The genealogy of Judah continues, the royal lineage, the promises of God. And as we faithfully read through ‘sons of’ and ‘father of’ and ‘these were the clans of’ history is made real in our minds. Imagine the first readers of this accurate account, the actual descendants of the protagonists in the stories. The hearers are fuller located in the divine history of the world.
They could all say ‘I know where I come from’. ‘I know what happens when I honour God, and I know what happens when I dishonour God’.
Jabez holds central place as someone born in pain, someone who chose to be honourable. Most children are born in pain, as we are all part of that curse, childbirth is a universal suffering. His name may have placed a ever present sadness upon his spirit. Perhaps he was reminded of the pain of his mother in bringing him into this world. Maybe this made him thankful. We all are born into the violence and disappointment of a fallen world. We do know he was someone who trusted in his God, he chose to live above the circumstance, he chose not to blame God but to trust him. Reaching out to the goodness and grace of God there was blessing, divine favour, freedom from pain and protection from evil.
It seems these clan people were always killing others it. At the end of the narrative they attack the Hamites and Meunites and completely destroy their dwellings. They also killed the remaining Amalekites. God even moves in this economy of tribal violence, I suppose he is God and does not hide from difficult situations. Amidst this there is always however a sense of normality and blessing. Potters, skilled craftsman, pastoralists and even people who ‘went to the outskirts of Gedor to the east of the valley in search of pasture for their flocks. They found rich, good pasture, and the land was spacious, peaceful and quiet’. Their families grew and they were greatly blessed.
Maybe that’s what we want but we fear the peace. The absence of conflict is not is true picture of our situation, and the responsibility to help humanity is part of our battle. There seems though to be, as the preacher says in Ecclesiastes says ‘A time for war and a time for peace’. God forbid we should decide the times, my times are in his hands. We can pray for peace and blessing, desire the dignity and blessing of work, settle in a place where there is feed for our flocks, but in the end our times are truly in God’s hands.
Read 1 Chronicles 4 again. Note the time you find yourself in now. Ask God to give you understanding of this time. Pray for your own family and friends, that they too may now grace and contentment and blessing at this time of their own lives.
But I trust in you, Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
My times are in your hands;
deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
from those who pursue me.
Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love. Psalm 35:14-16
