Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother named him Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him with sorrow.”
Parallel Translations
-
Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother named him Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him with sorrow.”
-
And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.
-
And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying: 'Because I bore him with pain.'
Cross-references (7)
Passages linked to 1 Chronicles 4:9 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- 1 Samuel 4:21 She named the child Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel!” because God’s ark was taken, and because of her father-in-law and her husband.
- Genesis 3:16 To the woman he said, “I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth. You will bear children in pain. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”
- Genesis 35:18 As her soul was departing (for she died), she named him Benoni, but his father named him Benjamin.
- Genesis 34:19 The young man didn’t wait to do this thing, because he had delight in Jacob’s daughter, and he was honored above all the house of his father.
- 1 Chronicles 7:23 He went in to his wife, and she conceived, and bore a son, and he named him Beriah, because there was trouble with his house.
- Acts 17:11 Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.
- Isaiah 43:4 Since you have been precious and honored in my sight, and I have loved you, therefore I will give people in your place, and nations instead of your life.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (16 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
Saved on this device only — never synced or sent anywhere.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Otherwise called Othniel, Judg. 1:13.
Otherwise called Othniel, Judg. 1:13.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 1Ch 4:9 And Jabez was more honourable than his…
1Ch 4:9 And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.
Ver. 9. And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren.] Propter opes, saith Piscator, for his wealth; for his holiness rather, {see Isa 43:4} or for his valour and learning, tam Marte quam Mercurio, if he were that renowned Othniel, {Jdg 1:13} as some make him to be: others, Othniel’s brother. {1Ch 4:13} In his city, called by his name Jabez, dwelt scribes, {1Ch 2:55} hence Vatablus concludeth that he was doctor insignis. {a}
Read full note →
And his mother called him Jabez,] {b} i.e., Dolorificum; a dear, but doleful child to her, a son of her sorrows, because she had a hard bargain, as they call it, when she brought him forth; and haply died of him, as Rachel did of her Benoni. His father might change his name to Othniel.
{a} Clarissimus fuit propter foritudinem; deinde doctor fuit. - Lavat.
{b} Jangbets, for Jangtseb; of gnetseb, pain, grief.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Jabez; one of the fathers of the families of…
Jabez; one of the fathers of the families of Aharhel last mentioned.
More honourable than his brethren, for courage, and especially for true and fervent piety, expressed in the following petition.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren,.... The…
And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren,.... The Targum adds,"and wiser in the law than his brethren;''or he might be a man of great wealth and riches, or of great strength and courage, all which make a man honourable; or he may be so called, because a praying man, as follows, a man of devotion and religion, a man of God, see Sa1 9:6, but who he was is not easy to say, probably a son or brother of Harum, or however that belonged to one of the families of Aharhel, mentioned in the preceding verse; for that he was Othniel, as say the Targumist and other Jewish writers (z), is not probable, and besides is after spoken of distinct from him, Ch1 4:13.
and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, because I bare him with sorrow; either with sorrow for her husband, being dead, or by reason of very sharp pains she endured at the birth of him; he was another Benoni.
Read full note →
(z) T. Bab. Temurah, fol. 16. 1.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain honourably - For courage, and for fervent piety. She…
honourably - For courage, and for fervent piety. She records this, that it might be a memorandum to herself, to be thankful to God as long as she lived, for bringing her through that sorrow: and a memorandum to him, that she bore him into a vale of tears, in which he might expect few days and full of trouble. And the sorrow in his name might serve to put a seriousness upon his spirit.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 9. And Jabez was more honourable] This whole…
Verse 9. And Jabez was more honourable] This whole account is variously understood by some of the principal versions. I shall subjoin a translation of each.
SEPTUAGINT. - "And Igabes was more glorious than his brethren; and his mother called his name Igabes, saying, I have brought thee forth as Gabes. And Igabes invoked the God of Israel, saying, If in blessing thou wilt bless me, and enlarge my borders, and thy hand be with me, and wilt give me understanding not to depress me: and God brought about all that he requested."
Read full note →
SYRIAC. - "And one of these was dear to his father and to his mother; and he called his name [Syriac] ainai, MY EYE. And he said to him, In blessing may the Lord bless thee, and enlarge thy boundary; and may his hand be with thee; and may he preserve thee from evil, that it may not rule over thee; and may he give to thee whatsoever thou shalt request of him!"
ARABIC. - "And this one (Hastahar or Harum) was beloved of his father and his mother: and they called his name [Arabic] aina, MY EYE; and they said unto him, May the Lord bless thee, and multiply thy people, and may his hand be present with thee, because thou wast born in Beth-lehem!"
These two latter versions seem to have copied each other, and the Vulgate is nearly, like ours, a literal rendering of the Hebrew; but the Chaldee is widely different from all the rest:-
CHALDEE. - "And Jabets also, he is Othniel, honourable and skilled in the law beyond his brethren, whose mother called his name Jabets, because she had borne him with sorrow. And Jabets prayed to the God of Israel, saying, O that in blessing thou wouldest bless me with children, and enlarge my borders with disciples; and that thy hand may be with me in business, that thou mayest make me like to my companions, that evil concupiscence may the less grieve me! And the Lord granted that which he prayed for."
Of this honourable person we know nothing but what is here mentioned, nor does the name occur in any other part of Scripture except in 1Ch 2:55, where it appears to be the name of a place, but is understood by the Chaldee to be the name of a person, as here. Though I have noticed this particularly in the note on that place, yet I think it right to add the Chaldee here, that all that concerns this worthy person may be seen at one view:-
1Ch 2:55: "The families of the Rechabites, the son of Eliezer, the son of Moses, the disciples of Jabets; he was Othniel, the son of Kenaz. And he was called Jabets, יעבץ Yabets, because in his counsel [בעיצתיה beytsatih, from יעץ yaats, he counselled, advised, c.] he instituted a school for disciples. They were called Tirathim, תרעתים, because in their hymns their voices were like trumpets, [from רע ra, to sound like a trumpet see Nu 10:9; 2Ch 13:12,] and Shimathim, שמעתים, because in hearing, they lifted up their faces, i.e. in prayer, [from שמע shama, he heard, hearkened,] and Suchathim, שוכתים, because they were overshadowed with the spirit of prophecy, [from שך sach, a tabernacle, or extended covering.]" For farther particulars, see at the end of this chapter. 1Ch 4:43.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain 1Ch 4:9. Jabez was more honourable, &c. — For…
1Ch 4:9. Jabez was more honourable, &c. — For courage and fervent piety. His mother called his name Jabez — That is, sorrowful; saying, Because I bare him with sorrow — She had hard labour when she was in travail with him. She records this, that it might be a memorandum to herself, to be thankful to God as long as she lived, for bringing her through that sorrow: and a memorandum to him, that she bore him into a vale of tears, in which he might expect few days and full of trouble. And the sorrow implied in his name might serve to put a seriousness upon his spirit.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain It is remarkable that Jabez should be introduced without…
It is remarkable that Jabez should be introduced without description, or patronymic, as if a well-known personage. We can only suppose that he was known to those for whom Chronicles was written, either by tradition, or by writings which have perished. In 1Ch 4:10 Jabez alludes to his name, “sorrowful” (margin): “Grant that the grief implied in my name may not come upon me!”
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Jabes. That is, sorrowful. (Challoner) --- There seems to…
Jabes. That is, sorrowful. (Challoner) --- There seems to be something wanting, as we are not informed who were the brethren of Jabes. (Calmet) --- This name he received from his mother, while his father Cos, called him Othoniel. (Estius)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain OF JABEZ, AND HIS PRAYER. (Ch1 4:9-20)
OF JABEZ, AND HIS PRAYER. (Ch1 4:9-20)
Jabez--was, as many think, the son of Coz, or Kenaz, and is here eulogized for his sincere and fervent piety, as well, perhaps, as for some public and patriotic works which he performed. The Jewish writers affirm that he was an eminent doctor in the law, whose reputation drew so many scribes around him that a town was called by his name (Ch1 2:55); and to the piety of his character this passage bears ample testimony. The memory of the critical circumstances which marked his birth was perpetuated in his name (compare Gen 35:15); and yet, in the development of his high talents or distinguished worth in later life, his mother must have found a satisfaction and delight that amply compensated for all her early trials. His prayer which is here recorded, and which, like Jacob's, is in the form of a vow (Gen 28:20), seems to have been uttered when he was entering on an important or critical service, for the successful execution of which he placed confidence neither on his own nor his people's prowess, but looked anxiously for the aid and blessing of God. The enterprise was in all probability the expulsion of the Canaanites from the territory he occupied; and as this was a war of extermination, which God Himself had commanded, His blessing could be the more reasonably asked and expected in preserving them from all the evils to which the undertaking might expose him. In these words, "that it may not grieve me," and which might be more literally rendered, "that I may have no more sorrow," there is an allusion to the meaning of his name, Jabez, signifying "grief"; and the import of this petition is, Let me not experience the grief which my name implies, and which my sins may well produce.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 9. The connexion of this verse also does not…
9. The connexion of this verse also does not appear, but according to Targ. (on 1Ch_4:13) Jabez = Othniel, the nephew of Caleb.
And Jabez etc.] Render, And Jabez came to be hononred above his brethren, but his mother had called his name, etc. The man with the ill-omened name staved off ill-fortune by his prayer. Jabez = “He bringeth sorrow.”
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (9) More honourable than his brethren.—Comp. what is said…
(9) More honourable than his brethren.—Comp. what is said of Hamor son of Shechem in Gen_34:19.
His brethren.—Perhaps the sons of Coz. The form of the Hebrew verb implies connection with 1Ch_4:8.
Read full note →
His mother called his name . . .—Comp. Gen_29:32-35, and especially Gen_35:18.
With sorrow.—Rather, pain.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain This is not less true of the name of…
This is not less true of the name of vers. 9, 10, which, however, has made its own mark amid the whole scene. The episode of these two verses, offering itself amid what should seem, superficially, a dry mass of dead names, is welcome and grateful as the oasis of the desert, and it warns us that life lies hidden at our every footfall on this ground, spread over though it is with monument and inscription, and hollow, as we thought, with the deadest of the dead. But the glimpse of old real life given us in this brief fragment of a biography is refreshing and is very suggestive. It seems an insufficient and unnatural method of accounting for the suddenness of the appearance of this episode to suppose ("Speaker"s Commentary," in lee. ) that the name of Jahez was well known, from any cause, to those for whom Chronicles may be supposed to have been primarily intended. We prefer by far one account of it, viz. that the work in our hands is not in its original complete state; or, variously put, that it is in its uncompleted original state. No root corresponding to the characters of this name in present order is known; it is possible that some euphonic reason makes the name xBy"out of the real word (future Kal) bxeiy," i.e. he causes pains.
