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Introduction:
Have you ever read the first ten chapters of I
Chronicles? I have. However, after the first few verses, my
eyes glaze over and I begin to simply skim the page, pleading for
the list of names to end. In the middle of this section, two
verses (I Chronicles 4:9-10)
stand out with such profound impact it seems as though God wanted
to slap us out of our stupor and say, “Wake up, this is
important!”
For some reason, God wants us to know about Jabez. Jabez
was not just another name on the page. He was not just another
face in the crowd. When the inspired writer of I
Chronicles got to Jabez, he stopped listing the names on the
tombstones and boldly said, “You need to know about this guy!”
Of the hundreds mentioned in the surrounding chapters, this man
stood out in the crowd, forcing us to ask, “What about us?” Do
we stand out in the crowd gathered on this earth? Are we any
different from the droning list of names in the roll call of
humanity? In these two verses, Jabez and his prayer give us a
model of excellent living for God. If we follow it, we will stand
out. Now Jabez was more
honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez,
saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” And Jabez called on the
God of Israel saying, “Oh, that you would bless me indeed, and
enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that
You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God
granted him what he requested (I Chronicles
4:9-10, NKJV). Discussion: If
you want to stand out in the crowd … I.
… don’t
let the crowd determine where you will stand. A.
Jabez went
through what we all go through. His life was “prophesied” for
him by his mother. Jabez caused his mother a lot of pain when he
was born and evidently she didn’t want him to forget it. She
reminded him of it every time she said his name, which meant
“causes pain.” Jabez’ mother was doing more than reminding
him of the past, she was establishing his future. She had, in a
very real sense, set Jabez up to be a cause of pain for all who
knew him. She was determining where he would stand. B.
Consider
what it must be like to hear that you are nothing but a pain every
day of your life. Simply by calling your name everyone tells you
that you cause sorrow. For many people, the constant reinforcement
of this message would have taken control. In the manner of
self-fulfilling prophecy, they would have become a great cause of
pain in people’s lives. C.
Every day
parents, siblings, peers and teachers “prophecy” children’s
lives. Many times it is positive. Too often it is negative. Every
day some children are told they are going to be doctors, lawyers
or presidents. Every day some children are told they are going to
be criminals, hoods or druggies. Some are told they are awkward,
some graceful. Some are told they are intelligent, some stupid.
Some are momma’s boys and others are daddy’s girls. Some are
class leaders, others class clowns. Some are told they are cool,
others geeks. What have you been told? D.
Jabez
understood one of the key factors of standing out in a crowd. The
prophecies of our parents, peers or professors do not matter. We
are not bound by what they expect. We are bound simply by the
extent of God’s grace and blessing that we are willing to
receive. We can step out of the molds everyone else has set for us
and decide to be what God wants us to be. No matter what anyone
else has done to us or said about us we can be different. Jabez
refused to be a cause of sorrow. He planned to be blessed and if
blessed, he would surely be a blessing to others. If you want to
stand out in a crowd, don’t let the crowd determine where you
stand. II.
… stop
standing still, start going somewhere. A.
Jabez knew
he wanted something. He wanted his territory increased. I believe
there is more to this than simply rubbing a lamp and asking a
wish. In the context of his mother’s “prophecy”, the mere
fact that he makes this request demonstrates a mindset in Jabez.
It demonstrates he wasn’t willing to stand still, he was heading
somewhere. He had goals for an enlarged territory. B.
When God
organized His people in this world, He did not set up communes or
monasteries that would keep His people separate from the world. He
did not ask us to go out of the world and have no part in the
dealings of the world (I Corinthians 5:10). Consequently, He did not ask us to be
ambitionless blobs who allow the world to pass us by without any
desires or goals. In fact, in places, God has encouraged us to
follow our hearts’ desires (Ecclesiastes
11:9) and in whatever we determine to do we should excel (Ecclesiastes
9:10). In the midst of this, pray that God will bless you in
these endeavors. Because we live in a society that treats God like
a vending machine, we are sometimes afraid to ask God for His
blessings on our life’s goals. Jabez was not afraid to have
goals and ask for God’s blessing. We should follow his example.
