Prosperity Gospel?
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:date: 2022-09-03T11:12:14
:status: draft
:category: faith
:tags: tags

Let us start with this super weird Biblical quotation, which has
been made super popular recently:

    Jabez was more respected than his brothers. His mother had
    named him Jabez, for she said, “I experienced pain when
    I gave birth to him.” // Jabez called out to the God of
    Israel, “If only you would greatly bless me and expand my
    territory! May your hand be with me! Keep me from harm so
    I might not endure pain!” God answered his prayer.
    
    -- 1. Chronicles 4:10 NET

In the middle of the super weird long list of genealogies, it was
obvious that the author just had to stop and say something more
about this particular person.

Notice twice the word “pain” mentioned there. It wasn’t prayer
simply for prosperity, but also for the deliverance out of the
curse he may be living under (what kind of life it is live as the
one who caused pain to his mother?).

Also, comments for NET mention the city of Jabez and considers
the possibility that Jabez was the chieftain of that city, and
then his prayer for the expansion of his territory might be quite
literal.

.. Although I completely agree that God cares for the material
   prosperity of ourselves, I think that the Prosperity Gospel
   his horribly limited.

There is however limit on this prosperity:

    For whenever someone says, "I am with Paul," or "I am with
    Apollos," are you not merely human? // What is Apollos,
    really? Or what is Paul? Servants through whom you came to
    believe, and each of us in the ministry the Lord gave us. //
    I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused it to grow. // So
    neither the one who plants counts for anything, nor the one
    who waters, but God who causes the growth. // The one who
    plants and the one who waters work as one, but each will
    receive his reward according to his work.

    -- 1. Corinthians 3:4-8