We cannot suppose there would be any "play" appreciable on a transposition of alphabetical characters for mere play"s sake. The resemblance that almost each part of this brief and abruptly introduced narration bears to incidents recorded in Genesis (Gen_34:19 Gen_33:20 Gen_4:25 Gen_29:32 Gen_28:20) and Exodus speaks for itself, and strongly countenances the supposition that it is a genuine deposit of the genuinely olden history of Judah. The mother"s reason for the naming of the child; the language and matter and form (Gen_17:18-20; Exo_32:32) of the prayer of the child, when presumably he was no longer a child; and the discriminating use of the words Elohim (ver. 10) of Israel, as comps, red with the name Jehovah, (1Ch_2:3 1Ch 5:41) generally found here, all help to produce this impression, although some of these particulars would carry little conviction by themselves; e.g. a mother"s reasons for assigning the name of her child long outlived the earlier times alone. Upon the whole, and regarding the passage in its present place, we may say that it must be very much misplaced, or else must be understood to connect Jabez with some branch of the family of Coz. There is the more room to assume this in the vagueness of the last preceding clause, "The families of Aharhel the son of Harum." The origin of the theories of some of the older Jewish writers, to the effect that Jabez was a doctor in the law, with a school of scribes around him, is probably to be found in the desire to find a connection between his proper name, Jabez, and the place so named, (1Ch_2:55) and where, as we are told, "families of scribes dwelt," belonging to the Kenites. That these were connected with Bethlehem, through Salma, and that Jabez of our present passage was also of a family connected with Bethlehem, is worthy of notice, but is not enough by a long way to countenance the thought, in spite of Targum and Talmud (Smith"s "Bible Dictionary," sub vet. ). The Targum, as well here as 1Ch_2:55, identifies Jabez with Othniel "son of Keuaz" (Jos_15:17; Jud_1:13 3:9) or more probably "the Kenizzite" merely; but there is nothing to sustain such an identification. The description, he was more honourable than his brethren, finds a close parallel, so far as the word honourable goes, in Gen_34:19; although the honourableness of Shechem, the person there in question, does not come out to anything like the same advantage with that of Jabez, nor at all in the same direction. The word, however, is precisely the same, is often used elsewhere, and uniformly in a good sense, although the range of its application is wide. The essential idea of the root appears to be "weight." The phrase may therefore be supposed to answer to our expressive phrase, a "man of weightthe weight being sometimes due chiefly to character, at other times to position and wealth in the first place, though not entirely divorced from considerations of character. We may safely judge, from what follows, that the intention in our present passage is to describe Jabez as a man of more ability and nobility than his brethren. It can scarcely be doubted that the meaning that lies on the surface is the correct interpretation, when it is said that his mother named him Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow. The sorrow refers to unusual pains of travail, not to any attendant circumstances of domestic trial, as e.g. that the time of his birth was coincident with her own widowhood, as happened to the wife of Phinehas, when she named her offspring "Ichabod". (1Sa_4:19-22)
Read full note →
HOMILETICS.
A unique instance of the beneficent disappointments of human suffering"s cry.
The remarkable position of the brief episode, consisting of this and the following verse, does but draw our closer and more willing attention to it. Is it not like a spring in the dry land? Is it not like an oasis in the desert? Or again, in other figure, if the whole scene, in the very midst of which this brief narration is found, resemble some vast burying-place (and surely it does very much resemble this), crowded with tombstones which are worn with age and dishonoured by forgottenness and indifference, here the eye and the mind too are detained by an inscription worthy the notice and the thoughtful meditation. The inscription in question is not a long one. It is far from savouring of anything fulsome. But it is striking, and with the striking-ness of suggestion rather than of assertion; of what, unsaid, insists on coming to the thought, rather than of what, said, tasks unwilling thought. It must be called a Scripture providence which has preserved, and has in this way brought to the front, this interesting incident. We will for a moment shut off this verse from the following, and upon it, by itself, concentrate attention. It suddenly introduces to us one Jabez, grown presumably to years of manhood. And in designed, we may say manifestly designed, antithesis to the characteristic so "honourable" affixed to the mention of his name, a reminiscence of his christening furnishes us with the intelligence how he came by his name of sorrow. He has disappointed that name. The promise of its sadness he has not fulfilled. The exceeding pains of the mother seem to have led the way to a good and happy career for the son. And a dark morning"s outlook has grown to a bright day. Let us notice that
I THERE IS A CERTAIN INSTRUCTIVE SUDDENNESS IN THE INTRODUCTION OF THE MATTER OF THIS VERSE. Abruptly as the name of Jabez here comes upon us, abrupt as is the introduction of the brief sketch of his history, it is nothing more abrupt than the case as it presents itself not unfrequently in real life, both then and now, and the facts of which are identical with those of the instance here presented to us. The very manner of Scripture history and biography harmonizes well with the matter of well-known life, and often reminds us of it. The surprises which Providence prepares or permits in the matter of human circumstance, character, career, have always been many; and though their number ceases not, they maintain the quality of their force.
II THERE IS A CERTAIN SINGULARITY BROUGHT TO NOTICE IN THIS VERSE. A comparison is distinctly instituted. It is an invidious one. Happily, though invidious, it is a scriptural one. "Jabez was more honourable than his brethren." It is a comparison the more pronounced in that it lies within the range of one family. The defence of it is:
(1) First and in part, that it was no doubt utterly true probably signally true. Further,
(2) that there was special, practical use in giving prominence to it. It was for the good of others, not for the satisfaction of individual pride or ostentation. And
(3) that the simplest statement of it, free from any flattery and any enlargement, was serviceable to gain a point of great moment. That point was one on a very different scale and of very different magnitude from any mere ordinary occasion. It brings into relief a contrast, and a very touching contrast, between the hasty verdict of present human feeling and experience, and the great, irresistible purposing and doings of the Divine mind in the midst of this lower scene of things. We are borne on a strong current, we are whirled round on many and frequent eddyings. The cry of anguish and of anger, the murmur of discontent and of doubt, often break from our lips and rise on high. This the reason thereof that we thanklessly forget that very thing, viz. that we are borne on a strong current, that an irresistible hand is laid upon us, and a sovereign purpose is Lord over us. We are not told how or in what respects "Jabez was more honourable than his brethren." Therefore that we are told the fact without the detail, argues that a general principle is offered to our notice, and we are invited to grasp and utilize it rather than linger amid the interest of mere detail.
III THE SHORT-SIGHTEDNESS OF A MOTHER IS DELICATELY BUT SIGNIFICANTLY HINTED in the very verse which has stamped the honour of her son. The family her family is known, and known for good too, by one individual of it. But that individual is the child she marked evermore and signalized as the cause of special and exceeding suffering. But how soon was that suffering over! How soon was it obliterated! How little was it worthy to be compared with the exceeding joy, which, if she lived to see it, the "honourableness" of her son was sure to have given her! The suffering was that of the body, the joy was that of mind and heart. What a comment we have here upon the utterances of human lips, whether hasty or not, whether true to the moment or not, whether not to be wondered at or censured sternly, or the reverse, and the issues that lie with God, the event which we may live to see, and which shall be found to contrast so strangely, so sharply with our old feeling, impression, anticipation, or foreboding! The man who rescues that mother"s family from oblivion, and finds it a place on the page of the Divine Word for ever and ever, is the child named of old Jabez. This babe of old, of bitterer pains than usual, must needs therefore, by a loving mother"s own act, be chartered to tell to the ends of the earth the tale of her suffering, rather than to bear a testimony to the spirit of endurance and hope and trust that were in her. So Heaven disappoints human calculations, sometimes as much by its undeserved beneficence as at other times by its just visitations of punishment. So Divine strength avails itself of one method of showing its perfection in human weakness. So our Father"s generous eye overlooks and forgives the suspicion that lurks in our eye.
HOMILIES BY J.R. THOMSON Vers. 9, 10.
Jabez.
These two beautiful verses come in the midst of a dry and (to us) comparatively uninteresting genealogy, like an oasis in a desert. We know nothing at all of the person here mentioned except what is recorded in this passage. Yet there is so much of meaning in these brief sentences, that Jabez is certainly to the readers of this book more than a name.
I Observe his NAME. Scripture names are often significant. This was given by the mother, in token and memory of the sorrow in which she bore her son. "In sorrow shalt thou bring forth children," was the primeval sentence upon the mother of mankind. Yet, as Christ reminds us, it is usually the case that a mother "remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world." The mother of Jabez did not forget, and accordingly named the child in memory of her pains.
II Observe his PRAYER. It is an interesting fact that we know some Scripture characters chiefly by their prayers. Thus we know Agur as having besought the Lord, "Give me neither poverty nor riches." And we know Jabez by the comprehensive petition which he is recorded to have presented to Heaven.
1. It was a prayer to a covenant God the God of Israel.
2. It was a prayer for blessing; i.e. for good as the expression of Divine favour and approbation.
3. It was a prayer for prosperity; "Enlarge my coast." We know nothing of Jabez"s way of life, whether he was a husbandman, or a warrior, or a ruler; but it is clear that he asked for enlargement of means, or authority, or territory, etc.
4. It was a prayer for strength: That thy hand might be with me.
5. It was a prayer for safety and purity. The evil from which this good man would fain be kept was, probably, both temporal and spiritual. How suitable a petition for us all!
6. It was a prayer for freedom from sorrow. If disasters should befall him,or if he should be tempted to apostasy or sin, such a fate would be fraught with grief to his heart.
III Observe THE ANSWER to his prayer. The petition was large, but it was offered to a King, who was the rather pleased with its magnitude. There was no hesitation, no withholding. A lesson this as to God"s willingness to hear and answer the supplications of his people.
IV Observe HIS HONOUR AMONGST MEN. Who the brethren of Jabez were we know not. The verse contains nothing in disparagement of their character or position. But Jabez was more honourable than they. The Lord is wont to honour those who honour him. Jabez acknowledged God as the Source of his prosperity, and God rewarded Jabez, by raising him to a position of authority and esteem in his family and amongst his countrymen. T.
HOMILIES BY R. TUCK Vers. 9, 10.
A model prayer.
Of the man Jabez we have only this brief record. He is only known by his prayer. Yet the prayer is a sufficient revelation of the man. His character is revealed in it, as is the character of every man to him who is able to read man"s prayers aright. His name means "He causes pain," and it was attached to him on account of his mother"s sufferings at his birth; but it is designed to seal a certain gentleness, lack of vigour and self assertion, and almost melancholy tone, which characterized his whole life. From the occurrence of the same name in 1Ch_2:55, it has been assumed that this Jabez was the founder of the schools of colleges of the scribes. The date at which he lived cannot be fixed with certainty. Possibly the sorrow of Jabez"s birth was, that his mother lost her husband when she gained her son. If so, she might well name her fatherless boy Sorrowful. " Yet he rose above the sadness of his birth; he belied his very name by becoming more honourable than his brethren. The shadow which had fallen upon his birth was dispelled by the uprightness, the nobility, the God-fearing, the prayerful spirit of his life. And God made to rest on him gracious signs of his acceptance. Regarding the prayer as giving indications of the character of Jabez, we may see
I THAT JABEZ WAS HUMBLE. Estimate the tone of the prayer. He has such a sense of personal helplessness, and such a trembling fear of responsibility, that he asks for guidance and keeping, and the true enrichment of the Divine blessing. He prays for strength, preservation, success, and blessing, as though a very deep sense of his own weakness and insufficiency rested upon him. Such "humility" is the marked feature of every truly good and great and wise man; and it is sure to find its fullest expression when, for purposes of prayer, he goes into the presence of God. Illustrate from Abraham"s intercession for Sodom, Solomon"s prayer at the dedication of the temple, and Daniel"s and Nehemiah"s prayers for their nation. And, combined with other characteristics, the same "humility" is found in our Lord"s great intercessory prayer; and we know that it was a marked and striking feature of his beautiful life. Such "humility" is a first and essential characteristic of acceptable prayer; and the attitude of kneeling is the bodily expression of it.