If you want to stand out in a crowd, stop standing still and start
going somewhere. C.
Having said
this, I must modify the point with a few governing biblical
principles. 1.
While we
follow our heart’s impulses, we must remember that we will stand
before God in judgment (Ecclesiastes
11:9). Therefore, keep your desires and impulses within the
boundaries of God’s word. 2.
We must make
sure our goals are means to the end of serving God and not our own
personal pleasures (James
4:3). If your goals are selfish, don’t expect God’s
blessing. 3.
Remember God
is not obligated to bless us and has not promised to grant every
blessing we request. At times, God says, “No.” We must
remember our prayers are dependent upon the Lord’s will and we
must be willing to accept His answers (James 4:13-15). III.
… stop
standing and start kneeling. A.
When God
wanted us to know Jabez, He didn’t tell us about his property,
his family, his intelligence or his military prowess. He told us
about his prayer. We must not miss the forest for the trees,
getting so caught up in the particular requests that we miss the
most important fact, “Jabez called on the God of Israel.” B.
We cannot
extricate these verses about Jabez from their context in the
Chronicles and in the history of the Jews. From the time of the
Exodus, the Jews were told it was up to God to extend their
borders (Deuteronomy 12:20;
19:8). The books of First and Second Chronicles tell the
stories of men who either recognized this or didn’t. These books
tell us of Saul, Rehoboam, Jeroboam and others who did not lean on
God. They also tell us of David, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah and others
who prayed to God for their borders. All of the men in the
Chronicles can be judged by how they compare to the prayer of
Jabez. Did they pray to the living God? Or did they pray to idols
in high places [II
Chronicles 11:15]? Did they make their supplications and
requests to the God of Israel or did they pray to foreign gods [II
Chronicles 25:14]? Did they pray at all? At the very beginning
of the book stands a man who sets the stage for the following
stories. Those who followed his example were likewise blessed.
Those who didn’t, weren’t. C.
How does
your prayer life compare? Your prayers do not have to be long and
wordy. (Jabez’ was only 32 words long.) They simply have to be
there. Do you pray other than in the assembly? How often do you
pray by yourself? How often do you pray with your family? How
often do you pray with your brethren (outside of the worship
service)? If God were to write your epitaph, as He did Jabez’,
would your prayer life be memorable? If you want to stand out in
the crowd, you have to stop standing and start kneeling. IV.
…
recognize you are not standing on your own legs, but on legs God
has given you. A.
While Jabez
evidently had his own goals, he understood that all blessings come
from above (James 1:17).
He did not expect to be able to expand his borders on his own.
Jabez understood his dependence upon God. He knew he needed
God’s hand with him if he would be successful. The scriptures
are replete with references to God’s hand being a part of His
people’s success (Ezra
7:9; 8:18, 22; Nehemiah 2:8, 18; Acts 11:21). Without God, no
one has success. B.
Far too many
people settle for mediocrity, because they try to accomplish only
what they, “by themselves”, can accomplish. They don’t ever
cast their cares on the Lord [Philippians
4:6; I Peter 5:7], stepping out on a limb to do God’s will.
Typically, we spend our time like Moses at the burning bush,
making excuses for ourselves [Exodus 3-4]. “I can’t do this!” “What if they ask me a
question I don’t know how to answer?” “What if they won’t
listen?” “I can’t speak very well.” On and on we make
excuses. Remember God’s response to Moses in Exodus
3:12, “Certainly I will be with you.” When we spend less
time thinking about ourselves and more time thinking about God’s
power and strength, we will remember that it is true, “By
myself, I can’t accomplish anything. But I can do all things
through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians
4:13). When we spend less time trying to stand on our own legs
and more time realizing these are legs God has given us, we slowly
begin to realize that even the things we thought we could do by
ourselves, we cannot. Living, moving, existing all seem like
things we do by ourselves, but that is not so. It is only by
God’s grace we do even these things (Acts
17:28). C.
