Thoughts on Chapter 1

Chapter 1 begins appropriately with Adam. All of humanity, all our history, begins with him. Adam is the father of all flesh.

From Adam we are taken through the generations to Noah. From Noah came all the different nations and races. One of Noah’s sons was Shem, and from Shem’s line came Abraham. Abraham became the father of the faithful; by blood, the Jewish people. By adoption, believers in the Lord Jesus Christ (See Romans 4:11 and 12).

It’s important to note that the Old Testament is primarily focused on Abraham’s line, the Jewish people, God’s chosen people. (More about that in a moment.) Some of the names listed in this chapter don’t play a part in the history of this line and are listed only as a matter of record. 

Now, a word about God’s chosen people. For what purpose did God choose Israel? He chose them so He could teach them how to truly worship Him, and then show all the nations what true worship was, and how to live lives pleasing to Him. 

So it makes sense that the Old Testament would focus its attention on the history of Abraham’s line, doesn’t it?

Thoughts on Chapter 2

There were some very interesting and important men and women listed in this chapter. Israel, Judah, Boaz, Jesse, David…just to name a few.

Some are remembered as the first to settle certain towns and regions. 

But two are going to be remembered throughout time for their sins. We read that “the Lord considered Er, Judah’s firstborn, evil, so the Lord killed Er.” And “Carmi’s son was Achar, who caused trouble for Israel by taking goods that were claimed by God.”

Do you suppose that these men were one hundred percent evil? We don’t know. All we know from this chapter is that they had evil natures. 

How do you suppose that when God someday opens the book on your life, He will summarize you? For what will you be remembered? 

Once in a sermon, my pastor mentioned one of the members who had passed away several years earlier. In his description of this man, the pastor said, “Louis was a sweet man. He always had time for you. And when you talked to him, he would look you in the eyes and smile.”

How will you be remembered? What will other people, and most importantly, what will God say about you?

Thoughts on Chapter 4 

In chapter 4, verses 9 and 10 we read about a fellow named Jabez. Let’s take another look. “Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez [Painful], because she said that his birth was painful. 10 Jabez prayed to the God of Israel, “Please bless me and give me more territory. May your power be with me and free me from evil so that I will not be in pain.” God gave him what he prayed for.”

We don’t know much about Jabez, but the fact that this prayer of his is recorded here in 1 Chronicles tells me something. It tells me that it is okay to ask God for things.

I don’t know about you, but I was brought up to put other people before me. I learned very early on that the world does not revolve around me, and “selfishness” is wrong. Not that I am never self-centered. I can be as selfish as the next guy, but I do know that it’s wrong to be selfish. 

So it was always been hard for me to ask God to bless me, to give me things. I’m just happy that he’s forgiven my sins. That’s enough. I don’t need to be rich or live in a big fancy house. After all, Jesus didn’t even have a place to lay his head. Who am I to ask for more than He had? 

That’s been my approach to prayer for most of my life. I’ll pray for you, that God will bless you, but I never felt right about praying that kind of prayer for myself.

And then several years ago a little book called “The Prayer of Jabez” was published. It’s less than 100 pages. The author’s name is Bruce Wilkinson. The book became a best seller and I read it because it came highly recommended by a friend of mine. It really made me consider whether my attitude regarding asking God to bless me was right. 

The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life By Bruce Wilkinson / Multnomah Do you want to be extravagantly blessed by God? Are you ready to reach for the extraordinary? To ask God for the abundant blessings He longs to give you? Let Bruce Wilkinson help you discover how the remarkable prayer of a little-known Bible hero can release God’s favor, power and protection. You’ll see how one daily prayer can help you leave the past behind and break through to the life you were meant to live.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think God wants us to ask Him to make us win  the lottery, or ask Him to be on the list of the top three richest people in the world, but that wasn’t Jabez’s prayer either. 

Listen, you can read the book for yourself. I’m not going to discuss all the points, because we don’t have the time here. Just know that when you ask God to give you more, and you ask out of a pure heart, and your request is pleasing to Him, that is a good thing. 

What Happened As A Result of the Prayer?

I began to pray that prayer after reading the book. One of the results of the prayer is that when I asked him to enlarge my territory, God did it. How? Well, the book was published in 2000. I probably read it in about 2002. In 2004 I heard about this crazy thing called podcasting, and all of a sudden this guy who was in love with God, recording from his church in Riverside, CA, is talking to the world. Listen, podcasting is old hat now. But back then, we were still figuring it all out. This was a big deal. And guess what. After my very first episode, I got an email from a guy in Sweden, asking me how he could know that God was real. Long story short, he became a follower of Jesus. And there have been many other emails from people all over the world since then.

I asked God to enlarge my territory. Not for me, but for His glory. And He did it. Am I blessed? Of course, but in a much different way than I could have ever imagined. Certainly finances are still something that are a challenge, but the fact that God would use a guy like me to carry His message to nearly every nation on Earth is a concept I would have never in my wildest dreams imagined.

I would encourage you to look closely at Jabez’s prayer here in 1 Chronicles. If you pray like Jabez prayed, I believe you will be in for an adventure with God.

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 1 CEB, Ch 2-4 GW

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