The Integrity of a Bold Vision, Part 1

Truth be told much about life is rather mundane times we find her daily responsibilities will boring so what's the secret to broadening our world today on Insight for living.

Chuck Swindoll begins a three-day message in which we explore the answer to that question, looking at a somewhat obscure character in the Bible provides a wonderful model Jabez wanted more in life cried out to God for help and the result of his courageous appeal is surprising. Chuck titled today's message the integrity of a bold vision. Please turn in your Bibles to first Chronicles chapter 4 about 20 minutes to locate unfamiliar territories in the rethinking about the role of integrity among those who endured a great deal of adversity in the one we're looking at in the tombstones of this particular chapter is certainly one that qualifies because of his bold vision in the midst of obscurity and anguish as we will see in a few moments.

I'm looking at first Chronicles chapter 4 verses nine and 10 in the new living translation first Chronicles 4 verse nine.

There was a man named Jabez who was more honorable than any of his brothers. His mother named him Jabez because his birth had been so painful. He was the one who prayed to the God of Israel all that you would bless me and expand my territory. Please be with me and all that I do and keep me from all trouble and pain.

And God granted him his request. That's it that's all we have in all the Scriptures about this otherwise unknown obscure individual to search the Scriptures with Chuck Swindoll sure to download his searching the Scriptures. Studies by going to Insight world.org/studies Chuck titled his message the integrity of a bold vision for the last time you took a long leisurely walk through a cemetery, probably never cemeteries are places where we lounge around or spend time with our family and walk among the tunes reading epitaphs using their places we arrive at the last minute for a graveside service and then quickly leave the service is always brief and maybe it's it's on occasion we will bring flowers to someone we have loved and lost in the Bourgogne again seems to me that we might be wise not always to drive so quickly by every cemetery. Perhaps there's something significant were overlooking cars Edward McCartney, it is fine little book Bible epitaphs writes about this. I have no bread of a cemetery. Sometimes it is better to be there and have fellowship with the dead who were married and walked down the streets of our cities and meet the unburied dead.

That is, those in whom faith and hope and love and purity have long been dead, leaving only the animal alive cemetery the Bible of life is open and a passionless voice reads to us it's great lessons and tells us to apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Sometimes we can learn more from the silence of the dead than from the speech of the living. It occurred to me that reading through the first chapters of the book of first Chronicles. The first nine chapters, is a lot like strolling slowly through a cemetery.

We read people were not familiar with who have means we can't pronounce the offer no context to bring them relevance to our world.

Frankly, is rather boring. Anyone attempted to read through the Bible is usually decided to give up that idea. When they hit first Chronicles and then they have second Chronicles to look forward to. Which by the way is a lot more interesting. But this first section of first Chronicles will, for example, let me read a few random verses will read chapter 4, six, seven, eight, you just listen mayor logging birth to all who examine heifer Gemini and higher Irish Tyree HELOC gave birth to desire it is our fellow man."

And who became the ancestor of a new so we bought it in all the families of our earth held some of her room. See what I mean.

This chapter after chapter verse after verse tombstone after's tombstone until suddenly you arrive at well to verses about one man is the spirit of God hovers over his life like a divine helicopter hovering oversight in we realize this must be a treasure treasure worth discovering, examining and appreciating otherwise why would the Lord pause in the midst of all of those unknowns and expand one life jail for Sanders it is fine book, spiritual clinic rights when God troubles to preserve the epitaph of 1 million out of millions and gives it in such concise and meaningful language. We can be certain that it will repay detailed study while I took Oswald Sanders at his word and for the last week little more. I have attempted to unearth if you will ask whom the treasure found in verses nine and 10 of first Chronicles chapter 4, and indeed there are things worth discovering a couple of thoughts come to mind before we even get into the verses themselves in the first use obscurity need not overshadow any life if anyone emerges from obscurity. The man were considering today is the classic example.

