The Prayer of Jabez (1 Chron. 4:9-10)

This sermon was preached on 9/12/2012

I am sure that most of us at some stage in life wonder about prayer. Obviously prayer is one of the most common themes in the Bible, and we can find prayers almost on every page. We may also be aware of several notable people in the Bible who prayed, such as the patriarch Abraham and the apostle Paul. We may have learned the Lord’s Prayer when we were children. Perhaps, when in difficult moments, we have found ourselves praying for help to God. Or maybe we pray every day, perhaps even since we were children in Sunday School, but are concerned that our prayers are too formal.                                                                                                                                               

Who was Jabez?

Here in 1 Chronicles 4 we are told about a man who prayed and what he prayed for. The reference appears within a genealogy, which is a surprising location in which to find such a story. Nevertheless it has been included because God wants us to think about it. Imagine if the only book of the Bible you possessed was 1 Chronicles and you started to read it for the first time. All you would read about for three chapters is a list of names, admittedly some of them very prominent in their society, going right back to the beginning, to the creation of the world. But you would begin to wonder what they did because regarding most of them nothing is recorded by the Chronicler. The first activity you would read about is Jabez and his prayer. Perhaps this is a hint from the author of the book that prayer is very important.

Why was he given the name Jabez, which means ‘pain’ or ‘sorrow’? Note that no mention is made of his father which has led to the suggestion that he had died prior to the birth of his son. If that was the case, then his widow gave birth and would explain why she regarded it as a sad occasion rather than a joyful one. She would not have expected much joy to come from this sad situation and she would regard the future with some concern. Imagine being called by a name that indicated life was going to be painful and distressing! How would we respond to this expectation? We could either give in to the expectation or we could speak to the One who could do something about it. Jabez did the latter and called on the Lord to intervene in his life. Perhaps we find ourselves in such circumstances where not much is expected from us. Jabez would urge us to pray to God about our futures.

This story tells us that prayer can be made by unknown people. We don’t know anything else about Jabez, unless he is the individual who founded the town of the same name (1 Chr. 2:25). It is clear that he was only an ordinary person. I think that is one of the points being made by the reference to his mother and his birth. There was nothing unusual about his birth; like all other births, he caused his mother pain. Yet although he was so ordinary, we are also told that he was a very honourable man and, given the context, this description seems to be connected to his prayer and what he asked God to do for him. It is a good reputation to have if it is connected to the way we prayed for God’s blessing. As Spurgeon commented on Jabez, ‘His devotion was the key to his promotion. Those are the best honours that come from God, the award of grace with the acknowledgment of service.’

I suppose one question that comes to mind is, ‘Where did Jabez pray? ’In answer to this question we could mention a geographical location somewhere in the territory that belonged to Judah. But to limit the location to where he was spatially would be to miss a very important biblical emphasis. The deeper answer to our question is found, perhaps surprisingly, in the words of his mother when she refers to giving birth in pain. Those who are familiar with the Bible will know why women have pain in childbirth. It has to do with the entrance of sin into the world, an aspect of the judgement of God upon Adam and Eve because of their disobedience to his revealed will. Although the experience of such pain is very difficult, the words of his mother are very encouraging because they remind us that prayer is made in the very place where sin is strong and has affected and spoiled everything. In fact, the only place where we can pray in such a manner is here on earth. It means also that we can pray because we too are on earth.

Then I suppose a second question we could ask is, ‘Why did Jabez pray?’ What reasons did he have for expecting the Lord to hear his prayer? The answer to this question is found in how he regarded the One he prayed to, the God of Israel. What was different about the God of Israel? He was the God who had redeemed them from slavery in Egypt when they were powerless to deliver themselves. He was also the God who redeemed them because of the particular promises he had made about Israel. Jabez probably observed how God had to be approached through a sacrifice at the Tabernacle because of the sinfulness of the worshippers.

What happened with Israel is a picture of what Jesus did for sinners. He went to the cross of Calvary in order to redeem sinners and he did so in response to many promises from God that he would send a Saviour into the world. Jabez knew that prayer could be made to such a merciful God.

Style of his prayer

The author does not say if this recorded prayer was Jabez’ first ever prayer. Perhaps it was, or maybe it was a persistent prayer that he kept on making until he was heard, although the story suggests it was a specific prayer he offered to God at a certain time. Yet the fact is that he would have had to make a first prayer at one stage in his life. Real prayer reveals something about a person. It indicates that are the recipients of divine grace, that the Lord has worked in their lives to give them new desires and new perspectives on life.

