My hope for this article is to draw a worth while comparison between the passage in 1 Chron 4:9-10, which is the account of Jabez and his prayer to God and Psalm 61-63 which are psalms of David as he called out to God, seeking His blessings of protection and increased faith and trust.
In 1 Chronicles 4 we have a genealogy of the line of Judah and specifically, in verses 9 and 10 is where we find this very interesting character, Jabez. The text tells us that his name is associated with pain or sorrow. His mother gave him this name, most likely because of the circumstances surrounding his birth.
We learn from the text that Jabez was more “honorable than his brothers”. We aren’t told why, specifically, but we are told that he “called on the God of Israel”. This is likely what separated Jabez from his brothers, not that he called on the God of Israel on this occasion alone, but most certainly because he made it a regular practice to call on God in his life. Jabez asked God to bless him indeed and to enlarge his territory and for God’s hand to be with him. He prayed for God to keep him from evil that he may not cause pain. As a result of humbly crying out to God for help and blessings on what was most likely a daily basis, he received honor from God through answered prayer.
This is where we see a strong connection between Jabez and the writer of Psalm 61-63, David, the second king of Israel. David, like Jabez, constantly called on the God of Israel, seeking His help and protection. Many have focused on the prayer of Jabez relating to his request for blessing “in deed” and an enlargement of his territory. Jabez asked for much more than just the physical blessing of land and territory, he prayed that God would keep him from evil so, “that I may not cause pain!” There are some commentators and Bible versions that indicate the pain he references is his own. The NKJV rendering seems to indicate that he was not only concerned with himself but others who might be adversely affected by any sin or evil he may commit. For purposes of this article I am focusing on the latter.
Either view of this particular statement draws an equally strong connection with David and what he writes in chapters 61-63. David was known as a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22) and displayed great humility throughout his life. We see in these three chapters in the Psalms, that David is humbly seeking God’s help in his time of distress but he is also praising God because He is his salvation, his strength and his refuge. He exhorts his readers to trust in God at all times and encourages them to “pour out your heart” so that He can be their refuge as well.
Both Jabez and David are wonderful examples for us to regularly “call on God”. To seek Him, not only in times of trouble and distress but in times of joy and prosperity. David was a man after God’s own heart. Jabez was more honorable than all of his brothers because they humbly sought after God!