II THAT JABEZ WAS INTELLIGENT AND THOUGHTFUL. The prayer shows that he had formed a sensible estimate of life. To him it was a scene of toil and struggle and evil; it seemed to be full of work, duties, responsibilities, cares, and trusts; and for it all he recognized the need of a guiding and upholding hand. Illustrate by our Lord"s figure of the man who proposed to build, sitting down first and counting the cost. The man may discover no need for prayer who rushes heedlessly into life, only intending to do the best he can under the various circumstances that may arise. But he who looks thoughtfully out over life, and intelligently anticipates its duties and cares, will be sure to feel the importance and helpfulness of prayer, and, with Jabez, will turn to God, saying, "Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed!" Compare Moses praying, "If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence;" and Joshua"s resolve, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
III THAT JABEZ WAS, IN A GOOD SENSE, AMBITIOUS. His piety did not crush down the high imaginations and glowing hopes of his young heart. He prays God to help him "enlarge his coast," or landed estate; to extend his possessions, to increase his wealth, and to advance his influence. Religion seeks to sanctify our ambitions, but not to crush them. We may pray to God about our plans and schemes for worldly advancement, if only we keep the spirit of full loyalty to God and submission to his will; and to pray freely and constantly about our common human affairs is the best way to ensure our winning and keeping the right spirit whatever we may attain.
IV THAT JABEZ WAS HAPPY. In spite of the melancholy tone that was on him; in spite of the sorrow clinging to him from his birth. This ensures our happiness the accomplishment of our life-aims, when those aims are right ones. "God granted Jabez that which he requested." He had:
1. Success in life given him, so that he might add field to field, and become "more honourable than his brethren.
2. Evil warded off from him. In "going out and coming in," the preserving hand of God kept him safe.
3. Gods blessing sanctifying his successes; by that term meaning the satisfying and comforting sense of the Divine approval and acceptance. It may be impressed that such a prayer indicates the personal piety of Jabez, and suggests that he made a full consecration of himself to the God of his fathers in early life. Plead for such a wholehearted decision, and such a spirit of prayerfulness, on the very threshold of life. It is well if, before the foot falls on the first step of life, the heart goes up to God, saying, "Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed! R.T.
HOMILIES BY R. GLOVER Vers. 9, 10.
The prayer of Jabez.
was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called him Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow. And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested." But little is known of this man; known in his generation as a man of prayer; famous for the directness and simplicity of his appeal to God and for the success attending it. Probably he gave his name to Jabez, the town mentioned in 1Ch_2:55, as Bethlehem, Ephratah, Tekoa, and many named in these genealogies did. If so and the identity of several names in the respective genealogies, and the singular eminence and honour of the man, give great weight to supposition then we know something of his ancestry and something of his descendants. Of his ancestry; for then 1Ch_2:55 makes him a Kenite, and a descendant of Jonadab the son of Rechab, one of the early sect described in Jeremiah 35., who, probably called into existence by the testimony of Elijah, cultivated simplicity of creed, rejecting all idolatry; simplicity of life, dwelling in tents; simplicity of food, drinking neither wine nor strong drink. A sect ready to help Jehu in his reformation; (2Ki_12:15, 2Ki_12:16) respected by those who could not copy them; blessed and honoured by God. And we know something of his descendants; for he was in that case the founder of the school of scribes, who did so much in the later centuries of Jewish national history to revive and maintain the purer worship of God. A sect of married monks, whose only vow was simplicity of life, they seemed to exemplify all the advantages derivable from special callings, consecration, and brotherhood, while free from all their defects. Their earnest faith turned them to the Bible as the best preservative of a people from error. And their simple tent-life gave them leisure. Probably Jabez was a sort of William Tyndale of his generation, bent on giving his people the Bible in their homes. Tyndale by translation, Jabez merely by transcription, both gave the priceless treasure to multitudes who before had lacked it. Assuming these things, there are some lessons from his character and from his prayer that are worth observing.
I FIRST, A GOOD SOIL HELPS TO MAKE A GOOD PLANT. In all self-denial there is advantage. Power of will, energy of purpose, security against temptation, are all furthered by it. These early total abstainers had some of the vigour marking the class in all ages. The poet had not in their case to lament that "the days of simple living and high thinking were no more." But there they were. The John the Baptists of their time in simplicity of life and profundity of thought and faith. The home moulds the child. Let your children find in their parents" life purity, brightness, love, and they will more easily copy it. Like as Milton and Cromwell rose among the Puritans, so Jabez rose among the Rechabites. Observe
II SOME LIVES BEGIN IN GREAT SORROW THAT LEAVE BEHIND THEM GREAT JOY. What the mother"s grief was we do not know. It may have been unusual pain and danger at his birth. It may have been (the father is not mentioned) that she lost her husband before she bore her child. And the melancholy of her heart made her despair of any brightness, and give her boy (an unfair thing to do) a depressing name. It is possible, too, that some sorrow may have arisen out of this prayer. If it did, we may observe that a dull morning often opens into a bright day. The early life may be obscure, pressed with disadvantages, all uphill, and yet we may reach a stately usefulness and comfort.
The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in our stars, But in ourselves.
III LOOK AT HIS PRAYER. There are many points about it worthy of remark.
1. That whatever touched his life he took it to his God.
2. That he blends in his prayer the requests for moral and the outwardmercies which make up well-being. "That thou wouldest bless me indeed," is probably a prayer for highest spiritual mercies; for God"s smile, God"s grace, forgiveness, peace. "And enlarge my coast." This was prayer for outward advantage. Large lands not needed for their simple living; probably they were needed only for the increasing number of disciples. "That thy hand may be with me" seems again a spiritual petition; a prayer for guidance pre-eminently, and for God"s aid. The worldly don"t want God"s hand with them; it is apt to stop the flow of their purposes and schemes. But the devout want God to be a partner in all their business. "And to keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me." Here is an illusion to his name. And probably the prayer means, "Disappoint a mother"s fears, and let not harm overtake me." In estimating aright the worth of this prayer, the following suggestion may be of value: Only those prayers are vital and real which, like this, combine requests for outward and inward good. When you pray, say," Give us daily bread, and forgive us our debts." If you omit to ask for the bread, you may be pretty sure it is not the greatness of your spirituality that omits the request, but only the littleness of your faith, which makes you imagine God can do nothing so substantial as bless you in your common needs. What is wanted by all of us is goodness rather than spirituality, and a religion of common life rather than a strained, unnatural pietism. Jabez had grand faith that God ruled in common life, was lowly enough to bless him, and to help him in his work. Observe, lastly
IV THE LORD"S ANSWER. It came to him. Came so palpably that all could see it, that it was a matter of history, that it taught others that they had a Friend above, and led them to the throne of grace. Blessed is the circle in which somebody prays! Pray on. You will not need to proclaim the answers you receive; your neighbours will see it for themselves. And your prayer will thus be doubly blessed. It will secure for you the good you desire, and will guide many another to the throne of the heavenly grace, to get there the blessings which they require. G.
HOMILIES BY W. CLARKSON
Vers. 9, 10.
A life and its lessons.
Two verses only relate the life of Jabez, but they suffice to give us some idea of its nature and character; also to convey some lessons for our guidance as we pass through our own.
I THREE FEATURES OF HIS LIFE. We learn that:
1. It was begun in special sorrow. His mother called him Jabez because she bare him with sorrow." Possibly his father had died before his birth, or their estate may have been so reduced as to make another child seem a burden rather than a blessing.
2. It was characterized by special piety. He made his future the subject ofearnest prayer to God; he earnestly desired that God would bless him in all his doings, that the Divine hand might be upon him; he evidently believed and felt that all things were ruled and overruled by the Lord himself. He "committed his way unto the Lord.
3. It was crowned with special peace and honour. "God granted him thatwhich he requested" (ver. 10). He was more honourable than his brethren had a larger estate, was held in higher esteem, attained to greater eminence. God did "keep him from the evil" from which he sought Divine deliverance, and it did not grieve him." He did enlarge his coast." Peace and honour were his portion in an unusual degree. His life must have had its shadow as well as its sunshine, but it was brighter with earthly honour and less clouded with worldly troubles than are the lives of most men.
II THE LESSONS WE MAY GLEAN THEREFROM. We learn:
1. That that which has an unpromising beginning may stand among thebest. How little did the mother of Jabez imagine that the child of her sorrow would have so honourable a career! The most successful and even glorious enterprise may be begun in weakness and in trembling of heart. That which was once only a small gathering in a back slum has grown into a magnificent and beneficent institution. They that sow in tears may reap in joy. If God prosper a human life or a good cause, its early insignificance will prove of small account. Many a time the widow"s child, for whom it
2. has been hard to find food and education, has grown to be a man of weight and honour, filling a large space and doing a great work in the world.
3. That it is right to ask God for material blessings in the hope of obtainingthem. These were earthly favours which Jabez asked for, and which he received of God enlargement of his estate, immunity from trouble and loss, etc. We have no authority for asking God for wealth or immunity from sorrow with a positive assurance that we shall have those things. We do not know that they will suit us; it is quite possible, or even probable, that they would prove the very worst things we could have. But we may ask God for temporal blessings, in the hope of receiving them, if we ask in a subject spirit, desiring him to withhold from us what he knows it would be best to keep back. We are to pray for daily bread; that his hand may be with us;" that he will be with us in our going out and our coming in.
1. That God is never served in vain. God granted Jabez that which he requested. He may not give us our heart"s desires in the form in which we cherish them. The "cup" did not "pass from" the Saviour, but he "was heard in that he feared". (Heb_5:7) God has ways of blessing us of which we have little thought when we are on our knees. But if we ask we shall have if not sooner, later; if not in our way, in his better way. C.
HOMILIES BY F. WHITFIELD Ver. 9.
Jabez: his history.
Supposed to be the son of Kenaz, and an eminent doctor of the law, whose reputation drew around him so many scribes and learned men that a town was called by his name. (see 1Ch_2:55) We have seen the preeminence given to the tribe of Judah on account of its connection with the promised Christ. Before tracing further the genealogy of the sons of Israel, an entire chapter is devoted to the family of David. This is just as it should be still further prominence being given to every one and everything that foreshadowed the true David, the Lord Jesus Christ. The line of David is drawn all through the third chapter, through a succession of good and bad monarchs. The Lord"s eye is on his beloved Son; and the stream that leads to him winds its way through wastes and stagnant pools and dark morasses lying on either side everything marked which in any way stands connected with it, but beyond this as unworthy of notice. We can now devote attention to one of God"s children in particular, and recorded in this chapter Jabez. In the midst of a genealogy of some extent, the Spirit of God singles one out for notice, and lingers over it with delight. It is a bright gem on an apparently hard and uninteresting surface shining with brilliancy. It is a name, however, fully confirming all we have hitherto referred to. It would have no notice in the inspired Word but for what there is of God in it. We know much of God in Jabez, very little of who or what he was. Of what he was in relation to the world, in relation to his fellow-men, or to society, or to business, we know little. Of what he was to God there is much said and much known. What matters the rest? We may be sure that was all right. For if men are right towards Christ we may take the rest for granted. It is this that gave Jabez a name in heaven. This made him worthy of a record in the Book of God. But for this he would have been unnoticed and unknown. And what is said of him? "Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow." God"s sorrowing ones are generally God"s more honourable ones. It is through sorrow we reach our joys. "Ye now therefore have sorrow, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy." It is God"s order sorrow the portal to joy. The darkness first, then the light; tribulation here, then the kingdom; discipline here, then the glory. God"s secret place is darkness. The pavilion round about him are "dark waters and thick clouds the dark waters of sorrow, the thick clouds of baffling enigma and unfathomable mystery. But inside this pavilion of darkness and cloud there is always a brightness. (Psa_18:11, Psa_18:12) This brightness is the unchanging love of him who is "the brightness of the Father"s glory, and the express image of his person." Under his shadow the dark waters and thick clouds will all in due time disperse. Yes, every thick cloud and every dark waterflood will melt before his love, who is "the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever." Before the air can be cleared and the calm stillness of nature be felt, the thunder-clouds must gather and the lightning-flash be seen. The stillness of nature comes heralded by tokens of terror. It is the order of God, both in nature and grace. We see the darkness first, and call it "Jabez." We meet with bereavement and write "Jabez" upon it, though God makes it a blessed means of drawing us to fix our affections on a world that can never pass away. We meet with disappointment and vexation and worry, and write "Jabez" upon one thing after another. Yet all these things come out, in the wonder-working of God"s providence, in the deep riches of his grace, as dealings "more honourable," as blessings in disguise. They are the discipline of his hand, bringing glory to him and blessing to our own souls.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust him for his grace; Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face.