The clearest example of this in the Bible is the apostle Paul at the time of his conversion. Prior to then, as a devout Jew, he would have engaged in daily formal prayers that only revealed that he was a hypocrite aiming to please God by his own efforts. Yet the Lord points out to Ananias, when sending him on a mission to speak peace to Saul of Tarsus, that he is now praying in a different manner. We don’t know what Saul was praying for but we can safely assume it was something to do with Jesus and his plan for Saul’s life.

There must be a stage in each of our lives when we pray what can be called our first real prayer. By this description I don’t mean merely an earnest prayer offered in a difficult situation such as when we may be going through a trial in life. Such a prayer is important and God often answers them because, after all, he is the Creator. Instead I am describing a prayer for salvation. Similar to how Jabez recognised the saving plan and power of the God of Israel, so we recognise the saving plan and power of Jesus.

As we look at the ‘how’ of this prayer of Jabez, three features of it stand out. First, it was a very personal prayer. Note the number of times the pronouns ‘me’ and ‘my’ are used by him. While there has to be intercession for others at times, we have to pray for ourselves at all times. It is not a sign of spiritual wisdom to forget to pray about our own needs and situations, especially when it comes to our personal salvation. God has given many promises in connection with personal prayer. Jabez realised this because we can see his response to those promises in what he prays for, and he is a good example for us regarding the personal element in prayer.

The second feature of Jabez’ prayer is the straightforwardness of his three petitions. His requests are not complicated or confusing. He comes to God and simply states what is desired. Of course, prayer can contain elevated ideas, but even such concepts can be expressed in specific terms. One of the rules of prayer is that petitioners usually receive what they ask for. At times, God can say no, and there will be times when our situations will be so perplexing that we will not know what to pray for. But if we are praying for something that God has promised to give, as Jabez did, then we should say what we are wanting. Such petitions are not presumptuous.

The third feature of Jabez’ prayer is its earnestness, which he expresses in the little word ‘oh’ with which he begins his prayer. It is true to say that while the rest of the prayer was an expression of thoughtful desires, this little word enables us to see the strength of his longings that the Lord would answer his requests. Where does such a longing come from? It comes from thinking about what the Lord has promised to do for those who trust in him. At the same time, such a longing is evidence that the Holy Spirit is providing divine energy for the petition to ascend to the ear of God. The Lord loves to hear ‘ohs’ in our prayers!

Since these features are clearly important elements in the process of Jabez becoming an honourable man, we have to ask ourselves if they are features in our prayers. So what did he pray for that resulted in such commendation?

Jabez’ recorded prayer

Jabez’ prayer had three petitions. The first concerns the promises that God had made to Israel regarding having the Promised Land as their inheritance. It is likely that Jabez lived during the days of the Judges, a period in which the children of Israel had not yet managed to claim the whole country. Much had been attained, but some of the territory had not, and even at times some of the promised areas had been retaken by their enemies. Therefore it is easy to see that this particular petition of Jabez was very relevant to the times. So his prayer indicates clearly that Jabez was a discerning man.

His petition indicates that he did not regard the promise as static, but instead it was one that could be enlarged. I suppose we could define this petition as expressing spiritual ambition. He wanted to have more of the territory that God had in store for him. His prayer is a challenge to us concerning how much of God’s blessings we want to discover. The way to find them involves prayer.

This petition also informs us that Jabez had a desire for the prosperity and growth of God’s kingdom. Jesus taught us to pray for it in the Lord’s Prayer when he said that we should pray, ‘Your Kingdom Come.’ It goes without saying that every Christian should want God’s kingdom to grow. But each one of them has to realise that it begins with him or her. That is what Jabez prayed for – growth, including with himself.

Jabez’ second petition was about having God as his friend. He prayed that the hand of God would be with him. The imagery of the hand brings many ideas to mind. A hand guides as it points out directions to travel, a hand lifts when one falls, a hand comforts when one is afraid, a hand holds when it loves. These ideas and many more will be experienced when God is present with us. Jabez did not God’s presence for granted.

The third petition was for divine protection, that he would be kept from harmful situations with painful consequences. Jabez knew that enemies were around, both physical and spiritual. He realised that the way to avoid such distressing situations was prayer. Instead of looking at the enemy in fear, he looked to God in faith.

Here was a man who made a difference. He did so by serving God prayerfully and God answered his requests. If we wish to be regarded as honourable, we should follow his example.