Never mentioned before, never mentioned again like a meteor across the light sky's name was suddenly flashed the Scriptures endeavored never to return, but he was a man who prayed with boldness in spite of the fact that his life would come from obscurity not I think I speak to some who understand coming from obscurity. I certainly do remember him from L.

Campo, one of the great sites of Texas. Well, at least not from Muleshoe or dime box or booger holler one of my favorite places and I'll stop there. You you may be from one of those places and it isn't funny except everybody else. It's obscure. If you want to seal U got up off the freeway. Our new blink and miss it.

But then when you pull off you want to get back on the freeway.

Just keep going or wherever you're from obscurity, but it did not overshadow our lives was not let it.

We won't let it overshadow Jabez as a second disabilities need not limit our vision is a word you get that will as you will see had a very unusual name. I could very well include a serious disability like the one you struggle with that not all disabilities are as obvious as Johnny Erickson taught us or the man I met it a national conference this this past summer who has no arms and legs and sits on a very unusual little chair. This been prepared for and literally no arms, no legs, personalities, scintillating full of life, enthusiasm. In fact, one of the things he does holds. He holds a high school assemblies and the kids pack out the auditorium to hearing as he somehow gets up on the stage and gets up on this little chair and tells them of life is worth it regardless and do they listen disabilities need not disqualify anyone but I am getting ahead of myself. Living reverses nine and 10 again just refresh our minds. There was a man named Jabez was more honorable than any of his brothers. His mother named him John thinks the Hebrew says Jabez is rendered in English will look at the meaning in a moment because his birth had been so painful.

He was the one who prayed to the God of Israel all that you would bless me and expand my balance my territory.

Please be with me in all that I do and keep me from all trouble and pain. And God granted him his requests.

That's it for Jabez. Biblically speaking, you would pass right over. If you didn't allow what is written to grab your attention and give it some study so it was if I can put a little meat on these bare-bones and help you appreciate what is here and why it is important to all of us first elevates I'm drawn to his Hebrew name because the root of it is pain and anguish. Ms. Reid's mother named him that that is not a nickname. This is name were not told why some are left to speculate. We need to be careful with that but I'll acknowledge it is speculation that we think on the name pain.

Why would she name and then I think every mother hearing me right now would say well attended labor in childbirth. It's a painful export.

It's true. In fact it is so true and so obvious that wouldn't be the reason or every mother would name a child, but there's more. Gotta be more anguish.

Hebrew word is colorful anguish. So there were something about his birth was anguishing painful.

It brought misery.

Maybe her husband died during the nine months she carried him and she birth him as a single mom and reared them as such, along with a house full of other children. Could it be that that she already was struggling having enough income to feed the family and now along comes another maybe they were at war at that time it does happen, it seems best to place it in the context of the conquest of Joshua moving into Canaan and establishing their land among the Jews. They are in Canaan. Maybe there was a battle going on. Maybe her husband was killed in the battle, maybe a couple of her children never older he or she is.

This birth and without being too dramatic, it just may be that he was, he was not expected in the conception came as a surprise. She wasn't ready for another child already had a house full. My grandmother was from a family of 19 a call that a litter that that's that's a lot of kids remedy Jabez mother head which you a lot and maybe she didn't want to have another maybe you were not planned welcome to the club. I was neither that early on I was told you were a mistake I can like that. I come to make me different. The others are planned. I just am here is what you get for messing around. I high my mother, my brother, Joseph very told a very cute story as I was growing up. She and my dad visited his mother.

I never knew her.

She died before I was born, but my mother was carrying me when they visited my dad's mother, Susan Toth center moment understand.

She stood about 4 feet eight weighed about 80 pounds dripping wet and she spoke her mind and she she watched as my mother was busy with one child still in diapers girl and and then older little older, your older son just barely out of diapers and here she is waddling along with me in her inability and in my paternal grandmother looked at her and said come here, but my dad.

He stood about 6162. He said yes ma'am.

