Word of Encouragement (08/15/2024)

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 directed his prayer to the God of Israel. There is nothing remarkable about that, is there? Jabez was a Jew, so whom else would he pray to? Sadly, we know all too well that such simple logic could not be taken for granted throughout Israel’s history. Right after God ratified His covenant with the people of Israel at Mount Sinai, they worshipped a golden calf against God’s command. They also worshipped Baal of Peor (Num. 25). Things did not improve even after they took possession of the promised land by the grace of God. They provoked God's anger by worshipping the pagan deities of the Canaanites. But, despite the unfortunate circumstances of his birth, Jabez did not blame or abandon the God of Israel; he called upon the God of Israel for three things.

First, he prayed for God’s blessing: “Oh that you would bless me....” He prayed because he knew that he could work day and night, doing his best, but it could get him nowhere: “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain...” (Ps. 127:1). He prayed to the God of Israelbecause he recognized that He was the Fount of every blessing. This should be no brainer, right? But is it true in your life?

In praying for blessing, he asked particularly for the enlargement of his border. He was not just praying for a large estate; “border” represented wealth and prosperity, especially in the ancient, agricultural society. This must be what the prosperity gospel teachers got excited about. They saw it as a divine endorsement of their false theology. To a certain degree, this might have been a legitimate expectation in the Old Testament situation. It was a time of pictures and shadows, in which earthly blessings represented heavenly blessings. Now that Jesus Christ has come and ushered in the kingdom of heaven, we should not cling to the pictures and shadows any longer. If you had a real diamond in your possession, would you obsess about a picture of the diamond?

This is not to say that God does not care about our physical needs. In His kindness, God sustains His people and grants them earthly blessings far beyond what we deserve. But we should not equate our earthly blessings with our faithfulness or God’s love for us: “godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Tim. 4:8), But godliness is not a means of (earthly) gain (1 Tim. 6:5). Our true riches do not consist of the earthly possessions we acquire; our true riches are in possessing the God of all riches and contentment. One can have many possessions but will have no contentment if his heart is not rich. But if your heart is rich with God, you will be truly rich and content. How do you want God to bless you?

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