A Blog of Encouragement from our Pastors
The WEekly Word
weekly word – 11/21/24
The Prayer of Jabez
A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I went to the “Friends of the Library” book sale. I found a small leather-bound book with the title “The Prayer of Jabez” written by a man named Bruce Wilkinson. Bruce is the founder of the “Walk Through the Bible” ministry. I had seen the book before and had read it when it first came out many years ago. Anyway, I bought it and have since read it, again.
His prayer is found in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10. It appears in the middle of a long list of lineages. As we read through them, suddenly out of nowhere comes verse 9 and 10 about a man called Jabez. Verse 11 picks up with a continuation of the lineages, and we are not told anything more about him anywhere in scripture. However, if we stop and look at these two verses, we see that they provide profound insights into:
- personal faith,
- the nature of prayer, and
- the relationship between individuals and God.
9 Jabez was more honored than his brothers. His mother named him Jabez and said, “I gave birth to him in pain.”
10 Jabez called out to the God of Israel, “If only you would bless me, extend my border, let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm, so that I will not experience pain.” And God granted his request.
His prayer is a personal petition to God. Jabez, who is described as "more honored than his brothers," approaches God with a plea for blessings. It underscores the importance of asking for God’s involvement in our spiritual journey. In a world filled with distractions and communal worship, his example encourages believers to seek God personally and earnestly. The verse reminds us that we can bring our desires, our concerns, and our hopes before God, because of the position we have through Jesus’ death and resurrection.
The second part of the verse is the most striking, as it is a bold request for God to “extend his border”. The phrase is often interpreted as a desire for increased influence and responsibility, both personally and in the community. It reflects the principle found in Matthew 7:7, where Jesus encourages believers to ask, seek, and knock: "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." Jabez’s courage to make such a request shows a significant faith and his desire to seek growth, whether in his spiritual life, his career, or his relationships. His boldness should serve as a catalyst for us to seek a change, motivating us to aspire to greater heights and to seek God's guidance in achieving our goals.
Jabez’s request for God’s hand to be with him shows that he, indeed, had an awareness of the need for divine guidance and protection. For us, as well as Jabez, life’s journeys, challenges, and uncertainties are inevitable. By asking for God’s presence, Jabez acknowledged that human effort alone is insufficient. This part of his prayer echoes the sentiments found in Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." It highlights the necessity of relying on God for wisdom and strength. We, as believers, can draw comfort from knowing that we are not alone in our struggles. We can seek God’s assistance and guidance, and that faith is a partnership with Him.
The impact of the “Prayer of Jabez,” extends beyond personal encouragement; and has inspired a broader movement among believers to pray boldly. In recent years, books and teachings centered around this prayer have motivated countless individuals to seek God earnestly and expectantly. In Jeremiah 33:3, God tells us to call to Him: "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know." Jabez’s story exemplifies the transformative power of prayer, showing us that our requests to Him can lead to significant change.
Jabez’s prayer reflects a desire for protection from evil: “and keep me from harm, so that I will not experience pain.” His plea emphasizes the importance of seeking God’s help in avoiding temptation and harm or pain. In looking at the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches us to pray for deliverance from evil (Matthew 6:13), pointing out that acknowledging our vulnerabilities and asking for God’s protection is essential in our walk of faith.
These two verses, stuck in middle of the long lines of lineages, are rich in significance. They emphasize the importance of:
- personal prayer,
- the courage to seek God’s blessings, and
- the need for divine guidance in life’s journey.
Jabez’s example encourages us as believers to rise above our circumstances and trust in God’s provision and protection. Ultimately, this brief yet powerful prayer serves as a timeless reminder of the profound impact that sincere faith and bold requests can have in our relationship with God, inspiring us to live lives marked by faith, courage, and a deep reliance on God’s grace through Jesus’ finished work on the cross.