She said the Bible says to multiply and fill the earth, but he never expected one woman to do it all. Leave her alone he goes yes ma'am I think you did on the last child that they had. Maybe it isn't funny. Maybe you're not being wanted led to abuse. Thankfully mine didn't but may be used in an unwanted child is often a mistreated child may have been Jabez background.

We don't know. I'd II think of is growing up as a little boy maintaining high campaign cannot play on your life. You look for that handle about in school, take payments, return she deliberately named him that don't tell me you didn't bother.

I have reason to believe it hundred, just as some of you the abuse of your past is led to serious psychological problems and you needed help to recover and I respect you for seeking help. No child should ever be abused but his name I thought about lovely names K.

Hope, serenity, Victoria. Not pretty name Grace and for voice Victoire prints there is a quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams years ago with a great name Roman Gabriel was a quarterback playing football name Roman. What a great day.

There's plenty it's interesting that the very first thing we read about in his it is more honorable than his brothers was a man named Jabez who was more honorable than any of his brother could meet his family, brothers, could mean is Jewish peers who are often seen as brothers more honorable, low is the Hebrew word means heavy. We use the word Ouija is in weighty matters for something significant important. In fact, this particular word is used in Numbers 2215 translated distinguished net interest were distinguished never get somewhere more than his peers. We greatly admire people who come out of nothing and nowhere and emerge into greatness. I guess part of the reason we have such a high regard for our 16th president born in obscurity in Horton County, Kentucky, in a place without an address, a log cabin in the woods, lived in the woods stayed there raised by an illiterate father. The sweet mother died long before his teenage years. In fact, he helped his dad build the coffin in which he was placed always thought that was a touching thought and laid on the mound, for they buried her crying his heart out.

His dad left him and his sister as he went to find a wife to help with the children in the left the children alone. The wife says when she came back and found the children she was finally she came back and found them barefoot they'd never had shoes living as she put it like little animals in the cage hardly made it to the second crate taught himself to read right thanks to his mother had a built-in interest in it becoming self educated. Can you believe it, studied law, passed the bar and practiced it in Illinois became the president of the United States. Our greatest president from nothing more honorable than his peers. We admire people like that. So, for some reason I'm drawn with admiration to morning pain who the writer says outstripped his brothers by distinguishing himself unlike any of them more than the weather you've heard of Jabez are not.

We hope today's insightful message from Chuck Swindoll is given you hope about God's plans for you.

You're listening to Insight for living and if you'd like to learn more about this ministry.

Please visit Insight world.org and please stay with us because we set aside two more programs to address this relevant subject. Chuck titled today's message the integrity of a bold vision. There's much more he wants to show us about God's answer to Jabez we always receive wonderful feedback from listeners about the kind of biographical sketch you heard today Chuck as a way of presenting the biblical record in a manner that helps people relate to Bible characters we see our own strengths and weaknesses in theirs and the natural outcome is that we want to apply the wisdom of the Bible to our lives so that we don't make the same mistakes as a next step. We are recommending that you read one of the many biographies Chuck is written. It's called Joseph a man of integrity and forgiveness like Jabez.

Joseph started out with very humble conditions. Joseph rose from the pit of prison to the pinnacle of power and all along the way. Joseph walked with God and held onto his integrity. With each step, so I cannot show you through Joseph how to trust him during the challenges of this new year again. Chuck biography on Joseph is titled Joseph a man of integrity and forgiveness to purchase a copy, if you're listening in the United States dial 1-800-772-8888 or go to Insight.org/offer you often hear me say that Insight for living is made possible not through the purchase of books and other resources, but through the voluntary donations of friends like you. We rely on your support to make these daily Bible studies with Chuck possible to give a gift today because you're listening in the United States dial 1-800-772-8888 or give online@insight.org/donate site for living. The preceding message the integrity of a bold vision was copyrighted in 2021 and 2022 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2022 by Charles R. Swindoll. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited