Jabez' Prayer

As it may please God this evening to bless us together, I desire to have a meditation on a fairly well-known character in the Word of God called Jabez. Now, I know I have spoken on this prayer before, but it's well worth repeating. It's very concise and it's very comprehensive. Javis is only mentioned here just in these couple of verses in this book of Chronicles. It's the first book of Chronicles and starting at verse 10. And there's only these occasions we would think there would be a lot more about him, but it's just this. But it's well worth pausing and considering. Gives us a lot of instruction.

So let's turn to the first book of Chronicles and the fourth chapter and we'll read from verse 10 Sorry from verse 9 The first book of Chronicles and reading from verse 9 just really a couple of verses And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren. And his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bear him with sorrow. And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, O that thou wouldst 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. Well, very wonderfully, there are really four things in this short prayer which are significant.

And the first is a request, and he calls upon the God of Israel. It's not an unknown God, it's not a God of the heathen, it is indeed the God of Israel. And we know from the Word of God that the God of Israel was the true God, the great God, the God who did wonderful things. And so it's a good introduction. that we have here, and Javis called on the God of Israel, saying it meant, of course, that he did pray.

And we are to pray, we are to come to God, we are to acknowledge him, and we are to seek his blessing, and we are to come and ask for those things which are in accordance with his will. The Lord tells us, I will be inquired of, by the house of Israel to do these things for them. It's good for us to just realize that we have a God who hears and answers prayer, but he will be inquired of. And therefore we need to come to him and inquire of him and seek him.

Now in these four statements, really there's a wonderful progression. Four things. The first tells us, O that thou wouldest bless me indeed. Blessed me indeed. It's a very personal consideration, isn't it? But how true it is for every one of us here tonight. It should be a prayer that we often come to our God with and plead O that thou wouldst bless me indeed. We need to be blessed. We don't want to be left outside. We don't want to be forgotten. We want God to look upon us and to bless us.

And to bless is really a mark or consecration with blood, the blood of the Saviour. thus to be in the covenant. And we can look back, can't we, to that time when there was only safety to the Israelites if they were under the blood. And every one of us need to know that we are under the blood. And you may ask what does that mean?

It means that the Lord Jesus Christ, God's Son, died upon that cross at Calvary to take away our sins, so that we indeed are redeemed with the precious blood of Christ. O that thou wouldst bless me indeed. Simple, isn't it? It's not a long statement, but it is so very relevant.

And in Exodus, we read about the situation in Israel. And Moses records, for the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians. There'd been that very clear statement of Pharaoh that if they didn't let the Israelites go, God would come and slay all the firstborn. And so we're told, for the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians. And when he seeth the blood upon the lintel and in the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.

Well, that's a wonderful truth and we know it came to pass and we know that the avenging angel came and slew the firstborn of the Egyptians and passed over all those Israelites who were under the blood. And they were under the blood because The lamb had been slain, a perfect lamb. We know that that lamb represented the only begotten Son of God. And as that lamb was slain, blood was taken and put on the doorposts and lintels, and the Israelites had to go into the house under the blood. So what a blessing it is for us today to know that we have such a great and glorious Saviour who was willing to come into this sinful world in order that he might pay the price to redeem us from our sins.

So therefore, that's the first thing really. He cries, O that thou wouldst bless me indeed. We can see, I hope, it's a very comprehensive statement. And then secondly, he asks, and thou would enlarge my coast. What does that mean? It means to be given greater possessions in the things of God, greater knowledge of our God, a greater evidence of God's love, and a greater show of God's mercy toward us. O then that thou would enlarge my coast. That means really that we come desiring that we may grow spiritually. The Word of God explains it like this. Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Well, what an important consideration that is.

And so here we have Jabez praying like this from his heart, seeking that he might be blessed indeed and possess more grace and possess God's mercy. Well, what a blessing if we're able to come and ask in similar words that the Lord would enlarge our coast. We may perhaps sometimes feel to be very constricted and have a very narrow view of spiritual things. Well, we can come to our God in asking Him that our view might be enlarged, that we may see greater blessings in our Lord and Saviour, and rejoice therefore in that great and glorious plan of salvation and come and praise our God. So the second thing is clear and important. And thirdly, he asks, and that thy hand might be with me. He meant and asked that God would be with him. and that God would guide him.