Ed Johanson
PREVIOUS ARTICLES
11/14/24 – Zechariah 13: 7-9 – David
11/07/24 – So What Next? – Bryan
10/24/24 – Asking for the Right Things – Bryan
10/17/24 – Zechariah 13:1-6 – David
10/10/24 – A Story of change through the power of Christ – Ed
10/03/24 – Zechariah 12:10-14 – David
9/26/24 – Give Thanks and Praise – Bryan
9/19/24 – From Remorse to Restoration – A Pathway to Redemption –
9/12/24 – Zechariah 12:1-9 – David
9/05/24 – Why Do We Pray? – Bryan
8/22/24 – Zechariah 11 – David
8/15/24 – Planned and Necessary Delays – Bryan
8/08/24 – Lord, this is more than I can handle! – Ed
8/01/24 – Zechariah 10:7-12 – David
7/25/24 – Who are the Ministers? – Bryan
7/18/24 – The Glory of Accountability – Ed
7/11/24 – Zechariah 10:1-6 – David
7/04/24 – Eternal Independence – Bryan
6/27/24 – What a Father we have! – Ed
6/13/24 – Everything Seasoned with Love – Bryan
5/30/24 – Zechariah 9:9-10 – David
5/23/24 – Why I Love Westhill Church – Bryan
5/16/24 – WALK in the World – Ed
5/02/24 – Zechariah 9:1-7 – David
4/11/24 – How Do You Measure Faith? – Bryan
4/04/24 – Where is "my" God? – Ed
3/21/24 – Speaking Through Your Ears and Heart – Bryan
3/14/24 – Consternation in the Congregation – Ed
3/07/24 – Zechariah and The Branch – David
2/29/24 – Who Do You Say Jesus Is? – Bryan
2/22/24 – Love is........... – Ed
2/15/24 – Zechariah's Eighth and Final Vision – David
2/08/24 – It's-All-Good! – Bryan
2/01/24 – Becoming a Roman's 12 Christian – Ed
1/25/24 – Zechariah's Seventh Vision – David
1/18/24 – Temple Cleansing – Bryan
1/11/24 – The Devil made me do it – Ed
1/04/24 – Zechariah's Sixth Vision – David
12/28/23 – Many Facets to Forgiveness – Bryan
12/21/23 – Jesus, Others, You – Ed
12/14/23 – Zechariah's Fifth Vision – David
12/07/23 – We Are Royalty! Believe It and Live It. – Bryan
11/30/23 – An Essay on Prayer – Ed
11/23/23 – Zechariah's Fourth Vision – David
11/16/23 – Victory Through Prayer – Bryan
11/09/23 – Do you see God's hand in the things around you? – Ed
11/02/23 – Zechariah's Third Vision – David
10/26/23 – What's My Purpose – Bryan
10/19/23 – Pride vs. Confidence: The Delicate Balance in Light of
10/12/23 – Zechariah's Second Vision – David
10/05/23 – The Battle Belongs to the Lord – Bryan
9/28/23 – To Forgive or Not to Forgive, That is the Question – Ed
9/21/23 – Zechariah: Unlocking the Future – David
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8/17/23 – R.A.L.E. Part 2 – Ed
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7/20/23 – Chewing – Rethinking Bible Study and Prayer – David
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7/06/23 – Anger Management (Part 5) – Ed
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6/22/23 – Essential Component – Bryan
6/15/23 – Anger Management (Part 4) – Ed
6/08/23 – A Study Guide for Zechariah – David
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5/25/23 – Anger Management, Time to Take Action – Ed
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5/11/23 – Trust in God: Free, with Priceless Results – Bryan
5/04/23 – More on Solving the Anger Issue, (2 of 5) – Ed
4/27/23 – Without Excuse – David
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4/13/23 – Defining Anger (Part 1) – Ed
4/06/23 – Effective Easter Evangelism – David
3/30/23 – An Essay on Prayer – Ed
3/23/23 – Should We Fast – David
3/16/23 – 2 Chronicles 7:12-22 – Ed
