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And Jabez was more honorable than his brethern: and his mother called him Jabez saying, Because I bare him with sorrow. And Jabez called on the God of Isreal saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.
Jabez, whose name means "He causes pain" was the head of a family of Judah (Praise). Now very little is know about Jabez but it is implied in the content of the text that his mere birth cause tremendous pain to his mother. Physically, Mentally and Emotionally. Often names for children were derived from experiences that told the story of that childs conception and purpose for being born. Sorrow in the Hebrew denotes pain as a result of guilt or perhaps illegitimacy. Nothing is mentioned of Jazbez's father but this type of pain or sorrow was only mentioned three times in the Old Testiment. 1 Chronicles 4:9-10, Psalms 139:24 and Isaiah 14:3.
Three things can be concluded from the text itself. #1 If in fact Jabez was born out of illegimate circumstances, he would have no claim to an inheritance generally passed down from a father to his son. That would explain the disappointment his mother may have had because she perhaps knew and understood the odd stacked against her child from birth. He would be looked down upon because he was possibly born from a relationship that was not ordained by God through the covenant of marriage. Much like today, when a male child is born without the advantages of a father the odds are stacked against that child being able to grow and be taught the principals of manhood and headship from God's original intent stemming back to Adam in the garden.
#2 Jabez was mindful enough to call on the God of Isreal. He knew that without God's help and intervention, his life was destined for sorrow, disappointment and struggles because he had no family backing to perhaps establish him in the eyes of the community. Being that this was before the birth of Jesus, he was not entitled to be a joint heir in the kingdom of God because Jesus had not yet paid the price for salvation through the shedding of His blood. But he called on the God of Isreal that God would look beyond the lack of family heritage and identity and bless him by enlarging his territory. Now perhaps Jabez worked hard and established himself as a rags-to-riches success story, but he was yet unable to push beyond barriers that dictated he could only possess so much. Even with the lack of details outlined in the text it can be concluded that Jabez was in fact a successful pillar of the community because the bible states he was More successful than his brothers. His name carried respect and authority despite his upbringing and family heritage, or lack thereof. But it is evident God had mercy on Jabez and honored his requests by enlarging his territory, which in fact made him prosper the more.
Lastly, Jabez wasn't just concerned about being prosperous perhaps to pass to his own family a heritage, but Jabez knew that his past would try and haunt him all the days of his life. As a result he didnt want to go through life with the pain from his childhood or family background to haunt him. Grief in this context might be the stinging rejections he may have received from his mother and siblings because of his lack of heritage through the establishment of a family name passed down from a father to his son. One thing is certain, the lifestyle he lived and the prayer and faith he had in God caused God to move on his behalf and God blessed Jabez abundantly.
Men of God, just because your past may not look like much doesn't dictate how God will move on your behalf and establish you as awesome men who prosper. Jabez rose above his past to become honorable. Know how we live our lives before men and God has a direct effect on how and if God hears our prayers.
John 15:7 says "if ye abide in me and my word abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you!