Have you
ever felt overwhelmed? You looked at a responsibility, perhaps at
school, on the job, with your family, within the congregation and
realized, “I can’t do this.” You know what I am talking
about, that gut wrenching, embarrassed feeling that you have
bitten off more than you can chew. This feeling comes when your
boss has placed you over a new department, your teacher has
determined you need to be challenged more, you just found out your
wife is pregnant or someone has asked you to teach a Bible class.
Suddenly, you realize you are not the one for the job. Our natural
reaction is to quit, but we must not. Rather, learn that those are
the moments when we are coming face to face with our weakness,
with our need for God. In that moment, if we realize what Jabez
realized, that we are not standing on our own legs, but on legs
God has given us, we will be able to stand out in the crowd. Not
because of ourselves, but because of God. As Paul learned from his
“thorn in the flesh”, it is only when we realize how truly
weak we are that God’s power will be used in us. When we are
weak, we will be strong (II
Corinthians 12:9-10). Finally, when the goal has been
accomplished and we, like Jabez, have stood out in the crowd, we
must remember that we are only servants who have acted as God gave
us blessing and opportunity (I
Corinthians 3:5-7). We are nothing. God is everything. V.
… don’t
let Satan cut off your legs. A.
Jabez
understood that sin was the antithesis of all he desired. He did
not want to cause pain. Committing evil would do exactly that. Too
many people pointlessly ask for God’s blessing while living
however they want, committing any sin they choose. Jabez
understood it was pointless to expect God’s blessing if he lived
in sin. Recognizing his need for God’s strength in this area of
life as well, he prayed that God keep him from evil. Make that a
part of your prayer life and commit yourself to live what you have
prayed. B.
If we will
stand out in a crowd, we must recognize that sin, while possibly
letting us share some of the world’s limelight, will make us
nothing more than mediocre copies of others. It cuts our legs out
from underneath us. Ultimately, sin brings death (Romans
5:12; 6:23; James 1:14-16). As James said, “Do not be
deceived.” Yet it is so easy to be deceived by sin. Satan is a
roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (I Peter 5:8), but he never appears in that form to us (II
Corinthians 11:14). He works diligently to deceive us, even as
he quite deceived Eve in the garden (Genesis
3:4-6; I Timothy 2:14). The fruit he places before us often
seems harmless. In fact, at times it appears helpful. There is the
drink that will make us appear cool. The lie that will keep us
from trouble. The revenge that will give us satisfaction. Sin is
so inviting, but its end is always death. There is no standing out
in a crowd when you are dead. Regrettably though, sometimes even
though we intellectually know the end of sin, it is still
appealing. We see the seeming “fun” others are having in sin.
We envision the pleasure it would bring us and we envy those who
are allowed to partake. Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever
said to yourself, “I wish I wasn’t a Christian, then I could
…”? Conquer that feeling. Memorize and recite daily Proverbs
23:17. “Do not let your heart envy sinners, but live in the
fear of the Lord always.” C.
Jabez stood
out in the crowd because he didn’t try to straddle the fence. He
didn’t ask for God’s blessing but then try to live however he
pleased. He, like Paul in Philippians
3:7-11, counted the things that would be considered gain in
this world as loss for the sake of having God’s blessing. If you
would stand out in the crowd, you must not let Satan cut off your
legs. Conclusion: You can be more than mediocre. You can excel in life and God’s service. You can stand out in the crowd. But to do so, you must be willing to do some difficult things. You have to break away from the world’s pull. You have to break away from Satan’s pull. You have to break away from your own pull. You have to throw yourself in God’s hands, submitting to Him in all things no matter how frightening or overwhelming it may seem. You have to be like Jabez. You, because you are not alone but have God’s hand with you, can do it.
Glory
to God in the church by Christ Jesus
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