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Enigmatic Jabez
by Wade Nye 1 Chronicles 4: 09-10 Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, His mother 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. "God preserve us from imaginary blessings" (Charles Spurgeon, Prayer of Jabez) In the word of God we come across enigmatic figures from time to time. Examples are Nimrod (Genesis 10: 08-10), The heroic Nephilim (Genesis 6:4), Balaam (Numbers 22) and Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18-19) Could Jabez be said to be a character of mystery or conflicting natures? In this article we will study the character of Jabez in an attempt to have a full understanding of his nature. With further study of other enigmatic characters in the Bible the true persona of each one is made clear. If we study Melchizedek we see the image of Christ. In Nimrod we see a type of antichrist. Everything written about these characters was drawn from 2 verses each. Similarly the core of Jabez's life is contained in just 2 verses. Jabez comes to the attention of the reader in an oasis of a story in a desert of genealogies. He is described as a figure in the Bible that was able to obtain God's blessings without struggle (because God granted his request) his life would be pain free. He would see an increase in what belonged to him, God's hand upon him with no sacrifice, paying no price. These seem to be the keys to physical and spiritual success that people have always searched for. On face value the scriptures seem to support that Jabez was one of the good guys. The reasons for that are that he was honorable, God heard his prayer and gave him what he requested. Part of his request was God's hand of blessings. HONORABLE JABEZ Does honor qualify a man as being pleasing to God? Saul started out as an honorable man. Getting rid of the witches, fasting for victory, delivering and protecting Israel from it's foes. As we know his life did not come to an honorable end. Although you normally do not associate Esau with honor he was certainly more honorable than his deceitful tricky brother Jacob. Solomon was honorable asking God for what was honorable when God promised him seemingly whatever he wanted. Solomon was bestowed honor after honor building the temple of the Lord and writing a good portion of scripture. Yet later to please his wives he bowed to idols. His sin caused Israel to be a divided kingdom. None of these 3 sample honorable Bible characters ended up being God pleasers. Would God grant the request of a man who asked for something that was wrong? If we look at the prodigal son we see a picture of God granting a selfish request for wealth. In it contained the hope for a repentant heart. God had seemingly offered Solomon whatever he asked for while he was in Gibeon. I am sure that God would have kept his word and granted his requests even if they were not pleasing to Him. God did tell Solomon the prayers that would not have pleased him. They would have been selfish prayers for wealth and health and deliverance from enemies for himself. To the exclusion of the needs of his people. But can God be displeased with a person that he has promised a blessing to? Can he be grieved by them even though he promised his hand would always be upon them? That is a question easily answered. Every Israelite in the Old Testament and all Christians up until this day have promises equal to and greater that those requests granted to Jabez. Promises of God's hand being upon them and having God's blessings. Yet many if not most of God's people have in the past and continue to this day to grieve Him.(I include myself of course.) As a Jew God had already promised Jabez blessings and his hand upon him by way of the covenants of Abraham and Moses. By the way Jabez had cried out to God it seem that he was fed up with God's promises and begged God for a new covenant based on "self". In some part I am sure that God considered this a rejection of the blessings had already been given to Jabez by way of the struggles of the patriarchs. FAMILY LINEAGE AND DESCENDANTS Genesis 3:16 To the woman he said, "I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. (in part) John 16:21 A woman has pain when her time to give birth comes. But after the child is born, she doesn't remember the pain anymore because she's happy that a child has been brought into the world. Jabez's request that he not have have any pain would forever cut him off from producing offspring since childbirth produces pain. From the words contained in Jabez's prayer he wanted a life free from pain. But he made no provision for children so by praying in this manner he cut himself off from descendants. Accepted by all who have written on these scriptures is that Jabez was a real man who was a member of the tribe of Judah. He is placed in the midst of the genealogies of the clans of Judah. But the writer of 1 Chronicles did not include his name in the Biblical genealogical lineage. Jabez has no named genealogy listed (save a brief mention of his unamed mother and brothers who also have no named lineage). He has no named ancestors or descendants. This would normally not a serious issue had his story not appeared in a book of genealogies. Other Bible characters have no listed genealogies such as Elijah but make no appearance in 1or2 Chronicles. Jabez's story was placed in a book of genealogies but cut off from being added to one.This was because he had either committed some offense or he was an authoritive spiritual figure like Melchizedek. (Melchizedek) Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever Hebrews 7:3. Unlike Melchizedek Jabez has a family and a natural birth mentioned and no title such as King or Priest and no recorded interaction with others. For these reasons and because of the way Jabez interacts with God in prayer I believe he is disqualified as being another form or type of Melchizedek. From study we have to come to the conclusion that Jabez cut himself off from his own heritage by his own selfishness. This is not the first such occurrence it is a repeated Biblical theme. Esau cared nothing for his birthright (or his decadents) when he gave it away for quick satisfaction of his appetite. Although Jabez's requests were made directly to God and his requests were for longer term satisfaction they nonetheless follow the same faithless sinful pattern. Similarly the prodical son cared little for his porition of his father's inheritance or his father. By the son's selfish request he cut himself off from his family and from the inheritance that at least a portion of was to be given to his descendants. Contrast the Prayer of Jabez with the prayer of his relative King David. Notice how David comes with gratitude and humility before the Lord. He is careful to be grateful not only for himself but his descendants (house,family). 