Word of Encouragement (08/14/2024)

Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked. (1 Chron. 4:10)

Jabez was from the tribe of Judah (1 Chron. 4). We are told two things about Jabez in v. 9: “Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, ‘Because I bore him in pain.’”

Let’s start with how his name came to be. His name, Jabez (Yabetz), is a wordplay on a Hebrew word for pain/sorrow (Atzeb). Why would any mother give such a depressing name to her son? Matthew Henry suggests a scenario like Rachel giving birth to her second son. We read in Gen. 30:18, “And as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin.” One possible meaning of Ben-oni is “son of my sorrow.” Something similar happened when Eli’s daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, gave birth to a son. She died in her labor, and as she was dying, she named the son, Ichabod, which means “The glory of has departed from Israel.” It is possible that Jabez’s mother died as she gave birth to Jabez. Even if that were not the case, tragic circumstances must have surrounded his birth.

The second is, “Jabez was more honorable than his brothers.” This is remarkable. In most cultures, parents spend a lot of time thinking about their children’s names. The name they give to their child often expresses their hopes for the child. This hope is communicated to the child every time his name is called by his/her parents and others who know him/her. How sad, then, it is to have a name like Jabez! Yet, Jabez managed to be more honorable than his brothers, who probably had better, more optimistic names.

We don’t know in what sense Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. But we can deduce from his prayer that his life was not free of sorrow and pain. The last part of his prayer reads, “...keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain.” The word, pain, here is the same word that was used by his mother when she gave Jabez’s name. Maybe he was deeply mindful of the meaning of his name and the tragic circumstances surrounding his birth. And it is quite possible that he faced many trials that could lead to much sorrow. How did he become more honorable than his brothers?

The only thing we can glean from this short passage of Scripture is the crucial role Jabez’s prayer played in his life. We will reflect on the content of his prayer tomorrow. But we should not miss the power of prayer to overcome our past and change our lives. Are you regularly praying to overcome whatever handicap or challenge you are facing in your life?

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