No. 43. >> Isaiah 49:5 has language that is closely related to that of a widely read book entitled: The Prayer of Jabez. How can this text bring clarity to the popular evangelical understanding of man and God? >>DR. DANIEL L. GARD: I'm glad you noticed that. There is a keyword that appears in this text from Isaiah that is actually used in a particular form not only here but in a number of other places in Scripture. Let me read that verse to you from Isaiah 49:5. And now says the Lord who formed me from the womb to be his servant. As you recall, this is the same chain of thought we just discussed with the servant now as new Israel. To bring Jacob back to him. In order that Israel might be gathered to him. For I am honored in the sight of the Lord. And my God is my strength. The particular word to look at there is this word to be honored. The Prayer of Jabez is a rather obscure text actually in a book in which I spent a lot of time, as it happens, in I Chronicles 4 Verses 9 through 10. And a particular word is common to both this text from Isaiah 49 and in I Chronicles 10 (sic). And that's the word honored. But it's not just found here. The word in this particular Hebrew form is found in several places in the Old Testament. For example, Genesis 34:19. And a young man did not delay to do the thing because he was delighted with Jacob's daughter. Now, he was more honored than all the household of his father. I Samuel 9:6: Behold now there is a man of God in the city. And the man is honored. All that he says surely comes true. Likewise, II Samuel 6:20. II Samuel 23:19. II Samuel 23:23. I Chronicles 4:9, the Jabez text. I Chronicles 11:21. And of course here in our text as well as I Chronicles 11:25. In all these cases, this particular form of a Hebrew word, kavod, to be honored, is used. And in every case, English translations always translate it that the individual was honored. Traditional English translations, though, of I Chronicles 4:9 and 10 has that Jabez was more honorable. Now, there's a difference between the two. And I bring this up primarily to illustrate the importance of closely reading a text before you jump to huge conclusions based upon a less-than-thorough reading of the text. Some years ago I was asked to provide a review of a book that was very popular at that time. It's still fairly influential. And that's the book called: The Prayer of Jabez. It's based upon this text from I Chronicles 4:9 through 10. Let me read that to you. Jabez was more honored than his brothers. Now, most English translations at that point say Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. But as we've seen, in every case except for this one text in I Chronicles, that verb is always translated properly as was more honored. Not more honorable. Only in that one case. His mother had named him Jabez saying: I give birth to him in pain. Jabez cried out to the God of Israel: O, 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. Now, a lot of attention was focused on this very brief prayer. Interestingly, the prayer is inserted in a very large genealogical section. I mentioned biblical cures for insomnia before. Take my word for it, read through I Chronicles 1 through 9 all genealogies any time you have trouble going to sleep. But if you actually spend a little time in these genealogies, you'll find that they are much more than simply a lot of names that are disconnected from one another. Occasionally within this section, the writer of Chronicles includes a very brief narrative. And here is one of them. And what this prayer essentially does in its structure is interrupt the name of different branches of the tribe of Judah in this genealogy. And it involves an individual, who in some unspecified way relates to the Judahites. We're not even really clear from the genealogies how Jabez related to the tribe of Judah. Except that he apparently was one of them. And thus, this little snippet is included by the chronicler in that long genealogical section. That particular prayer was popularized in the short best selling book by an individual named Bruce Wilkinson called the Prayer of Jabez, Breaking Through to the Blessed Life. And that recent movement has really spawned not just a book but a whole series of books. A web site. A rather quickly growing audience. And in its different permeations continues at least some years afterwards and probably will for a while. The problem is when one does not pay attention to the translation of the text, there can be some very troubling theological spiritual propositions which come forward. The book by Wilkinson really does advance a number of very troubling theological propositions. Among those is the assumption that it is the will of God that the believer should prosper in the things of earth. It's held that whatever you desire is from the will of God in eternity what you should have. The Christian faith, on the other hand, has never understood the will of God in such a way, except in both ancient and particularly modern health, wealth and prosperity movements. Such as Jim Bakers, Jimmy Swaggarts or others. This contradicts not only the call of Jesus to take up our crosses and follow him, but his own example in the garden before his crucifixion where he in his prayer pleaded: Father, if you're willing take this cup from me. Not my will. But yours be done. In this troubling little book we are instructed to presume that God's will is going to conform to our own. Second, and this is most important based on our Isaiah text in the evidence there is that the Prayer of Jabez is based on a faulty reading of the biblical text. And as a result, radically alters the basis of Christian prayer. Specifically the book assumes that the man, Jabez, was more honorable -- remember and the text reads more honored. Not more honorable. It wasn't a characteristic of Jabez. More honorable than his brothers. And for this reason according to Wilkinson God heard his prayer and gave him what he desired. Though many English translations, in fact, do use that term, more honorable, it is in fact a rather inadequate treatment of the Hebrew text. The English translation that accurately reflects this as it does in Isaiah 49 is Jabez was more honored than his brother. This simple mistranslation is foundational to the book's radical departure from the Christian teaching on prayer. For the author, Wilkinson, it is the character of the one who offers the prayer that is being honorable. That assures one of getting God's hearing. And God's answer. The Christian faith, on the other hand, has clearly understood that God hears and answers prayer not on the basis of any merit that we might have. Never on the basis of the merit of the one who prays. But solely on the basis of the merit of Jesus. A third point would be that the book simply presents prayer as essentially disconnected from our relationship to Jesus Christ. It's fascinating that Christ's name is invoked in the book in only a handful of places. And then only in some descriptive historical way. When sin is mentioned, it's mentioned only as a barrier to God. But it's discussed as something that the sinner himself can make right. Now, what that borders on is the ancient heresy of pelagianism in which sin is seen simply as a habit that a person can himself break rather than a condition of the soul that can be cured only by Jesus Christ. Interestingly, I actually had a chance to interview with the author of this book at one point. And a caller called into the show and asked this question: She said I'm Jewish and I don't frankly believe in Jesus. Will this prayer still work for me? Mr. Wilkinson's answer was: Well, of course it will. That ought to disturb any Christian hearer. Because there's only one way to the Father. And that's through Jesus Christ. He's our only access. A final problem with a -- this particular book is the book understands prayer as having particular virtue if it's repeated often enough. Certain rituals are suggested. Praying the prayer daily. Rereading the Wilkinson book weekly. Taping the prayer or something that you will -- so that you'll see it often or listen to it often. Very kind of ritualistic routine things. Those familiar with the warnings of Jesus about repetitious prayers and reliance on our own rituals will I think be a little disturbed in finding this way of devising rituals as a way to get God's attention. So I would say this: That the Prayer of Jabez is a particularly dangerous work from a Christian theological perspective. And I say that because it arises from an anthropocentric, that is to say human centered, rather than Christocentric, that is Christ centered world view. While I always appreciate anybody's call to take prayer seriously, that call also has to take into account the theological realities of prayer. Now, why talk about this in an Isaiah class? Well, largely because of this: As you read the books of the Bible, any of them, Isaiah, Chronicles, New Testament, whatever section of the Bible, pay attention to what you are reading. And be very sceptical even over popular Christian literature. Some of it is very good. Other parts of it can be quite problematic. And God's people will need you as pastors to guide them in making the decision between what is helpful and what they should not involve themselves with. So read your Bible. And read it carefully. Read the contemporary stuff that people are putting out there. Know that your people are. And be prepared to give guidance to them. Not based upon what seems to be popular or attractive but based upon the Word of God.