I Chronicles

4

v.10 “Jabez – greed or a God pleaser?”

            At first glace it seems that God is granted Jabez both land and safety based purely on the fact that Jabez requested it.  Does this mean, therefore, that as long as we ask something of God He is willing to grant it regardless of the request?  On closer inspection, however, consideration of the time in which Jabez lived suggests that he was requesting the help of God in removing the Canaanites from the land for which God is more than willing to help a command that He had previously set out when the Israelites first crossed the Jordan.

This is interesting in that two people have written in recent months about hearing messages on this prayer. Apparently pastors get a lot out of it, or maybe they just pass on what they read in Matthew Henry.  Anyway it's a good message on our relationship with God and also in connection with prayer.

• His name means, "He causes sorrow," the words Jabez and sorrow being related in the original. However his was a prayer of faith turning sorrow into blessing.
• The city of Jabez was one of scribes = learning and probably named after him.
• In prayer - he put himself under God's desires, blessing and protection.  Don't forget that in the O.T. economy that material blessing was a sign of spiritual obedience.  God had told Israel over and over that "If you" then "I will" and visa versa, remember Job's accusers - this was why they were so sure that his was sin.
• It could also be read as a vow - as the Lord blesses so he will be at God's command / disposal…
• The prayer is reminiscent to Jacob's plea for blessing.
• He would be enlarged - either by work or war
• God's hand to be with him - so it would be by God's strength and sufficiency.
• Kept from evil - sin, trouble, evil designs.

Then the best of all is that he is recorded as honourable for his approach, and God did answer and bless him!

16

vs. 40-41 “two tabernacles”

            For some time in Israel, there existed two tabernacles.  While David had brought the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, the tabernacle in Gibeon still remained hence David’s command for Zakok to remain ministering at Gibeon.  It would seem that just the ark came to Jerusalem at that time. Therefore the tabernacle of Moses stayed in Gibeon where there were the altars and the need of priests to offer the sacrifices and so on.