Jabez And The God Of Israel

by Jonathon Wright

“Now Jabez was more honorable than this brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested” (1 Chronicles 4:9-10, NKJV).

Jabez was an honorable man whose family was filled with pain. It must have been a bad time for his family when he was born. Notice how his name is associated with pain. He possibly had to endure much pain growing up, having to live through the Exile. Yet he knew that God could help him through any pain, hurt, or difficulty in this life. Jabez knew he needed God’s blessing and support to be successful in life. So, he called on the God of Israel to bless him and enlarge his territory. Many times throughout the Bible and history, men would increase their territory by great violence and evil. But Jabez cared about people and did not want to cause pain in their lives or his life. Jabez was a man that sought and found God in the midst of his pain. We do not have the exact details of how God truly blessed him, but it was known to the people of his day. Through the years, as the nation of Israel was recovering from all the pain of the Babylonian Captivity, I believe his story offered hope for the recovering nation that God would bless and be with His people in the darkest times. It is true for us today as well.

Despite the fact that these verses do not give us a full picture, there is still more we can say. A city bearing his name is mentioned in 1 Chronicles 2:55. It states, “And the families of the scribes who dwelt at Jabez were the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and the Suchathites. These were the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab” (NKJV).

From this, we see that Jabez could have been associated with the families of scribes mentioned in this verse. No doubt as a scribe, he probably spent much time reading and reflecting on the law or God’s Word in the Old Testament, and the scribe who was writing this thought highly of him.

Also, one of the families of scribes in his city was given a high honor by the Lord. Notice Jeremiah 35:18-19 which states, “And Jeremiah said to the house of the Rechabites, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Because you

have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts and done according to all that he commanded you, therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not lack a man to stand before Me forever’” (NKJV). Some think this was the seed of the Sanhedrin or religious elite during the time of Christ in the New Testament. These scribes were honored for their faith in a time when all of God’s people were unfaithful. Their lives inspire us to trust and follow a faithful God who answers prayer.

About The Author

Jonathon Wright currently lives in Cleveland, Tennessee, and has been a member of the Church of God for about twenty years. He is a graduate of Lee University and Beacon University where he earned a BA and MA in Biblical Studies. He loves studying the Bible and has done so for over thirty years, but only now has God given him a desire and the opportunity to be a writer. Jonathon hopes to encourage people to read the Bible and take notes. You can find more from Jonathon at amazon.com/author/everydaynotes.