Sometimes we think of that wonderful favour that God takes us by our hand and leads us on safely through this world. There are many snares, many temptations the devil lays for us. And we need spiritual eyes to observe when the Satan, that great adversary, is tempting us, tempting us to do something which is not in accordance with God's will, which is not God-honouring, which does not bring benefit to our souls. And so, to come and pray like this, that thy hand might indeed be with us. We know that God graciously was with Israel and we're told he led them forth by the right way. If we come to our God with this desire, that his hand might be with us, to lead us and to guide us and direct us. We can have that confidence in our God that his hand might be with us. 107th Psalm speaks very clearly of this. And it tells us, and he led them forth by the right way that they might go to a city of habitation. We make mistakes. God never makes a mistake. And what a mercy, therefore, to be able to come to him open-minded, desiring indeed that he will be gracious with us and that his hand, the hand of God, might be with us.

Joshua told us in his writings, There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life, as I was with Moses. So I will be with thee. I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. And we know that Joshua proved the truth of that, and how good it is for us today to pray in a very similar way. Thou shalt not any man be able to stand before thee, says the Lord, all the days of thy life, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

That was a promise of God to Joshua. He'd seen how God led Moses. No doubt he was tempted, but now that Moses was no longer with him. that he would not benefit from the leadings of God, but he was able to come and commit his way unto the Lord and ask that his hand might be with him. And then the fourth point is, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it might not grieve me It's wonderful, isn't it, to think of that.

The Lord set a wonderful example in the Lord's Prayer when he said, Well, it's good if we come. Here was Jabez. the unknown way ahead. He didn't know what was before him. We're not told what happened to Jabez, but we know his desire, and it was an honest desire and a good desire.

And he prays, therefore, that thou wouldest keep me from evil. so that he would not sin and also so that he would not be grieved by it. It's good you know if you and I are grieved by sin. We do sin and we know we've sinned. Does it cause grief in our heart? And therefore, if that is so, then we can understand what Jabez said, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me. And there's one or two little examples.

First of all, in Exodus, Moses tells us, now therefore I pray thee, If I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight, and consider that this nation is thy people. Well, that was an honest prayer to his God. And how did God respond to this man?

The answer was, my presence shall go with thee and I will give thee rest. We cannot ask for a greater blessing than to know God's presence with us. And to think that here was This great desire asked of God, and the answer was, if my presence go not with me, carry me not up hence. Well, the Lord said to him, my presence shall go with thee, and I will Give thee rest. How comforting, how encouraging.

And it goes on to just to confirm it with the words I've mentioned. And he said unto him, if thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. He didn't want to venture forward if God was not going with him. And that should be our concern today. If God's not going with us, then we shouldn't want to go that way. We want to go the way the Lord leads and the Lord directs.

The fourth Psalm tells us, Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness. Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress. Have mercy upon me and hear my prayer. Well, again, a great desire, wasn't it? A great desire. Follows on, doesn't it, from the desire of Javis. Hear me when I call. He wanted God to listen because Javis had come and said, Oh, that thou wouldest bless me indeed. He wanted God to hear him. And so David also wanted God to hear him. And you and I really should really be concerned that God hears us.

It's very easy to fall into just a pattern of prayer. Just say phrases which are familiar. but the great need is that they enter to God and they come from our heart. And then John in his first epistle speaks to us, and these are the words that he says, and this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, Again, that's an important consideration. He heareth us.

And if we know that he hear us, Whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we design of him. God is faithful. God is gracious. God is merciful. God does hear and God does answer prayer. What a blessing. And then there's two more quotations. First of all, in Jeremiah 45 and verse five, And seekest thou great things for thyself? What does God say? Seek them not. It doesn't mean to say that God won't give them to us, but it does give us a direction. Seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not.

Behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the Lord, but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest. That was a great promise given to Jeremiah. And then finally, again referring to the epistle of John, and he tells us this, and this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything, according to His will. Don't forget that. He heareth us. And if we know that He heareth us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desire of Him.

Well, we've gone through this very rapidly tonight, but it's wonderful to realise that God has given us this Prayer of Javis tucked away in this fourth chapter of the first epistle of the first book of the Chronicles rather. And Javis called on the God of Israel, saying, O that thou wouldest bless me indeed. and enlarge my coast, and that thy hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me. And the glorious result, and God granted him that which he requested. He asked for those things in accordance with God's will. and God granted him that which he requested. Well, may God bless his word to us.

Jabez' Prayer

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Jabez' Prayer

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