2 Samuel 7:18-29 18 Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said:"Who am I, Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 19 And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign LORD, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servantand this decree, Sovereign LORD, is for a mere human! You can hear in the tone of the scripture the excitement of King David not necessarily because of the promises of what God was doing for him but for his family and his descendants. At this point David had been through more painful trials than almost any other Biblical character. But he gladly suffered and went through it and would be willing to do it again for the sake of God, His people and his future descendants. David, Abraham, Christ, Moses, Joseph, Paul, Jacob, Job and every good Bible character loved God (of course) but had similar caring for their offspring both physical and Spiritual (for Abraham was promised them to be like the sand and the stars.) In Jabez's prayer we see no petition for what was ahead everything is about the present nothing about a future hope or a promise relied on in faith. Offspring were vital during Jabez's time. Seemingly Jabez tried to cover all his bases when he petitioned God. But he was tripped up in his request by selfishness. God recorded Jabez's folly in Chronicles. A book that documents important family connections. Let the wise reader know that Jabez was the only name with no descendants or ancestors. Jabez stands alone in Chronicles. As opposed to the house of David Jabez's house was left desolate. PAIN GIVES BIRTH TO HONOR John 16:21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. Jabez had brothers but it seems that his birth was especially painful so much so that his mother named him after sorrow, pain and anguish. But this especially painful experience brought forth a son who was more honorable than her other offspring. So pain brought forth life and special honor. This was a principle that Jabez knew well his name being a continuous reminder. Whatever pain or anguish that Jabez experienced caused him to cry out to the God of Israel not for help or deliverance but for his own solution. But the pain that brought Jabez his life, his honor and his name was to be excluded from this solution. His petitions brought before God testified against his own existence. If his mother had applied the principles of Jabez's prayer to herself Jabez would have never existed. "The path of sorrow, and that path alone, Leads to the place where sorrow is unknown." (Charles Spurgeon, Prayer of Jabez) In an adjacent scripture (1 Chronicles 2:55) the city of Jabez is mentioned populated by non-Jewish Kenite scribes. The city of Jabez was surely the demonstration of God's answer to Jabez's prayers. Whatever Jabez was at the time of his calling out to God would have been expanded after his prayers. So Jabez was a scribe with a household containing Kenite servants who assisted with transcription. Because in his prayer he made no provision for descendants. His increase was a city of foreign transcribers. Like childless Abram in Genesis 15:2 with no descendants Jabez's vast estate went to faithful foreign servants. So unlike Abraham who looked for a future hope and followed God in faith Jabez sought from God an independent pathway for himself. In Jabez's lineage of Judah was the promise of Kings and the Messiah. Being more honorable than any of his brothers in Judah surely his house would have been a candidate for the lineage of Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. Because Jabez's hope and relationship with God was for this life his inheritance became the wind. Being a scribe Jabez knew well Moses's writings and about how the Patriarch's struggled in anguish and pain for their blessings. The writer of 1 Chronicles was careful to state that Jabez cried out to the God of Israel. But what is the origin of that name? As with the other names of God we know its origin from God's word. Jehovah jireh, nissi and rapha find their origins in the Bible. The God of Israel's name origin did not come about because of the formation of the nation Israel. But because one man was willing to endure harm and pain in his struggle to achieve God's blessings. Genesis 32:25-28 25 When the man saw that he could not win against Jacob, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that it was dislocated as they wrestled. 26 Then the man said, "Let me go; it's almost dawn."But Jacob answered, "I won't let you go until you bless me."27 So the man asked him, "What's your name?""Jacob," he answered.28 The man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob but Israel [He Struggles With God], because you have struggled with God and with men and you have won." Jacob walked away with a new name and his blessing limping in pain. The harm brought to his body was permanent. But Israel's blessings live on today in God's word, in his church and in his people both by natural birth and through those grafted on by faith. Obtaining blessings through the way of the cross was rejected by Jabez he sought to bypass harm and pain and live a comfortable life during this existence with little thought to a future hope. "Or it may be that they have no pains because they have no life". (Charles Spurgeon, Prayer of Jabez) Lost on Jabez was the fact that his very Patriarch that brought about Jabez's physical and spiritual existence was willing to face pain, harm and evil (in meeting his brother Esau the next day) to establish his God's covenant, his kingdom, his people and even to bring the very son of God to earth. The comforts of this life at that point meant little to Isreal he was looking to a future hope for his descendants and his people. IT IS ALL ABOUT JABEZ 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 ME! MY! ME! ME! I! that you would bless ME enlarge MY territory Let your hand be with ME and keep ME from harm I will be free from pain Romans 2:8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger Proverbs 18:1 An unfriendly man pursues selfish ends; he defies all sound judgment As we studied earlier Jabez had no consideration for his descendants. In his cries to God was the purest blatant selfishness no consideration for God, His holiness, His authority, His people, His temple or even a humble cry for help. Just his own selfish demands and solutions. Jabez knew well and rejected the ways of God and demanded his own way. But how could God have blessed, enlarged the territory of, kept free from harm & pain selfish Jabez. How could the hand of God of been with him if he was a sinner. "Do not be quite so sure what you think is an answer to prayer is any proof of divine love" (Charles Spurgeon, Prayer of Jabez) We have to keep in mind that Jabez was a man of honor, a man who was part of God's covenant people, a man who was in the tribe of royalty and the future Messiah, A man who was doing God's work, He was a man who knew God's word and poured his life into it. When he cried out to God his prayers got immediate attention. But when God came down to look for faith he found a man seeking his own path. God was more than displeased when he inclined his ear to Jabez's prayers. Not necessarily because of what they contained we all make mistakes when we pray. But because of who they came from in joined with their contents and intentions. It would normally seem that when God is angry he sends lightning bolts from heaven. But as we can see from the world around us when God is displeased at men he generally leaves them to their own devices and longs for repentance (think Prodigal Son). God answered Jabez's prayers because his marked and insisted on his own path and contained in them was the visible folly of his own way. Proverbs 14:12 There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death. W.M. Nye [email protected] W.M. Nye Sunday School Teacher & son of Missionary/Pastor [email protected] Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |