Mbimda Ali Mbishida
Bauchi - Nigeria
From his youth he heard the whispers of men and endured their mockery. They looked upon his hardships and said, "Surely the hand of sorrow shall never depart from him." Yet Jabez did not repay evil for evil. He walked in integrity, dealt justly with his neighbors, and feared the God of Israel.
Now it came to pass that in the days of the barley harvest, he came unto me with grief upon his countenance, and he said, "Elishama! Why has my life become a reproach? Why do I labor from dawn until dusk, yet the work of my hands does not prosper? Why do my own kinsmen mock me because of my afflictions? Tell me, is the God of Israel, of whom our rabbis have spoken, no longer just?"
Then he paused and said, "Yet I know what I must do. I shall take my cause before the Lord."
And I answered him not, for my heart was troubled within me. For I knew the man to be upright, blameless in his dealings, and one who feared God. Yet I perceived that his soul longed not only for increase, but to be delivered from the shadow that had followed him since birth.
The next day, he rose early and went up into the hill country. There he bowed his knees before the God of Israel and cried aloud,
"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 harm, so that I may be free from pain."
Then Jabez arose and returned to his labor, knowing not how the Lord would answer him.
And in the fullness of time, the Lord remembered him. His borders were enlarged, his household flourished, and the reproach of his name was swallowed up by the favor of God.
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1 Chronicles 4:9–10 (NIV) - Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, "I gave birth to him in pain." Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that You would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let Your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.
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NB:
This is a fictional Bible backstory, written to imaginatively fill in the narrative gaps left by Scripture. It is not part of the biblical text, but only meant for lessons.
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