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3/02/23 – Joseph: An Authentic Leader – Ed
2/23/23 – The Amalekites – David
2/16/23 – Becoming More Like Christ – Bryan
2/09/23 – "Bringing in the Sheep!" – Ed
2/02/23 – Four Mistakes Christians Make – David
1/26/23 – Living for Christ vs. Living with Christ – Bryan
1/19/23 – Bad Things and Good Things – Ed
1/12/23 – The Advancement of the Gospel – David
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12/22/22 – No Writer's Block This Time – Ed
12/15/22 – You've Got A Friend – David
12/08/22 – Tell the Story – Bryan
11/24/22 – How to Go Deeper in the Word – David
11/17/22 – The E's of Christian Living – Bryan
11/10/22 – "The Parfait of God" – Ed
11/03/22 – Fearless Obedience – David
10/27/22 – The Allocation & Bestowment of God's Blessings – Bryan
10/20/22 – 2 Chronicles 7:14 – Ed
10/13/22 – Evil Meant For Good – David
10/06/22 – Christ-Like Obedience – Bryan
9/29/22 – The "Be" Attitudes – Ed
9/22/22 – Six Parenting Lessons Learned from Lot's Failure as a
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9/01/22 – Jacob & Esau Pt. 2: A Silver Lining For Edomites – David
8/25/22 – Jesus Is All I Want and All I Need – Bryan
8/18/22 – Does God Expect Us to Color Within the Lines? – Ed
8/11/22 – Jacob & Esau Pt. 1: The Danger of Holding a Grudge –
8/04/22 – Pros and Cons of Technology – Bryan
7/28/22 – What Could Make Christianity Attractive to the World –
7/21/22 – The Curse that Became a Blessing – David
7/14/22 – No Loitering – Bryan
7/07/22 – The 23rd Psalm: – Ed
6/30/22 – Share Christ This Summer For $5 – David
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6/16/22 – Have you walked in their shoes? – Ed
6/09/22 – Habakkuk, Babylon, and the American Christian – David
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5/19/22 – Mutual Funds and Vice Stocks – David
5/12/22 – Make A Joyful Noise – Bryan
5/05/22 – A Romans 12 Christian | Part 2 – Ed
4/28/22 – Biblical Church Membership – David
4/21/22 – What Does Love mean? – Bryan
4/14/21 – Identifying & Resisting Satan's Attack | Part 5/5 - David
3/31/22 – Keep Sin from Harboring in our Hearts – Bryan
3/24/22 – Identifying & Resisting Satan's Attack | Part 4/5 – David
3/17/22 – Punishment or Training? – Ed
3/10/22 – Maintain the Unity in the Body – Bryan
3/03/22 – Identifying & Resisting Satan’s Attack | Part 3/5 – David
2/24/22 – Are You a Good Listener? – Ed
2/17/22 – Biblical Love – Bryan
2/10/22 – Identifying & Resisting Satan's Attack | Part 2/5 – David
2/03/22 – Is It Really Alright? – Ed
1/27/22 – The Faithfulness of Joseph – Bryan
1/20/22 – Identifying & Resisting Satan's Attack | Part 1/5 – David
1/06/22 – What Are We To Do? – Bryan
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12/23/21 – "Tis the Season" – Ed
12/16/21 – Every Little Detail – Bryan
12/09/21 – The Gospel and Christmas – David
12/02/21 – God is good, all the time! – Ed
11/25/21 – Thankful for Everything! – Bryan
11/18/21 – How I Began to Take Solid Food – David
11/11/21 – Does God Talk to Us Today? – Ed
11/04/21 – What Happened...and What Will Happen? – Bryan
10/28/21 – Pray to Share Your Faith – David
10/21/21 – The Way We Preach – David
10/14/21 – Justification and Sanctification – Bryan
10/07/21 – The Fix for Spiritual Laziness – David
9/30/21 – Falling Away is Falling Away from Jesus – David
9/23/21 – Beyond Sovereign - Bryan
9/16/21 – Why We Need Hebrews – David
9/09/21 – Glory and Honor – David