And what is the prominent feature in the character of this man of God noticed by the Holy Spirit? It is prayer. "And Jabez called upon the God of Israel. " Jabez was a man of prayer. In this aspect he is first presented to us. Oh that this was the marked feature in us all! A man of prayer means a man blessed of God. A man of prayer means, in its truest sense, a man of God. It means a marked man one distinguished from others by communion with God, and carrying that mark about him in all his least and greatest acts. This is the man on whom the Holy Spirit loves to linger, and singles him out from a mere mass of genealogies that have nothing worthy of notice, and holds him before us for a moment as the one "whom the King delighteth to honour." But on whom did Jabez call? 1%t on God; not on abstract deity; not on some "unknown God some almighty abstraction whom we are for ever groping after, but whom we can never know. No; this is the atheist"s god, the Socinian"s god, the rationalist"s god, the god of all men who know not God in Christ. Jabez knew better. He "called on the God of Israel the covenant God, the God of his .fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The saints of the Old Testament had one expression with regard to God which corresponded exactly with the expression used by the saints of the New Testament. The latter knew God as "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ;" the former knew God as the God of Israel," the "God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." And these two meant exactly the same. The God in covenant, and keeping that covenant for ever; the God who called his people out of the idolatry of heathenism; who" accounts" them righteous before him; who separates them from the world to be his people; who loves them, and keeps them, and causes them to inherit the land; and who does all this, not because of their deservings, but because of his own rich mercy. This is the "God of Israel," the "God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." And Jabez knew this God. He addresses him as One with whom he is familiar; he values his blessing above all others; he feels the need of his "hand," his presence, continually; he feels the need of being "kept," and feels that God only can keep him; he feels his own liability to evil, and casts himself, in the conviction of his weakness, upon him. Oh, surely Jabez was no ordinary child of God! W.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren.
1Ch_4:9-10
And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren.
Read full note →
Jabez
We know nothing whatsoever of the Jabez here commemorated beyond what we find in these two verses. But this is enough to mark him out as worthy, in no ordinary degree, of being admired and imitated. There is a depth and a comprehensiveness in the registered prayer of this unknown individual--unknown except from that prayer--which should suffice to make him a teacher of the righteous in every generation. Let us now take the several parts of the text in succession, commenting upon each and searching out the lessons which may be useful to ourselves. The first verse contains a short account of Jabez; the second is occupied by his prayer. Now there is no denying that we are short-sighted beings, so little able to look into the future that we constantly miscalculate as to what would be for our good, anticipating evil from what is working for benefit, and reckoning upon benefit from that which may prove fraught with nothing but evil. How frequently does that which we have baptized with our tears make the countenance sunny with smiles! how frequently, again, does that which we have welcomed with smiles wring from us tears! We do not know the particular reasons which influenced the mother of Jabez to call him by that name, a name which means sorrowful. We are merely told, His mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow. Whether it were that she brought forth this son with more than common anguish, or whether, as it may have been, the time of his birth were the time of her widowhood, the mother evidently felt but little of a mothers joy, and looked on her infant with forebodings and fears. Perhaps it could hardly have been her own bodily suffering which made her fasten on the boy a dark and gloomy appellation, for, the danger past, she would rather have given a name commemorative of deliverance, remembering no more her anguish for joy that a man was born into the world. Indeed, when Rachel bare Benjamin she called his name Benoni, that is, the son of my sorrow; but then it was as her soul was in departing, for she died. We may well, therefore, suppose that the mother of Jabez had deeper and more lasting sorrows to register in the name of her boy than those of the giving him birth. And whatsoever may have been the cause, whether domestic affliction or public calamity, we may consider the woman as having bent in bitterness over her new-born child, having only tears to give him as his welcome to the world, and feeling it impossible to associate with him even a hope of happiness. She had probably looked with different sentiments on her other children. She had clasped them to her breast with all s mothers gladness. But with Jabez it was all gloom; the mother felt as if she could never be happy again: this boy brought nothing but an accession of care. And yet the history of the family is gathered into the brief sentence, Jabez was more honourable than his brethren. Nothing is told us of his brethren, except that they were less honourable than himself; they, too, may have been excellent, and perhaps as much is implied, but Jabez took the lead, and whether or not the youngest in years, surpassed every other in piety and renown. Oh, if the mother lived to see the manhood of her sons, how strangely must the name Jabez, a name probably given in a moment of despondency and faithlessness, have fallen on her earl She may then have regretted the gloomy and ominous name, feeling as though it reproached her for having yielded to her grief, and allowed herself to give way to dreary forebodings. It may have seemed to her as a standing memorial of her want of confidence in God, and of the falseness of human calculations. And is not this brief notice of the mother of Jabez full of warning and admonition to ourselves? How ready are we to give the name Jabez to persons or things which, could we but look into Gods purpose, or repose on His promise, we might regard as designed to minister permanently to our security and happiness. All these things, said the patriarch Jacob, are against me, as one trial after another fell to his lot. And yet, as you all know, it was by and through these gloomy dealings that a merciful God was providing for the sustenance of the patriarch and his household, for their support and aggrandisement in a season of extraordinary pressure. Thus it continually happens in regard of ourselves. We give the sorrowful title to that which is designed for the beneficent end. Judging only by present appearances, allowing our fears and feelings rather than our faith to take the estimate or fix the character of occurrences, we look with gloom on our friends and with melancholy on our sources of good. Sickness, we call it Jabez, though it may be sent to minister to our spiritual health; poverty, we call it Jabez, though coming to help us to the possession of heavenly riches; bereavement, we call it Jabez, though designed to graft us more closely into the household of God. Oh for a better judgment! or rather, oh for a simpler faith! We cannot, indeed, see the end from the beginning, and therefore cannot be sure that what rises in cloud will set in vermilion and gold; but we need not take upon ourselves to give the dark name, as though we could not be deceived in regard of the nature. Let us derive this lesson from the concise but striking narrative in the first verse of our text. Let us neither look confidently on what promises best, nor despairingly on what wears the most threatening appearance. God often wraps up the withered leaf of disappointment in the bright purple bud, and as often unfolds the golden flower of enjoyment in the nipped and blighted shoot. Experience is full of evidence that there is no depending on appearances. If, in a spirit of repining or unbelief, you brand as Jabez what may be but a blessing in disguise, no marvel if sometimes, in just anger and judgment, He allow the title to prove correct, and suffer not this Jabez, this child born in sorrow, to become to you as otherwise it might, more honourable, more profitable than any of its brethren. But let us now turn to the prayer of Jabez. We ought not to examine the prayer without pausing to observe to whom it is addressed. It is not stated that Jabez called on God, but on the God of Israel. There are few things more significant than the difference in the manner in which God is addressed by saints under the old and under the new dispensation. Patriarchs pray to God as the God of their fathers; apostles pray to Him as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In both forms of address there is an intimation of the same fact, that we need something to encourage us in approaching unto God; that exposed as we are to His just wrath for our sins, we can have no confidence in speaking to Him as to absolute Deity. There must be something to lean upon, some plea to urge, otherwise we can but shrink from the presence of One so awful in His gloriousness. We must, then, have some title with which to address God--some title which, interfering not with His majesty or His mysteriousness, may yet place Him under a character which shall give hope to the sinful as they prostrate themselves before Him. We need not say that under the gospel dispensation this title should be that which is used by St. Paul, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Having such a Mediator through whom to approach, there is no poor supplicant who may not come with boldness to the mercy-seat. But under earlier dispensations, when the mediatorial office was but imperfectly made known, men had to seize on other pleas and encouragements; and then it was a great thing that they could address God as you continually find Him addressed, as the God of Israel, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob. The title assured them that God was ready to hear prayer and to answer it. They went before God, thronged, as it were, with remembrances of mercies bestowed, deliverances vouchsafed, evils averted: how could they fear that God was too great to be addressed, too occupied to reply, or too stern to show kindness, when they bore in mind how He had shielded their parents, hearkened to their cry, and proved Himself unto them a very present help in all time of trouble? Ah, and though, under the new dispensation, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be the great character under which God should be addressed by us in prayer, there is no need for our altogether dropping the title, the God of our fathers. It might often do much to cheer a sorrowful heart, and to encourage a timid, to address God as the God of our fathers--the God in whom my parents trusted. And what did Jabez pray for? for great things--great, if you suppose him to have spoken only as an heir of the temporal Canaan, greater if you ascribe to him acquaintance with the mercies of redemption. Oh that Thou wouldest bless me indeed. Lay the emphasis on that word indeed. Many things pass for blessings which are not; to as many more we deny, though we ought to give the character. There is a blessing in appearance which is not also a blessing in reality; and conversely, the reality may exist where the appearance is wanting. The man in prosperity appears to have, the man in adversity to be without a blessing--yet how often does God bless by withholding! And Jabez goes on, That Thou wouldest enlarge my coast. He probably speaks as one who had to win from the enemy his portion of the promised land. He knew that, as the Lord said to Joshua, there remained yet very much land to be possessed; it was not, then, necessarily as a man desirous of securing to himself a broader inheritance, it may have been as one who felt jealous that the idolater should still defile what God had set apart for His people, that he entreated the enlargement of his coast. And a Christian may use the same prayer; he, too, has to ask that his coast may be enlarged. Who amongst us has yet taken possession of one-half the territory assigned him by God? Our privileges as Christians, as members of an apostolical Church, as heirs of the kingdom of heaven, how are these practically under-valued, how little are they realised, how sluggishly appropriated! What districts of unpossessed territory are there in the Bible! how much of that blessed book has been comparatively unexamined by us! We have our favourite parts, and give only an occasional and cursory notice to the rest. How little practical use do we make of Gods promises! What need, then, for the prayer, Oh that Thou wouldest enlarge my coast! I would not be circumscribed in spiritual things. I would not live always within these narrow bounds. There are bright and glorious tracts beyond. It is a righteous covetousness, this for an enlargement of coast; for he has done little, we might almost say nothing, in religion, who can be content with what he has done. It is a holy ambition, this which pants for an ampler territory. But are we only to pray? are we not also to struggle, for the enlargement of our coasts? Indeed we are: observe how Jabez proceeds, And that Thine hand might be with me. He represents himself as arming for the enlargement of his coast, but as knowing all the while that the battle is the Lords. There is one more petition in the prayer of him who, named with a dark and inauspicious name, yet grew to be more honourable than his brethren: That Thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me. Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? Jabez prayed not for the being kept from evil, but kept from the being grieved by evil. And there is a vast difference between the being visited by evil and grieved by evil. He is grieved by evil who does not receive it meekly and submissively, as the chastisement of his heavenly Father. He is grieved by evil whom evil injures, in place of benefits--which latter is always Gods purpose in His permission or appointment. He is grieved by evil whom it drives into sin, and to whom, therefore, it furnishes cause of bitter repentance. You see, then, that Jabez showed great spiritual discernment in casting his prayer into this particular form. We, too, should pray, not absolutely that God would keep us from evil, but that He would so keep it from us, or us from it, that it may not grieve us. (H. Melvill, B. D.)
