The first nine chapters of First Chronicles are a pretty good cure for insomnia. All scripture is inspired, but page after page of the genealogy of ancient Israel doesn’t seem all that inspiring – until chapter four, where the reader’s eyes rest almost gratefully on a two-verse story of a man named Jabez.
“Now Jabez was more honourable than his 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 might not cause pain!’ And God granted him his request.” (2 Chronicles 4:9,10)
The reason why Jabez was more honourable than his brothers was because, unlike them, he wasn’t satisfied with his lot in life. After a painful childbirth, his mother had named him Jabez, which means, ‘He will cause pain.’ That was his given name. His superstitious mother said, “He’ll cause others pain, because he caused me pain – so that’s what I’ll call him.”
But, ‘He Will Cause Pain’ had other ideas. Firstly, he asked God to bless him, by increasing his landholding. Jabez had a bigger capacity than those around him. More land suggests a greater vision for personal growth.
Secondly, Jabez asked for God’s hand to be with him, which speaks of the guiding presence of God in his daily life. The more pasture he possessed, the more humbly he prayed, and God’s presence was the subject of his prayers.
Thirdly, Jabez asked God to keep him from evil. With wealth comes temptation. ‘He Will Cause Pain’ prayed that the Lord would keep him from evil – “so that I may not cause pain.” Sin would grieve those who knew the meaning of his name. He did not want his mother’s painful prediction to come to pass.
God granted Jabez his request. Jabez retained his name, but showed by his care for others that it was a misnomer: his name was not his nature! The so-called ‘He Will Cause Pain’ brought no pain to anyone! Jabez overcame his mother’s superstitious expectation through earnest prayer and God’s guidance.
The story of Jabez is not about wealth-creation through confession: it’s the story of a son who, with God’s help, broke the power of his mother’s negative expectancy over his life. In so doing, he became an honourable man. That’s what the prayer of Jabez – the real prayer – is all about!