The Prayer of Jabez
W. J. Barrett. 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 And Jabez was more honorable than his brothers: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bore him with sorrow.… I. Let us glance at THE PARENTAL ANXIETY OF HIS MOTHER. Her fears and perplexities were not realised. The fears and dread of many a parent are never intended to be realised. The delicate little child may outgrow its frailty, and live to be your comfort and hope. The wild and unruly boy may become the staff of your old age. II. THE CHARACTER OF THIS PRAYER. 1. There seems to be a pious reference to the prayer of Moses for the tribe to which Jabez belonged. Jabez belonged to the tribe of Judah. 2. It is a prayer for spiritual blessings. 3. It is a prayer expressive of a humble dependence upon Divine Providence for temporal blessings. 4. It is marked by a singular and holy distrust of himself — "keep me from evil." (1) Trouble is an evil. (2) Enemies are an evil. (3) Sin is the evil of evils. Application: 1. God still waits to hear our humble prayers, and will grant all those things which are needful for us. 2. It may teach us the source of some of our misfortunes and mistakes; we have restrained prayer. 3. It teaches emphatically the value of religion. Godliness is profitable for the life that now is. (W. J. Barrett.) Parallel Verses KJV: And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow. WEB: Jabez was more honorable than his brothers: and his mother named him Jabez, saying, "Because I bore him with sorrow."