9/02/21 – Consider the Source. Compare to THE SOURCE – Bryan
8/19/21 – Pray for the Afghan Christians – David
8/12/21 – Now is the Time! – Bryan
8/05/21 – For Three Crimes, Even Four – David
7/29/21 – So What Are Husbands Supposed To Do? – David
7/22/21 – From Foes to Fellow Saints - Bryan
7/15/21 – Sharing the Gospel with an Atheist Israeli Jew – David
7/08/21 – When You're Afraid of Sharing the Gospel – David
7/01/21 – Farewell Dear Friends - Bryan
6/24/21 – Examples to the Flock – David
6/17/21 – Biblical Joy 301: How to Lose Joy, Pt 3 – David
6/10/21 – It Is Well with My Soul – Bryan
6/03/21 – Biblical Joy 301: How to Lose Joy, Pt 2 – David
5/27/21 – Biblical Joy 301: How to Lose Joy, Pt 1 – David
5/20/21 – What Does Biblical Giving Look Like? – Bryan
5/13/21 – Biblical Joy 201 – David
5/06/21 – Biblical Joy 101 – David
4/29/21 – Perspective & Attitude – Michael
4/22/21 – Jesus' Most Offensive Teaching – David
4/15/21 – The In-Between Times – David
4/08/21 – Spiritual Readiness – Bryan
4/01/21 – When in Doubt, Read the Directions – Michael
3/25/21 – Four Major OT Archeological Findings – David
3/18/21 – God's Timing and Faithfulness – Bryan
3/11/21 – The Pepsi Challenge between You and Jesus – David
3/04/21 – LORD of Lords – Bryan
2/25/21 – Numbers 20:6 – Michael
2/18/21 – Lessons from the Disqualified – David
2/11/21 – How to Study a Familiar Bible Verse – David
2/04/21 – Phase 2 is here! Do you know what that means? – Bryan
1/28/21 – Love God Carefully – David
1/21/21 – One of the Answers is Right Here – Micheal
1/07/21 – The New Religion – David
12/31/20 – Our Blessed Hope – David
12/24/20 – One Thing Remains – Bryan
12/17/20 – Do You Aspire to the Office of Overseer? – David
12/10/20 – Psalms - A Political Guide for God's People – David
12/03/20 – Getting Tired of Manna? – Bryan
11/26/20 – Advice on Loving Better – Michael
11/19/20 – Styles of Idolatry: BC, AD, and Today – David
11/12/20 – Fight or Flight? – David
11/05/20 – Take it to The Lord in Prayer – Bryan
10/29/20 – The Anathema Council – David
10/22/20 – Church History – David
10/15/20 – Growing In Our Faith – Bryan
10/08/20 – Finding Jesus – Michael
10/01/20 – Godly Division – David
9/24/20 – Nothing Beyond What Is Written – David
9/17/20 – Stay the Course Continued – Bryan
9/10/20 – “What did you say? I wasn’t listening." – Michael
9/03/20 – How to Assess Your Relationship with God – David
8/27/20 – All The More – David
8/20/20 – Serving With the Right Heart & Attitude – Bryan
7/30/20 – How Firm a Foundation – Bryan
7/16/20 – We Came, We Saw, We Sharpened – David
7/09/20 – Stir Up One Another – Bryan
7/02/20 – Don't Be Afraid to Be Courageous – Michael
6/25/20 – The Gentle Correction That Changed Me – David
6/18/20 – Witnessing Like and For Christ – Bryan
6/04/20 – Resistance, Riots and Romans – David
5/28/20 – Ambassador is Not a Part-Time Job – Bryan
5/21/20 – The Church is Not a Building – Michael
5/14/20 – Proclaim Jesus at the Grocery Store – David
5/07/20 – Stay the Course – Bryan
4/30/20 – It's the Little Things – Michael
4/23/20 – Living With Certainty & Purpose in Uncertain Times –
4/16/20 – Binge-Praying – David
4/09/20 – An Opportunity to Grow – David
weekly word – 11/14/24
Zechariah 13:7-9
After giving a stunning vision of God’s restoration of Israel in Zechariah 9-13, the prophet concludes with a poetic summary of that restoration at the end of chapter 13.
