Jabez

April 25, 2008

Years ago, Johnny Cash had a hit with a song called 'A Boy Named Sue'. It was about a boy whose dad left home after naming his boy Sue. Of course with a name like that, he fought a lot. The story ends with him finding a dad in a bar, wanting to kill him, but dad explains why and they all have a great time afterwards. He named him Sue because if he wasn't there to help him learn he knew the boy would have to fight to make his way through life. Now today's verse talks about a man with another weird name.

1 Chronicles 4:9-10 ASV
(9) And Jabez was more honorable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.
(10) And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my border, and that thy hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it be not to my sorrow! And God granted him that which he requested.


Jabez, from the Hebrew meaning to grieve; sorrowful. What a name to hang on to a kid. Hey, Sorrowful, come over here. But she bore him in sorrow (for what ever reason, the Word does not tell us), and that is what she named him. Now, before someone tells me I stole this from the Prayer of Jabez book, I have never read it. If I came up with the same thing that is a coincidence, but lets look at what happened when the boy was given that name.

The Word tells us he was more honorable than his brothers. Could it have to do with his name? Was he always having to defend himself, learning to pick and choose which fights were the ones to get involved with and which were not worth it?

The Word also tells us his prayer. He did not want to be sorrowful anymore. He wanted to be able to enjoy life. So he asked God to make his border larger. If you have more land you are more important. He got recognition and away from being sad by doing it the right way. In our lives of instant gratification it is so easy to take our satisfaction in to our own hands. God does not want us to do that. He wants us to turn to Him to get our satisfaction. Let Him be the one to enlarge our borders, to get our satisfaction. With so much to distract us, the Internet, TV, music, etc. this can be hard to do some time.


Read through the Bible in one year in Historical order
Today
1 Chronicles 3:1-5:26
Tomorrow
Psalms 73:1-28, Psalms 77:1-20, Psalms 78:1-72,
http://tinyurl.com/24beby for a daily reading tool