The prayer of Jabez
Many comparisons have at times been instituted, and I think not altogether without reason, between this book as the work of God and the world as the production of God; such, for instance, as that what is necessary and essential lies amply upon the surface of both. Analogies have sometimes been gathered from the mixture that there is in Scripture in the developments of the character of God; sometimes all that is awful, and sometimes all that is benignant. So in the material world there is the same mixture in the development and display of the Divine character and perfections. Sometimes, again, an analogy, not I think altogether fanciful, has been supposed to exist between this book and the world, in that there are some parts of it that seem luxuriant and beautiful--some parts of the book in which every verse and every word is like a flower springing up under your feet, or like the shade of a beautiful vegetation around you, or like an exhibition of the magnificence and loveliness of vegetable nature, while other parts appear sterile and barren, with rocks on every side. When we look at this barren catalogue of names, when we look at what is here presented, we seem to have got into one of those parts of Scripture in which there is very little to delight the eye or to refresh the heart, just as sometimes we may be passing through some sterile part in the scenery of this world. What is suggested by what we see in some of these barren spots of nature? Why, just this--that we there get a view of the rocks, of the bands and the pillars of our earth, that bind it and keep it together, and make it what it is, and which are essential and necessary for the support of all the earth, and the soil by which is supported and displayed in other parts the beauty and sublimity of vegetation. So it is here; these parts of the Bible are just representations to us of some of those barren rocks, you may say, but still those rocks which run throughout Scripture, those genealogies which are connected with all that is important in the history of the Messiah and the fulfilment of prophecy. In looking at the passage we observe that with respect to this Jabez we really know nothing but what is combined in these two verses; there is no reference to him in any other part of Scripture. He was unquestionably, I suppose, from the position in which he stands, of the tribe of Judah; as this is the genealogy of Judah. We know not precisely from the passage who were his parents; what particular line in Judah he belonged to; nor can we exactly make out the precise time in which he lived; though it appears to me the passage gives us a little light on that subject. It is said generally of him that he was more honourable than his brethren. That may or may not imply censure against his brethren. He might be honourable among the honourable; he might be great among the great. The probability is, however, that it does rather convey the idea of imperfection and defect in the character of surrounding society, and hence it does mark more prominently the influence of principle and of piety in him. But men may be honourable on various accounts: generally at the time to which the Scripture refers, and now, men are estimated honourable for valour, for wisdom, and for pity. I think it is very probable that all these met in Jabez.
1. There are traditions among the Jews respecting him; and they make him to have been a man distinguished for wisdom as a teacher; distinguished as the founder of a school, and having around him a multitude of disciples. This opinion has upon it, perhaps, some air of probability from the last verse of the second chapter in this book, in which it is said, And the families of the scribes which dwelt at Jabez, or with Jabez; the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and Suchathites. These are the Kenites that came of Hemath, the father of the house of Rechab. Now, the families of the scribes which dwelt at Jabez, supposing it to be the name of a place, refers to men who are devoted to study; if it be the name of the persons that dwelt with him, still the same idea seems suggested. So that I think it very probable that the idea of the Jews is right. They themselves take these words which are here used, and in which these different divisions of scribes are distinguished, as being signifcant, expressing certain qualities of these disciples with respect to the manner in which they received the instruction of the master, and the manner in which they were devoted to God. It is very probable, therefore, that he was distinguished and honourable for his mental acquisition and his wisdom.
2. It seems to me that he was honourable also for his enterprise and activity, and perhaps also for his valour, because he prays for the enlargement of his coast. Now it strikes me that this particular prayer of Jabez about the enlargement of his coast, and God being with him, seems to cast a little light on the time in which he lived. It strikes me that he lived soon after the settlement of the people in Canaan, and before they had taken complete and full possession of the different lots. And there was among many of the people a sort of reluctance to do this, a want of vigour and enterprise of mind and character. Joshua really had to reprove them for sitting clown contented too soon, saying, Why, a few of you have got possession; yet there remains a number of places that are not yet divided; why sit you here? Arise, take possession. It strikes me, therefore, this prayer has relation to that, and that he was more honourable than his brethren because he entered into the mind of God.
3. Whatever may be thought of that, that he was honourable for his piety is, I think, manifest. He was more honourable than his brethren; and the sacred writer, after having stated that generally, in the next verse develops the principle of this honourable character: And Jabez called on the God of Israel, etc.
(1) On looking at this prayer you observe the propriety of the feeling with which it is addressed to God. Jabez called upon the God of Israel. He was neither lost in the vagueness of mere theism, nor led astray by the grossness of idolatry. He understood and felt the principle of the economy under which he lived; he rejoiced in the privileges and advantages which God in covenant had conferred on the people, and he rejoiced to look at God in that aspect, and presented his prayer to Him in that covenant relation. It is thus that you and I must come to God; it is thus that we must be prepared not to lose ourselves in the vagueness of sentimentalism and the generalities of religion, but to feel that there is a way by which we are to come, a specific view we are to have of God.
(2) Then let us look at the comprehensiveness of the prayer; how much it includes with respect to the life that now is and the life that is to come.
(3) Then I think you may observe the humility that marks the prayer; how completely he is emptied of self, how he goes out of self, feeling that all his resources must be in God. There is a feeling pervading every petition and every expression, marking the consciousness that he had of his own weakness and his own danger: that he needed to be held and sustained by God.
(4) Then you may observe the intenseness, the fervour, and the earnestness which seem to mark his supplication: Oh that Thou wouldest bless me indeed!
(5) Then observe the fulfilment of the prayer: And God granted him that which he requested. Such is a brief illustration of what is here stated with respect to this distinguished man, and the prayer that is here recorded of him. Before I pass on to the more general lessons to be drawn from this prayer, I cannot help just observing how short this prayer is. And this is a characteristic of the prayers of Scripture--the prayers of Scripture are almost all brief, many of them are very brief. But I pass on to make one or two general observations arising from the subject.
1. I should think it very likely that Jabez owed a good deal of his religion to his mother.
2. We learn also, that piety towards God, the possession of the principles and the manifestation of Scriptural religion, is in the sight of God essential to the possession of a true and honourable character. The terms honourable and honourable character have very different senses among men. That which is highly approved among men in this respect is often an abomination in the sight of God. There is many a man distinguished by this epithet in society that is loathed in the society of heaven. A merely honourable character in society means often nothing but a man of integrity. He is honourable in the relations of common life. Under the influence of their principle men are led to pay debts which they have contracted by vice, but to starve and to crush the honest tradesman, and neglect to pay other debts which they have accumulated upon themselves. And yet they are honourable men! Such are the perversions abroad in the world and the absurdities in society.
3. Another thought is impressed upon us by the passage: the importance that God attaches to faith and piety, and the character that flows from it. The importance that God attaches to it is proved by the very circumstance of there being this abrupt introduction of the character of Jabez in the midst of this dry genealogical detail. It reminds one of a similar passage in Gen_5:1-32., Enoch walked with God; impressing a glory and distinction upon the character of the man, and making it stand out prominently from the midst of those with which it is connected. Now if your genealogies were made out would the scribe have to pause at your name? Is there anything about you of this character and these principles that in a similar scroll or writing to this there may be this reason to pause and to dwell upon you?
4. Another thing which you may draw from this subject is the possibility of the combination of secular enterprise and activity with eminent piety. I think these seem to be indicated as having met in the character of Jabez. This piety towards God; his faith, his devotion, the time that he gave for prayer, did not render it impossible with him to give time to active duty. Perhaps, so to speak, he had a sanctified ambition to combine both activity and enterprise with religion. And both these may be combined--diligence in business with fervour of spirit, activity in the fulfilment of the duties of everyday life, in connection with the cultivation of those principles and feelings which keep us near to God, and which sanctify the activity and direct it. Now I think it is likely that Jabez was a young man when this prayer was offered; that there was this formation of his character comparatively early; that he thus started in life, that he thus acted.
5. Another remark we make is this, that certainly one of the best ways to preserve your speculations, your pursuits, your secular activity and enterprise from being offensive to God and injurious to yourselves, is to enter upon none, and to engage in none, but such as you can bring, like Jabez, and lay at the footstool of the throne of God, and ask God to bless.
6. In the last place, let us learn from this subject the gratitude that we ought to feel for the clear discovery that we have in Scripture of Gods covenant relation to His children; that we can go to Him, not merely as the God of Israel, but the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, in Him reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing to men their trespasses. (T. Binney.)
Jabez
The very situation of this text is worth remarking. It stands in the very midst of genealogies. Why those names are so particularly put upon record, or why nothing more besides the name, is not very easy to discover. Perhaps it was to let us see that multitudes of persons live upon the earth of whom, when you have told the name, you have told all that is worth mentioning. Great men they might be in their generations, men of renown in an earthly point of view, and yet, in the sight of God, insignificant and worthless. But, however this may be, here is one person, at least, whom the Word of God is not content with barely mentioning. It is said of him that he was more honourable than his brethren. In whatever other points he was so, in this especially, that, whereas the Holy Spirit barely runs over the names of others, and tells us nothing else of them, when He comes to Jabez He stops short. Something He relates concerning Jabez which He evidently holds forth to our praise and imitation. What is the fact in the history of Jabez which the Holy Ghost hath thought worthy of record? Is it any battle that he fought, or any exploit he performed? is it any proof he gave of earthly wisdom or of earthly policy? No; these are indeed the things which dazzle human eyes and which please the pens of human writers. But not so the great God. The events He dwells on in the history of Jabez is one which many earthly penmen would have scorned to write of. He takes us to this good mans closet, and tells us of a prayer he offered there. All l amidst the multitude of things which are going on upon this earth, amidst the manifold events which man calls great, there is nothing in Gods sight half so considerable as the prayer of a poor humble soul for mercy and acceptance. The prayer of a Paul, of a Cornelius, of a Jabez--What trifling matters, saith the world, are these! But look into Gods Book and only see the notice which is taken of these prayers by Him who made us. Pray like Jabez. Pray, if not in his words, yet in his spirit, and you shall speed like him.
I. We are to consider the import of the prayer--the nature, I mean, of the petition it contains. There is no doubt but that it issued from the heart, and that it was offered up with holy fervency of spirit. Jabez called upon the God of Israel, such is the expression used. Something more, you see, he did than merely say the words of prayer. He called or cried unto his God. He put his heart into his words, as one in deep and holy earnest. There is a holy vehemence, too, in the very form of his address. Oh, says he, that Thou wouldest do this thing! And this should be your way of praying. But to come to the language of the prayer.
