exilic period.

§  Third, Jabez is of the line of Judah, which, per the Blessing of Jacob (Gen. 49), was the line from which the king would come. This makes an unspoken connection between the coming of the king and removal of the curse.

9b And his mother called his name Jabez saying,
v The name Jabez is actually nonsense in Hebrew, the root 'abats not occurring elsewhere.
9c Because I bore him in pain.
v Sorrow, trouble.

Hebrew Meaning:
v Pain. In the Old Testament, Jabez was so named because he was borne by his mother in pain. The Hebrew uses the Niphal of the verb kabad. This also appears in the description of Shechem in Gen 34:19, of Samuel (1 Sam. 9:6), and of Abishai and Benaiah (2 Sam. 23:19-23). The portrayal given here of Jabez is proleptic, because the reason for his honor has not yet been given.
…to be cont’d

In Christ,

Founder/CEO
Bible Stories Theatre of
Fine & Performing Arts


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