Why retell Israel’s redemption as a poem? Poetry helps the reader grasp basic truths emotionally, rather than through detailed analysis. In these three poignant verses, we see the pain Israel must endure before her redemption.
7 “Sword, awake against My shepherd,
against the man who is My associate—
this is the declaration of the Lord of Armies.
Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered;
I will turn My hand against the little ones.
8 In the whole land—this is the Lord’s declaration—
two-thirds will be cut off and die,
but a third will be left in it.
9 I will put this third through the fire;
I will refine them as silver is refined
and test them as gold is tested.
They will call on My name,
and I will answer them.
I will say, ‘They are my people,’
and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’”
— Zechariah 13:7-9 (CSB)
The poem begins with a startling command from God: a “sword” must fall against God’s own shepherd in verse 7. This violent image is underscored by the repeated phrase “Strike the shepherd” later in the verse.
Though God doesn’t name the shepherd, He calls him “My associate,” indicating a close relationship. George Klein, in his commentary on Zechariah, notes the meaning of the phrase: “The expression stresses community or close association with someone… Several factors also indicate that the shepherd in v. 7 is none other than the pierced one in 12:10. One of the more important points is the uniquely close association between God and the shepherd. Further, both figures in 12:10 and 13:7 serve faithfully, and the death of both evokes mourning." The sheep scatter in response to their shepherd’s death; they are lost without him.
Who could this faithful shepherd be, intimate with God but struck down by His decree? Jesus applies this passage to Himself just prior to His crucifixion: “You will all fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, ‘I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered’” (Matthew 26:31). The disciples were Jesus’ sheep, scattered at His arrest, trial, and crucifixion, fearing that they too might suffer His destiny.
Zechariah describes God’s punishment of Israel in verses 8-9. “The whole land” will suffer. This is a direct punishment from God upon the nation of Israel for rejecting their shepherd. In total, “two-thirds” of Israel are “cut off and die,” leaving only a third of the previous population. Yet even the surviving third must be refined in “the fire,” leaving only a small remnant in the end.
Yet, this final remnant will be different. Unlike before, they won’t reject their shepherd; they will “call on My name.” Like penitent Israel in Zechariah 12:10, who grieve for the one they pierced, they acknowledge their need for Him.
In response to their call, God promises, “I will answer them.” He will return to be with them as shepherd once more. The final two lines echo a marriage vow, as God and Israel enter into a New Covenant.
The message of this passage is clear: Israel will be redeemed, but the path will be long and painful. From the sacking of Jerusalem in 70 AD, through centuries of European pogroms, the Holocaust, and attacks on the modern state of Israel, history affirms Zechariah’s prophecy: Israel suffers until it repents. Yet when they do, God will renew His covenant and fulfill His promises.
The Apostle Paul elaborates on this theme in Romans 11:25-29 (CSB):
And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion; He will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” Regarding the gospel, they are enemies for your advantage, but regarding election, they are loved because of the patriarchs, since God’s gracious gifts and calling are irrevocable.
In the end, Israel reflects the redemption everyone needs: God taking away our sins. When we turn from Him, He lets us experience life apart from Him. But when we call on Him, He hears, responds, and invites us to a renewed relationship. He wipes away the record of our sin because He once sent the sword against His own Shepherd, on our behalf.
Pastor David