1. What is the first petition of this earnest suitor at the throne of grace? Oh, says he, that Thou wouldest bless me indeed! Now what sort of blessing does he mean? God hath many in His gift. Life itself is a blessing; health is a blessing; and so are food and raiment; so are the friends we mix with and the home which we inhabit. But it is clearly something beyond these which Jabez asks for. His language is emphatic: Oh that Thou wouldest bless me indeed! As much as to say, Oh that Thou wouldest give me Thy best, Thy truest blessings! And what are these? Not the short-lived blessings of the body, but the eternal blessings of the soul. The man is blessed indeed, not who sits down to a full table and wears his purple and fine linen--but who can say with a good Scripture warrant, Christ is mine and I am His. He is blessed indeed to whom the God of grace hath said, I am thy salvation--with whose spirit the Spirit itself beareth witness that he is a child of God--and who is kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. These are the choicest gifts of God. Other things are blessings; but they are the blessings of Gods enemies as well as of His people. Other things are blessings, but they are temporal and transitory, and they perish with the using. Grace to enjoy here and glory to expect hereafter--let a man have these and he hath all. Jabez wanted Jacobs blessing and not Esaus--the birthright, not the pottage. Sure I am, such is the choice of every poor awakened sinner. Give me Christ and His Cross rather than the world and its crown!
2. But what is the next thing in the prayer? what does the holy man next ask for? That Thou wouldest enlarge my coast, says he. Perhaps this petition was of a temporal nature. Jabez, it is thought, was among those Israelites who went in with Joshua to the holy land and had a portion there assigned to him. If so, it is not unlikely that he was pressed and straitened by the Canaanites around him, and that he begs in this part of his prayer that God would clear the ground for him and give him room enough to dwell in. Oh, Lord, we may well ask, enlarge the coast of my poor narrow heart. Give to my thoughts and my desires a wider range. He grieves over the narrowness, the selfishness of his desires. He feels himself, as it were, pent in and circumscribed by things of this world. He is sensible that there is not room enough within him for his God and for his brethren. He longs, therefore, in all these respects to be enlarged to reach forth unto the things which are before; to comprehend with all saints what is the length, and breadth, and depth, and height, and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, and to be filled with all the fulness of God. Again, here is another point of view in which the Christian seeks after enlargement. Oh, Lord, he is ever ready to exclaim, enlarge my usefulness. Make me a more active member of Christs body; more abundant in the fruits of righteousness; more devoted to Thy work and service; more profitable to my brethren and fellow-creatures!
3. But we pass on to the next petition in our text: Oh, says Jabez, that Thine hand might be with me! And why does he ask this? Evidently because he was thoroughly persuaded that without the Lord he could do nothing. How exactly in this point do his feelings meet those of all real Christians in the present day! The worldly man goes out in his own strength and trusts in his own arm to help him. Seldom does he feel the need of looking higher than his own wisdom and sagacity and resolution. Whilst the believer thus goes forth in the strength of the Lord he can do wonders; but let him at any time forget thus to pray, he is soon made to feel that he is a man who hath no strength.
4. To come now to the last petition of the prayer before us. How does the holy man conclude? Just as his Lord concludes in the prayer which He hath taught us to present to Him. Deliver us from evil is our last petition in that prayer. And what is the last request of Jabez? That Thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. There is safety neither for the soul nor for the body except under the shadow of His wings. Apply this to spiritual evil, and it expresses what is true, what is most eminently true, of every real servant of the Lord--that sin is a thing which grieves him. Natural evil is painful and unwelcome; but the evil of the soul--the evil to which Satan tempts--this is the thing of all others which believers dread. A great deal of sin goes with the world under the name of pleasure. But all this, says the believer, is not pleasure to my soul--it is pain and grief to me.
II. The answer which this prayer received. Answered it was, and answered to the full. The Lord granted him that which he requested; not a part, you observe, but the whole. That which he requested--that is to say, all that he requested was bestowed upon him. Now do think over his request. It was a very large one. It comprehended much. He had not trespassed on the Divine bounty which says, Ask, and you shall have. Let us, then, admire the bountifulness, the abundant mercy of the God whom Jabez called upon. Surely He is a God of faithfulness and truth and love. When has any humble soul ever cried to Him in vain? When hath He ever said to the praying seed of Jacob, Seek ye Me in vain? To you who are really calling on the God of Israel my text is surely a comfortable and refreshing one. It affords a pledge; it gives, as it were, a promise and assurance--that you will speed in your petitions. The God of Jabez is unchanged, unchangeable--the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever. (A. Roberts.)
Blessing and enlargement
We come upon this little history of Jabez with a kind of surprise, as one who, travelling through a rocky and mountainous country, comes all at once upon some little green dell, watered with streams and filled with beauty. Observe--
I. Jabez called upon the God of Israel. He declared himself a religious man, a worshipper of the true God. It was the habit of his life. He was known by this. This still lies at the foundation of individual prosperity and goodness of the highest kind--personal religion, calling upon God. A man whose soul never calls, never cries, never looks, never waits upon God, is not living to the end for which a man should live; he is not truly living at all. Man is raised above the brutes, in that he alone of all the creatures is so endowed that he stands consciously before the face of the personal God, to reverence, serve, worship, and adore the unseen Being.
II. Calling, what does Jabez say? Oh that Thou wouldest bless me indeed. This prayer is not very definite, but perhaps it is all the better, u expressive of many a condition of life, and especially the state of one who is just beginning to pray. In conscious sin and guilt, in weakness, confusion, and fear, a man knows not what to say. Then, bethinking him that God is greater than his heart and knoweth all things, and will therefore give interpretation to all the misery, penitence, longing, love; that He will hear the groanings that cannot be uttered; that He will take dim thought for words; the man is content, and with a cry of relief, as well as earnestness, he says, Oh that Thou wouldest bless me indeed!
III. But there is something more definite immediately, and enlarge my coast. He prays for more territory to his people and himself, more power, more wealth. These are what we should call earthly and temporal blessings. The best men of the Old Testament did not distinguish between temporal and spiritual as we do. Life was a spiritual unity to these men. When a mans sins are pardoned, and his life rectified, when his soul is nourished by the blessing of God, one cannot but think the more that man has the better. Let him be enlarged. No doubt an expanding life multiplies dangers, but it also multiplies grace if it be expansion on the right principle. When a penurious man makes money, that is not enlargement in the grand sense at all. He is building a prison, and himself will be the prisoner. An old man in his last illness was received at one of the metropolitan hospitals. He was without relations or friends, and to all appearance without resources. But a bag of money was found round his neck. When death had apparently claimed him, a nurse gently unfastened the string and removed the bag. At the same moment the old man opened his eyes and felt instinctively for his treasure, which was no longer in its place. He uttered the word, Gone! and died. The money amounted to £174, the accumulation, no doubt, of many years. But was that man enlarged as the process went on? He was narrowed and crippled. Every golden piece he put into that bag was adding to the weight he carried, in more senses than one, until it became a millstone about his neck and drowned him in death. From many a death-bed there goes up that old mans sigh, Gone! money gone; houses gone; broad acres gone; name and fame gone. All that has been striven for through a lifetime gone. Ah! poor fatal enlargement that ends in such collapse. The true enlargement is such, that such a catastrophe as that is quite impossible. The man with soul enlarged never sighs in life or death Gone! He has chosen the good part that shall not be taken away.
IV. The summing up of the prayer. And that Thy hand might be with me, and that Thou mightest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me. So let us seek preservation from evil inward and outward, by watchfulness, by prayer, by dependence on God, and we need never fear enlargement. Let it go on without limit and without fear, if it goes on thus banked in on either hand by Divine blessing and Divine care. (A. Raleigh, D. D.)
Jabez
In visiting a foreign land, and seeing nothing but strange forms and faces passing and repassing before us, it affords most exquisite enjoyment to catch at the moment the well-known countenance of some dear old friend or acquaintance. So it is with us here on wearily poring over these chapters of names; we feel as if we were in a wilderness, at sea, on some foreign strand; and what blessed relief do we experience as unawares we arrive at this rare character of Old Testament Scripture, ensconced, enshrined in this desert nook of names. We realise with double zest that proverb of Scripture--That as iron sharpeneth iron, so doth the countenance of a man his friend. In considering Jabez let us look--
I. To the circumstances cast around his birth. He is here brought before us in connection with his mother. Mothers are often mentioned in Scripture as influencing their children for either good or evil--the mothers of the wicked kings of Israel on the one hand, the mothers of Moses, Samuel, Joseph, etc., on the other. The responsibility of mothers. The question was once proposed to Napoleon Bonaparte, How was a better, a more moral class of young persons to be obtained in the country? His answer was, Let us have better mothers.
II. To the character of his life.
III. To his prayer and its answer. (John Gardiner.)
The prayer of Jabez
I. Let us glance at the parental anxiety of his mother. Her fears and perplexities were not realised. The fears and dread of many a parent are never intended to be realised. The delicate little child may outgrow its frailty, and live to be your comfort and hope. The wild and unruly boy may become the staff of your old age.
II. The character of this prayer.
1. There seems to be a pious reference to the prayer of Moses for the tribe to which Jabez belonged. Jabez belonged to the tribe of Judah.
2. It is a prayer for spiritual blessings.
3. It is a prayer expressive of a humble dependence upon Divine Providence for temporal blessings.
4. It is marked by a singular and holy distrust of himself--keep me from evil.
(1) Trouble is an evil.
(2) Enemies are an evil.
(3) Sin is the evil of evils.
Application:
1. God still waits to hear our humble prayers, and will grant all those things which are needful for us.
2. It may teach us the source of some of our misfortunes and mistakes; we have restrained prayer.
3. It teaches emphatically the value of religion. Godliness is profitable for the life that now is. (W. J. Barrett.)
Jabez--an unexpected biography
As in life we are being continually surprised by the unexpected turn which events often take, so the Bible sometimes surprises us with unlooked-for disclosures. All of a sudden in the very midst of surrounding dryness a beautiful biography appears, and in two verses a mans life is portrayed, beginning with birth, and containing a delineation of his character, a full report of one of his prayers, and references to his mother and brothers.
I. The significance of a name. Jabez was born at a time when names meant truths and words were the symbols of realities. Jabez means sorrow or trouble. The mothers grief, expressed in the name of her child, was probably the ungodliness of her other children, and there is no more fruitful source of sorrow to mothers than this.
II. The distinction of a character. More honourable. He had a good reputation.
III. The devotion of a life. Jabez called on the God of Israel.
IV. The Divine recognition of true prayer. (Homilist.)
The prayer of Jabez
I. The prayer before us. Very striking is the ardour of expression contained in these words, Bless me; Bless me; Bless me indeed; Oh, that Thou wouldest bless me; and Oh I that Thou wouldest bless me indeed.
II. Our encouragement to pray the same. God granted Jabez that which he requested. This shows us--
1. That God heareth prayer.
2. That God answereth prayer.
3. That God will grant us that which we request of Him.
Address:
1. Any among you who may live prayerlessly.
2. Any of you who may pray formally.
3. Any of you who do truly pray. (W. Mudge, B. A.)
Jabez: his life and his prayer
It is not much that we know of Jabez, but I think that in this recorded history of that man there is suggested to us something of as solemn warning and of as blessed consolation as you will find within the range of Gods holy book.
I. The lesson of the same given to him. Jabez--sorrow. It was to her best and worthiest son that the mother of Jabez gave the name that implied how little hope of future happiness with him or through him remained in her weary, despairing heart. We can think of a contrasted picture: you remember the proud and hopeful name which the mother of our race gave to her firstborn son; you know how much of confident hope was expressed in the name of Cain. Possession she called him--a great thing gained from God--who was yet so sorely to wring her heart. Ever thus are human anticipations, whether of good or ill; the first murderer welcomed with the hopeful name of Cain, while this wise and good and happy man was to bear the desponding name of Jabez. How often we call by hard names dispensations of Gods providence, which in reality are to prove great blessings probably in many cases those events in our history, those dealings of God with us, which we should call sorrowful at the time, stand us in more real stead, and do us more real good, than the brightest and happiest that ever come in our way.
