1 Chronicles 4:10
I read the lines concerning Jabez, though brief, with great curiosity. It remains a most powerful and profound passage of scripture. It is almost given as an aside, but a necessary aside. Thank God for this short passage of Scripture that really seems to redeem this whole chapter and has continued to revolutionize so many of our lives today, even in this twenty-first century.
From the passage, I am constrained to believe that none of us in the Church of God and beyond, should be content to lead dull, boring, average and ordinary lives. Dry, dull, boring, ordinary lives are for those who do not know the Infinite/Personal God communicated to us through the written word. There is more in you, more in us than, we were led to believe.
It is my strong belief that in us, because of Him, there should always be a desire to excel, to stand out, to expand and to supersede. The call of God upon our lives is never one to mediocrity, but to excellence and to super abundance. May the Almighty help us to get to the point where we fully understand that we can lead more honorable and expansive lives as this passage enlightens, in spite of what limitations and labels people may have placed upon us. Our lives and times are in His hands and no one else’s.
From the outset, as soon as we are introduced to Jabez, we are told something more about him. An appendix is placed next to his name. Something more has to be told. The author seems overwhelmingly compelled to share a little more information about him with us.
Throughout this seemingly, uneventful chapter, our interest is suddenly piqued when we get to verse 9 – “And Jabez was more honorable than his brethren…” He was one among them, but he was also more. He bears the epithet of “more than.” May the Almighty help us not just to be one who fits in, but one who is “more than” – one who seeks to be more, so that we can contribute more and advance His cause and His kingdom even more.
However, to be classified as honorable, the author seems to indicate that this was not always the case with Jabez. We are told “…his mother called his name Jabez, saying because I bare him with sorrow” (v9). She called him “Sorrowful” or “He makes sorrowful.” Can you imagine the negative connotations and excess baggage of carrying such a name? Yet Jabez manages to rise above all the negative dribble and low expectations levelled against him to lead the most honorable, triumphant and productive life ever.
His turning point came, when the author declares “And Jabez called upon 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” (1 Chronicles 4:10). Church, it really doesn’t matter what the people say about us in terms of their expectations and predictions. May we do like Jabez! Find the antidote to all their negativity, prognostications and expectations by calling upon the God of Israel, praying constantly for increase and protection. Increase is yours in Jesus’ Name!
Presiding Bishop – Northeast Region
