The Controversy About Jabez's Life

The Jabez Prayer

The Controversy About Jabez's Life

The Controversy about Jabez’s Birth

I guess we all grew up with this story being told to us in our various sunday school classes, those moment were very wonderful. I could still remember my sunday school teacher telling us how people used to mock Jabez in the street and how he answered innocently. Jabez! Jabez! they would call out, and cheerfully Jabez would answer them without any hesitation. I grew up to know Jabez to be a man full of pain in his life. A man perhaps Wretched but well known amongst the people because of the scenario of his birth. I grew up to know that his mother had cursed him during child birth as many pastors would always use it to preach in order to motivate people into praying for their children. 

Lets take a look at the scripture and see out the story play out.

1Chronicles 4:9-10 

And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.   And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest 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. 

From the first line, it was clear that Jabez was an honourable man even more than his brothers. What does it mean to be honourable? According to my dictionary, it means:

1. to be worthy of being honoured; entitled to respect,

2. Not disposed to cheat or defraud

3. Deserving of esteem and respect

We could see that whatever Jabez has been doing or been earned him respect, fame,esteem and honour the exact opposite of what we were made to think of him. He was never held in contempt by his brethren. Infact, none of his brethren is more respected and accomplished than he was. He was an upright man. So we can’t deduce that he is a poor man or wretched as he has always been painted and portrayed to us.

Now, his mother called his name Jabez because he was born in sorrow. It wasn’t recorded that his mother cursed him as we were meant to believe that while in labor his mother had placed a curse upon him due to the pain.

Every mother feels pain during labour, Jabez’s labour wasn’t in any way different. Most times we have heard of women who even rain curses on their husbands or even the doctors during the pain of labour in the hospital, but as soon as the baby comes out their faces beam with smile. They have forgotten what happened during the labor. What a great mystery!

We could see that Jabez mother had more than a child and she would feel the same pain with each and every one of them during labour but the question on everyone’s mind is now: why should his mother named him Jabez? Because she bare him in sorrow? Did she gave birth to the others in happiness? There must be something special about the birth of Jabez. It couldn’t have been the pain of labour. Definitely, it would be an emotional pain, which even after the joy of seeing a handsome baby boy refuse to dissipate forcing the mother to name him Jabez owing to the fact that the joy of his arrival reminded her of some things.

However, nothing has proved that his mother cursed him. Lets take a second look at the sentence “…and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow.” this statement doesn’t look any hostile. The mother here was reminded of the pain every woman had been placed under in the garden of Eden and hoping that one day this will be lifted perhaps with the coming of the Messiah. This does not outrightly mean that the arrival of Jabez brought her sorrow as we have been made to see it  

Let me paint a scenario of a woman who just gave birth to a baby boy holding him in her arms with a smile and looking into his beautiful eyes and said I wish no woman would have to go through this much pain to bring out a beautiful baby like you, hence, your name will be Jabez because I gave birth to you remembering this sorrow that every woman will have to endure at child birth, however, you will always remind me of the hope that one day all women would labour like the Hebrew Women in Exodus 1:19 of which I believe has come to pass now. Let talk about that later.

I will continue on the Controversy about Jabez’s prayer in the next post. It will really blow your mind.

So, let’s hear your voice,

what is your opinion about the controversy? How have you been seeing brother Jabez all this while? What is your view about him now?

I will really appreciate you leave a comment after readingand don't forget to share.

Thanks

 Eagles Voice