II. We shall next consider the prayer which jabez offered and which God granted him. What a wise and what a safe prayer! Send me that which Thou knowest is blessing, though it may not seem blessing to me; and deny me that which Thou knowest is not blessing, however ready!, in my ignorance, may be to think it so.
1. The spirit of this prayer is that of confidence in God and unqualified acquiescence in His appointment. This is a lesson of how we ought to pray. You know, generally, the direction in which to steer; but you cannot say what little movement of the helm may be expedient from time to time, to suit each passing gust of wind, or each crossing wave. And it is just because we do not know these things that it is so wise to leave the decision of the precise thing to be sent us, as Jabez did, to God; and to pray with him that God would bless us indeed.
2. The next two petitions imply a great and sound principle--the duty of combining effort with prayer. When we are desirous to compass any new attainment, when we wish to enlarge our coast, as it were, by taking in greater fields of faith, of holiness, of patience, of humility, of all Christian grace--in regard to all which we may well take up Joshuas words,that there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed, let us do like Jabez; working like him as if we could do all, and praying as if we could do nothing. The wisdom of Jabez appeared in that he put prayer and effort together.
3. The last petition is for deliverance from true evil--and from the evil effects and influences of all evil. He does not ask that evil may never come; but that evil may not be suffered to really harm when it comes. Evil coming and trying us may do us great good; but Jabez prayed, and we may pray, that evil should not grieve us. We may pray that evil may never be suffered to harden us; to stir us up to wrath against God; to make us fretful, rebellious, impatient; to tempt us to sin; in short, to do us harm when God intends it always to do us good. It was for this that Jabez prayed. (A. K. H. Boyd, D. D.)
Jabez
These words contain a lifes history in a sentence. This brief epitome of human life appeals to universal experience. Its very brevity increases its suggestiveness.
I. The mothers faithless anticipation reminds us how the present often colours our thoughts of the future. Our judgments are biassed, often warped by our circumstances. We interpret even the past by the present, and often fail therefore to make a just estimate of it. We can only form a right estimate of the past by transporting ourselves back into it. This is impossible with respect to the future. We may learn what has been yesterday, but we know not what shall be on the morrow. Hence the especial danger of letting our anticipations be coloured by our present circumstances. Gods teaching is the very reverse of this. The thought of the future is to colour the present. As Mr. Canning, when he announced in Parliament the independence of South America, said that he brought in the New World to redress the balance of the Old, so God gives us the bright inheritance of heaven as a counterbalance to the cares and sorrows of earth. It is only in the light of the future as revealed to us by God, that we can rightly estimate the present. When we reverse Gods teaching we unfit ourselves for the future. We go forth to the duties and burdens of the morrow weakened by apprehension, instead of being strong with the courage of hope.
II. The prayer of Jabez combines wise reticence and ordinary ambition. These are the elements of true prayer--a sense of dependence, the expression of confidence, and unrestrained petition, pouring out the heart to God, leaving to Him the decision as to what is blessing indeed.
III. This prayer also reveals the true spirit of Christian life. It is the outcome of practical piety. Perhaps like Caleb he had to conquer his own inheritance. His dependence upon God did not mean inaction. He had learned the great lesson that prayer and effort go hand in hand, the one inspiring and sanctifying the other. Our great need is to live more nearly as we pray. We can only ask that Gods hand may be with us when our supreme desire is to do Gods will. Such prayer is both a test and a safeguard. (A. F. Joscelyne.)
The prayer of Jabez
Remarkable is the honour which God puts upon prayer, and numberless are the instances recorded of its efficacy.
I. The import of the prayer of Jabez.
II. Its excellence. It was so both in respect to sentiment and expression. It was--
1. Humble.
2. Diffusive (Php_4:6). We need to recite our wants in order to impress our own minds with a sense of our utter helplessness and unworthiness.
3. Importunate.
4. Believing. Petitions offered in faith, have as it were, the force of commands (Isa_45:1).
Application:
1. Let all now call to mind their several wants and necessities.
2. Let nothing be thought too small or too great to ask.
3. Let the pressure of our wants and the richness of our prospects stimulate us.
4. Let us expect the accomplishment of that glorious promise (Joh_14:18; Joh_14:14). (Skeletons of Sermons.)
The prayer of Jabez
Like a star set in the darkness of midnight, more conspicuous because of the surrounding gloom, is the name of a great man in the chronicles of the trifling and the insignificant. How encouraging is the assurance, If any man love God the same is known of Him, whoever he may be, wherever he may dwell. The name of Jabez stands in most emphatic isolation upon the sacred page. He is distinguished by his faith in God from hie contemporaries, of whom it would seem that the most important record of their lives was this: These were the potters, and those that dwelt among plants and hedges: there they dwelt with the king for his work (1Ch_4:23). They served an earthly monarch; he a heavenly. Their business was among things frail and perishing; his was with things unseen and eternal. Their arts and manufactures have long since crumbled into dust. This prayer abides to bless the Church of God until the end of time.
I. A concise memoir--And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren, etc. The Scriptures are full of these comprehensive, brief, but weighty texts which Luther was wont to call little Bibles. A man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost. Apelles approved in Christ. He was a burning and a shining light. Of whom the world was not worthy. The genealogy in which the name of Jabez occurs is that of the royal family of Judah. The compression of Scripture truth within its limited area is one of the great miracles which belong to the structure of Gods Word. It is said of Jabez that he was more honourable than his brethren, though with a less honourable name. His mother had anticipated the hour of anguish with unusual sadness, and she called him Jabez--that is grief. When thou wast born, say the Easterns, thou didst weep, and all about thee did rejoice; so live, that when thou diest thou mayest rejoice, and all about thee may weep. We may consider this epithet honourable as applied to Jabez, from either a secular or a spiritual point of view. In the former case it would mean that integrity and uprightness pervaded all his actions, that in the business of this world no impeachment could lie against his good name, that all his undertakings would bear the most rigid scrutiny. Nor is it a matter of small importance that those who profess to be the children of God should be recognised by the men of the world as actuated by unscrupulous integrity. The children in the marketplace very keenly scrutinise the conduct of those who avow themselves to be Christians, and they expect, and not without reason, that our code of morals should be superior to their own. But we may consider this title conferred on Jabez as issuing from the court of heaven, and bestowed upon him because of his eminence in the service of God.
II. A comprehensive prayer. And Jabez called on thor God of Israel, saying, Oh that Thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that Thine hand might be with me, and that Thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me. He was a true prince in Israel, having power with God; and yet it is only one prayer of his which has been preserved. One prayer, doubtless one of many, for it reveals a mastery in the holy exerciser only attained by much practice. One prayer has lifted a man out of the lowest depression to the loftiest summits of enjoyment. It has expelled the dark tides of sorrow from the soul, and brought in proofs of Gods love dearer than life itself. It has widened the channels of enjoyment and filled them with inexhaustible supplies of delight.
1. He seeks the best blessings. Oh that Thou wouldest bless me indeed. He covets earnestly the best gifts. God Himself is the only fountain and source of true blessedness. We should not, however, completely appreciate this prayer if we do not notice that temporal things may become blessings indeed. If we do not prefer the gift to the giver; if they are the means of drawing us nearer to Him, then all things work together for good. It would seem to have been the desire of Jabez to see his Heavenly Fathers smile through all earthly conditions and in all Divine bestowments. And it is indeed a true philosophy which determines respecting life and all its mutations that it matters not so much what we get for our earthly lot, as how we get it. The things which men most usually covet conspire to their hurt because they have not Gods blessing.
2. He prays for an enlarged territory. That Thou wouldest enlarge my coast. It appears probable that this Jabez was a younger son, and that he was born at a time when the patrimony was well-nigh, exhausted. This would account for the maternal solicitude which had conferred on him so dolorous a name. An Israelite might indeed put up this prayer without misgiving, because every inch of territory which he gained would be rescued from heathenism, and brought within the confines of the Land of Promise. But war prefer to look at this petition as a supplication for spiritual good. Every grace-taught man must sympathise with this cry for room. Too often fettered and environed by corruptions, cares, and infirmities, we feel the need of enlarged desires, expanding affections, and uncontracted views of Divine realities. The world of the blind, says Mr. Prescott, the historian, speaking from painful experience, is bounded by the length of the arm. A blind world revolves in the narrow orbit of things that can be touched. The gospel introduces its subjects into the vast regions of things unseen and eternal, and bestows upon them that other sense called faith, and confers the capacity of communion with the Eternal. When will the Church of Christ adopt this portion of the prayer of Jabez? Oh that Thou wouldest enlarge my coast! Too often we hear complaints of demands too numerous, and solicitations that are wearisome.
3. He prays that the hand of God may be with him. The hand that directs, supports, supplies, and chastens us. There can be nothing more delightful to the child of God than the constant recognition of the fact that his Fathers hand is pointing out for him the path of life.
4. He would be kept from evil.
And that Thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me. Now we gain more light on the suggestive name of this man. He was called Jabez--grief--and it is evident that he was one of those who grieve over sin. That is the greatest trouble of all good men. Not only from the wiles of Satan and the snares of the world, but from our very selves we require the defence of the Almighty arm.
III. The complete answer. God granted him that which he requested. Throughout all Europe we have seen in the Churches the votive garlands and offerings hung by the superstitious at the shrines from whose patrons their relief is supposed to have come. What a contrast between these tinselled trifles and the rich museum which the Church of God possesses of grateful recollection and adoring praise on the part of those who have prevailed at the throne of grace! He has a treasure of great worth who can rejoice in a distinct answer to prayer. (W. G. Lewis,)
The prayer of Jabez
We will without any formal divisions simply endeavour to travel through the petitions offered up in this prayer of Jabez. First petition: Oh that Thou wouldest bless me.
1. There are many apparent blessings that are real curses.
(1) Health. Its tendency is to remove far away all thoughts of death and eternity; to make a man more or less satisfied with the things of the present; and to draw comfort from the creature instead of the Creator.
(2) Money. It shuts up the heart; stiffens pride and becomes a temptation and a snare.
(3) The good opinion and praise of men.
2. There are apparent curses which often are real blessings.
(1) Ill-health.
(2) Poverty.
(3) The scourge of the tongue.
3. There are blessings which are beth apparent and real.
(1) The fear of the Lord.
(2) Some intimation of Gods favour.
(3) The revelation of Christ to the soul.
(4) Unreserved trust in God.
(5) An appetite after Gods Word.
Second petition: And enlarge my coast. A coast means a boundary line, such as divides one territory from another, or terminates a country, as the sea-coast is the boundary of our island. Every quickened soul has a coast--the territory of inward experience which is limited and bounded by the line that the Holy Spirit has drawn in his conscience.
1. Some have a narrow experience, they cannot get beyond doubts and fears, guilt and convictions, with at times earnest desires for mercy and pardon.
2. Others have their coast a little more extended. They are enabled to hope in Gods mercy, and anchor in His promises.
3. Others can through faith rest in Christs blood and righteousness, having received some intimation of favour, but not brought into the liberty of the gospel.
4. Others are brought into the life, light, liberty, joy and peace of the gospel. The living soul cannot but earnestly desire to have his coast enlarged. More light, more life, more liberty, more feeling, more knowledge of God in Christ, more faith, hope, and love. To have his heart enlarged in prayer--meditation--communion, in affection to the people of God. Third petition: And that Thy hand might be with me. A living child wants to see and feel a fatherly hand with him and over him, going before him temporally, holding him up spiritually, clearing his path, and giving him testimonies that what is done in his fear shall terminate in his approbation. Fourth petition: And that Thou wouldest keep me from evil. It is a base representation of the gospel of grace to say that it leads to licentiousness. Every child of God will be more or less frequently offering up this prayer. Shun as you would a pestilence any one who makes light of sin. Evil is a grief, a burden to every living soul. (J. C. Philpot.)
