The fifth and final line in Jabez’s prayer is “that I may not cause pain.” At first glance this is an unclear and somewhat wordy request. However, it can be reworded for clarity. To not cause pain, is simply to do good. Here Jabez is reminding himself—as much as he is telling God—that the purpose of […]
The fourth line in Jabez’s prayer is: “that you would keep me from evil” If this request sounds vaguely familiar, there is good reason. In the best known prayer in the Bible, often called “The Lord’s Prayer,” there is the line “deliver us from the evil one.” Just as Jesus taught his followers to pray, […]
More Authority, Responsibility, and Influence After Jabez asks for blessings so that he could be a blessing to others, he then adds: “and enlarge my territory” In Bible times, territory meant power via increased authority, responsibility, and influence. As, such, a request for “more territory” is not a petition for more “stuff,” as much as […]
Learning from the Prayer of Jabez The first line of the prayer of Jabez, is: “Oh, that you would bless me, indeed…” First of all, the word “indeed” is a way of adding emphasis, much like we would do with an exclamation point. It wasn’t enough for Jabez to merely make his request, he made […]
The prayer of Jabez is a short prayer and is found in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10; it is also the subject of a recent popular book by the same name. After a short, very short, bio of Jabez, his equally short prayer is given, followed by a concise commentary. Jabez’s five line prayer is: Oh, that […]
By Donald S. Whitney (reviewed by Peter DeHaan) As stated in the book’s title, “Spiritual Disciples for the Christian Life,” this work discusses spiritual disciplines for those who follow Jesus. Spiritual disciplines are willing and intentional actions that promote spiritual growth, making us more like Jesus. They should not be thought of actions that earn […]
What gender is God? Although I’m not sure how important the answer is in the overall scheme of things, it is nonetheless often debated and speculated. Here is a smattering of responses to this query: Although I refer to God in the masculine, it is more out of convention and for ease of communication. In […]
It’s interesting that we tend to equate writing prolificacy with profundity. After these three, the reminding New Testament authors, especially those of shorter letters, fade into obscurity and are barely noticed by most readers of the Bible. Such is the case of Peter, whose two short letters comprise but 2.5 percent of New Testament content. […]
Seeking Assurance John (referred to as John the Baptizer) was Jesus’s cousin and a couple of months older. John preceded Jesus in ministry, pointing people to Jesus. John did his work admirably and without fault, albeit amidst criticism. He was eventually imprisoned because of what he said. With all the amazing things Jesus did and […]
To Heal and to Save Jesus came to heal and to save; that was his mission and his purpose. At that time, the people largely accepted Jesus’ healing ministry, but not so much his saving ministry. Today, it is the opposite, with his followers accepting his saving ministry, but not so much his healing ministry. […]