The prayer of the warrior Jew
(Sermon to children):--In speaking to you about Jabez, I would say these four things and ask you to remember them.
I. He was a humble man. It is beautiful to be humble. All his trust is in God, he looks to Him alone. He reminds us of Jehoshaphat (2Ch_20:12).
II. He was a great man. It is well to be great.
III. He was a kind man. It is better to be kind. He was kind, I think, among other things, in that he loved his mother.
IV. He was a good man. It is best of all to be good. (J. R. MacDuff, D. D.)
The character and prayer of Jabez
I. His character. More honourable than his brethren. He was more pious. Piety is honourable.
1. For by humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life.
2. As it engages us in the most glorious employments.
3. As it interests us in the most glorious privileges.
4. As it interests us in the most glorious rewards.
II. His prayer. Notice--
1. The object of his worship--the God of Israel. He was not an idolater. He was grateful, he remembered Gods kindness to Israel. He confided in Gods sufficiency.
2. The contents of his prayer, or what he asked. We, like Jabez, ought to--
(1) Implore Gods covenant blessings--the pardon of sin and conformity of heart and life to Gods laws (Heb_8:10; Heb_8:12). These are blessings indeed (Psa_32:1-2; Psa_89:15-16; Jam_1:25).
(2) Implore enlargement of heart, by the entire subjugation and utter destruction of every evil propensity (Deu_33:27; Psa_119:32).
(3) Implore Gods hand with you, to direct and lead you in all your difficulties (Job_27:11; Heb_8:9; Psa_123:2); to supply all your wants (Psa_145:16); to support you under all your trials (Psa_37:23-24); and to keep you in all your exercises (Isa_41:10).
(4) Implore protection from all evil (Mat_6:18; Psa_17:7; Psa_121:7; Pro_19:23). (Sketches of Four Hundred Sermmons.)
Jabez, the honourable
Some analogies suggested by the sea-coast may teach the following lessons.
I. An enlarged coast suggests an expanded horizon. Our spiritual relations determine whether soul vision command outlook from a small bay, or toward broad ocean.
II. An enlarged coast suggests a broader surface. The glory of a coast is its wide sweep of the ocean. Such in figure is the human soul when possessed and enlarged by the Spirit of God. What sublime possibilities of Divine enlargement belongs to the heart of man!
III. An enlarged coast suggests a more extended pathway. Sometimes a narrow strip of land forms the only path when walking on the sea-coast. The enlarged pathway will secure--
1. Safety.
2. Peace. (The Study.)
The prayer of Jabez
The text implies more than it expresses. That there is a great variety and distinction among men; some are more and some less honourable.
II. The offspring of sorrow my become the parent of joy.
III. The best and highest honour attaches to true religion.
IV. Though Jabez (sorrow) is not the direct name of every one, yet sorrow is assuredly the lot of all.
V. Prayer is the appointment of God; He would have us pray always, and not faint.
VI. A blessing indeed will be found to have three properties which serve to enhance its value.
1. It is given in covenant love.
2. It is well suited.
3. It is abiding.
VII. Protection by the power of God and preservation in His way are momentous benefits.
VIII. Sin ever grieves the heart of a good man.
IX. In regard to property, it is lawful to seek addition and enlargement, if the will and glory of God be duly regarded.
X. Answers granted to prayer in time past, should encourage us to renew our application to the God of our mercies.
XI. The hand of God with any man is a certain pledge of prosperity.
XII. When faith and fervour accompany our petitions, an answer of peace is near at hand. (Tract Magazine.)
The lustre of a good mans character
The occurrence of this text in the Book of Chronicles says far more for Jabez than though it had appeared in a list of biographical sketches; as, for instance, in Heb_11:1-40. We see as it were the ancient scribe penning down upon his manuscript one name after another in genealogical order, and with wonted precision; but arriving at this name he is so deeply impressed by the holiness of the man, and the peculiarly consistent character of his life, that when about to enrol his name in the annals of Israel he feels obliged to forget the stern prescriptions of form; and flinging aside under inspiration the proverbial stiffness of the genealogist, he becomes the recorder not merely of a name, but of a saintly character withal, and thus unwittingly confirms the important truth that the good man shines everywhere. (George Venables.)
What is Gods blessing
In the midst of this wilderness of dry names, the dead leaves of a long-gone past, we stumble by chance on a beautiful flower, lovely in form and perfumed with precious and holy sentiment, a perfectly glad surprise amidst the barrenness of mere enumeration.
1. How many and various are the meanings we attach to the word bless! In the Bible we find God blessing men, and quite as frequently men blessing God; God blessing man by pouring out upon him physical happiness and physical prosperity; blessing him also by making him righteous and cleansing him from sin. Man, on the other hand, is spoken of as blessing God for His bounty and care, for His holy chastisement, for His merciful forgiveness. Again we have men blessing one another and blessing themselves in the way of self-congratulation. We find the word used likewise in a more formal and superstitious way as though the pronouncing of it would entail its fulfilment and become not only a prophecy but a pledge. Leaving Scripture we notice that the term bless is in common use among ourselves in more senses than one. We speak of persons as blessed with high talents, or with a noble position, blessed with a large family or with good fortune; especially do we regard health as a blessing and in most cases also long life.
2. The meaning of the word bless or blessing depends on the person who uses the term, depends on his native character, surroundings, training, his self-culture or his entire lack of it, his toilsome struggle after virtue or his shameful familiarity with vice. You may be so debased as to think that Gods blessing consists in letting you do exactly as you please, however wicked it may be, without suffering the final consequences of detection, or you may have a nature as lofty, as to regard as the best of Gods blessings a clean heart and a right spirit, without which all other of His good gifts would be but curses.
3. The prayer for increased prosperity is perfectly justifiable so long as a man cares most of all to be kept from evil and sin. There is no harm in praying for temporal prosperity, if we feel it to be any real relief to our care and so long as we are ready to take Gods answer of No as willingly as to receive an answer of Yes. Gods blessing indeed is to be kept from evil.
4. It is a grand test, ever ready at hand for deciding the most subtle case of conscience, to look whether we can deliberately ask for Gods blessing to rest upon it. (Charles Voysey, B. A.)
Prayer of the son of sorrow
I. The matter of it, or the things asked for.
1. He begins by asking God to bless him. Oh that Thou wouldest bless me indeed. He would want that blessing on himself personally, on his house, and on all his avocations. He knew that the blessing of God maketh rich; and he knew quite as well that nothing could really and permanently prosper without that blessing.
2. He prays for enlargement. And enlarge my coast. Both temporal and spiritual. Give me a larger heart; broader views of Thyself, of Thy ways, and of Thy purposes; and a wider sphere of sympathy, influence, and usefulness. Thou hast enlarged me, says the Psalmist, when I was in distress, And Paul, when writing to the Corinthians, as to his children, pleadingly entreats, Be ye also enlarged. It is neither pleasant nor advantageous to be cooped up within narrow bounds.
3. He seeks Divine co-operation. And that Thine hand may be with me. That Thy power may second and give effect to my poor energies. What can my hand do without Thee? But Thine is the hand that has created and sustains the universe.
4. He implores Divine protection. And that Thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me.
II. The manner of this prayer. And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, etc. We altogether like the tone and spirit of this prayer.
1. There is the devout reverence of it. Oh that Thou wouldest. The Divine name is not so much as mentioned. He knew he was coming to the God of Israel, and that He is a great and holy and terrible God. And we can recognise the cry of a heart too full of pious awe to allow His hallowed name to escape the lips of the suppliant. This reverence should characterise all our approaches to God.
2. There is the spiritual wisdom of it. Jabez puts things in their right places; and what was for him the most important thing, first. Nothing could, in his esteem, antedate the blessing of God; hence he will put that first. Oh that Thou wouldest bless me indeed. And was he not perfectly right in this? Did it matter what God gave him if He withheld that blessing from him?
3. There are the speciality and comprehensiveness of it. It takes a wide sweep, and yet does not lose sight of what is most specific and particular.
4. At the same time there is the brevity of it. So specific, so comprehensive, and yet so brief. Assuredly Jabez recognised the solemn fact that God is in heaven, and man upon the earth, and therefore that his words should be few.
5. There is the earnestness of it. Oh that, etc. It comes directly out of his heart, and breathes the very spirit of desire.
6. There is the faith which inspired it, and which runs through it like a living soul. This man in coming to God believes that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
III. The success of this prayer. And God granted him that which he requested.
1. That he has come to a God who is as ready to give as He is to ask.
2. That he has come to a God who is as comprehensive in His gifts as He is in His desires.
3. That he has come to a God who never forgets His promises to those that seek Him.
4. That he has come to a God who will honour those with His benefactions who honour Him with their confidence and trust. Allow me, then, to propose Jabez to you as an example, and Jabezs prayer as a model prayer. You have the same God to go to, and you have far greater light to guide you to Him than Jabez had. You have all gospel promises to encourage you. You have the new and living way thrown open to you. You have the Holy Spirit to teach and help you. You have the great Advocate to plead for you. (The Church.)
Verses 14, 21, 23. For they were craftsmen . . . that wrought fine linen . . . those that dwelt among plants.--
Craftsmen, potters, etc.
If all men affected one and the same trade of life or pleasure or recreation, it were not possible they could live one by another; neither could there be any use of commerce, whereby life is maintained. It is good reason we should make a right use of this gracious dispensation of the Almighty, that we should improve our several dispositions and faculties to the advancing of the common stock, and that we should neither encroach upon each others profession nor be apt to censure each others recreation. (Bishop Hall.)
Origin and use of arts and inventions
I. Useful arts emanate from the wisdom and goodness of god.
II. Useful arts are beneficial in their tendency.
III. Therefore all engaged in useful arts promote the welfare of society. (James Wolfendale.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 This is the name of a man. (See: How…
Jabez
This is the name of a man. (See: How to Translate Names)
Read full note →
expand my territory
"give me more land"
your hand will be with me
Possible meanings are that God's hand is 1) a metonym for his guidance, his power, or his protection. AT: "you will guide me" or "you will make me prosper" or "you will protect me" or 2) a synecdoche for himself. AT: "you will be with me" (See: Metonymy and Synecdoche)
granted him his prayer
The words "his prayer" are a metonym for what Jabez asked in the prayer. AT: "did what Jabez had asked him to do" (See: Metonymy)
translationWords
call
God
Israel
bless
hand
pray
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 4:9-20 The exact genealogies of the remaining descendants of…
4:9-20 The exact genealogies of the remaining descendants of Judah are unknown—the Chronicler apparently had incomplete information.
4:9-10 The section on Jabez stands independently, allowing the Chronicler to explain the origin of his name; he is not mentioned previously, although Jabez was listed as the name of a town inhabited by some of the descendants of Hur’s son Salma (2:55). Jabez apparently received his name because he caused his mother pain, a fulfillment of the curse on Eve (Gen 3:16). Although his name was a curse, he was more honorable than any of his brothers, and his prayer changed the outcome of his life. The prayer is poetic; it consists of a plea for blessing followed by requests for prosperity and protection from harm. His last request might mean “keep me from causing trouble and pain.” God listened to his prayer and removed his curse.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.